The Countdown Has Begun to July 11, 2007, when 11g DB will be here
Its much awaited release as it has some new feature improvements in high availability, performance, scalability, manageability and diagnosability.

http://www.oracle.com/webapps/events/EventsDetail.jsp?p_eventId=66665

I am covering some of the basic recovery recovery scenarios via RMAN in below , this will be a 2 part series  :

Part 1:Database open, datafile deleted
Recovery Scenarios:

Note: If the database is opened with resetlogs, it is necessary to register the new incarnation of the database in the Recovery Catalog with the RESET DATABASE command.

(A) Database open, datafile deleted:

(a) Datafile recovery:

Find the datafile # and tablespace name by querying v$datafile table.

RMAN>
run {
allocate channel dev1 type disk;
sql “alter tablespace users offline immediate”;
restore datafile 4;
recover datafile 4;
sql “alter tablespace users online”;
release channel dev1;
}

 (b) Tablespace recovery:

RMAN>
run {
allocate channel dev1 type disk;
sql “alter tablespace users offline immediate”;
restore tablespace users;
recover tablespace users;
sql “alter tablespace users online”;
release channel dev1;
}
(c) SYSTEM Tablespace recovery:

Note: If it is the system tablespace datafiles to be restored, the database must be closed. It is not possible to offline the system tablespace.
SVRMGRL> shutdown immediate;
SVRMGRL> STARTUP MOUNT;

RMAN>
run {
allocate channel c1 type disk;
restore tablespace SYSTEM;
recover database;
sql “alter database open resetlogs”;
release channel c1;
}
RMAN> Reset database;
(This command NOT allowed if you are NOT using Recovery Catalog)

Will post some more ………….stay tunned ……..

Most of the Oracle 10g databases are using ASM for storage as its very  simple to maintain the  storage  wrt to Disks , Datafiles etc

You can get most of the ASM details & implementation details from OTN here : http://www.oracle.com/technology/asm/index.html

When i started to learn ASM , the real difficult part was to get a test hardware to play with , i looked are to find ways to simulate the asm env & have documented the procedure as below :

Caution: This
method is for Testing & Learning purposes only.

Simulating Asm by faking hardware

–>Faking Hardware
–>Instaling ASM Lib
–>Configuring the disks
–>Install DB & ASM instance

Faking Hardware:

Step 1) Here we create 4 zero-filed files using the DD comand

As Root run the following commands, this will create 4 files of 2Gb each

mkdir /asmdisk
dd if=/dev/zero of=/asmdisk/disk1 bs=1024k count=2000
dd if=/dev/zero of=/asmdisk/disk2 bs=1024k count=2000
dd if=/dev/zero of=/asmdisk/disk3 bs=1024k count=2000
dd if=/dev/zero of=/asmdisk/disk4 bs=1024k count=2000

Step 2) Use the loopback device to assign these disks

/sbin/losetup /dev/loop1 /asmdisk/disk1
/sbin/losetup /dev/loop2 /asmdisk/disk2
/sbin/losetup /dev/loop3 /asmdisk/disk3
/sbin/losetup /dev/loop4 /asmdisk/disk4

Now we need to configure entries to the file “/etc/rc.local” so that these divices are reinitialised on reboot also.

Add the following entries to the file “/etc/rc.local”
/sbin/losetup /dev/loop1 /asmdisk/disk1
/sbin/losetup /dev/loop2 /asmdisk/disk2
/sbin/losetup /dev/loop3 /asmdisk/disk3
/sbin/losetup /dev/loop4 /asmdisk/disk4
/etc/init.d/oracleasm createdisk ASM1 /dev/loop1
/etc/init.d/oracleasm createdisk ASM2 /dev/loop2
/etc/init.d/oracleasm createdisk ASM3 /dev/loop3
/etc/init.d/oracleasm createdisk ASM4 /dev/loop4

Instaling ASM Lib

ASMLib is a support library for the Automatic Storage Management feature of Oracle Database 10g. ASMLib allows an Oracle Database using ASM more efficient and capable access to the disk groups it is using. ASMlib are provided by Oracle from below link : http://www.oracle.com/technology/tech/linux/asmlib/index.html

Pls download the Lib files accoring to your OS & kernel version.

[root@csstage root]# uname -r
2.4.21-27.EL

It gives 3 rpms for download as per the version , pls install then using below command

[root@csstage asm]# rpm -ivh *.rpm

After this completes we go to next step of configuring the disks.

Configuring the ASM Lib & disks
Now we need to use the ASM Lib , configure it & configure the disks accordingly

[root@csstage root]# /etc/init.d/oracleasm configure

Configuring the Oracle ASM library driver.

This will configure the on-boot properties of the Oracle ASM library
driver.  The following questions will determine whether the driver is
loaded on boot and what permissions it will have.  The current values
will be shown in brackets (’[]‘).  Hitting <ENTER> without typing an
answer will keep that current value.  Ctrl-C will abort.

Default user to own the driver interface []: oracle
Default group to own the driver interface []: oinstall
Start Oracle ASM library driver on boot (y/n) [n]: y
Fix permissions of Oracle ASM disks on boot (y/n) [y]: y
Writing Oracle ASM library driver configuration:           [  OK  ]
Creating /dev/oracleasm mount point:                       [  OK  ]
Loading module “oracleasm”:                                [  OK  ]
Mounting ASMlib driver filesystem:                         [  OK  ]
Scanning system for ASM disks:                             [  OK  ]

Now as the ASM Lib are configured, we will configure the disks
[root@csstage root]# /etc/init.d/oracleasm createdisk ASM1 /dev/loop1
Marking disk “/dev/loop1″ as an ASM disk:                  [  OK  ]

[root@csstage root]# /etc/init.d/oracleasm createdisk ASM2 /dev/loop2
Marking disk “/dev/loop2″ as an ASM disk:                  [  OK  ]

[root@csstage root]# /etc/init.d/oracleasm createdisk ASM3 /dev/loop3
Marking disk “/dev/loop3″ as an ASM disk:                  [  OK  ]

[root@csstage root]# /etc/init.d/oracleasm createdisk ASM4 /dev/loop4
Marking disk “/dev/loop4″ as an ASM disk:                  [  OK  ]

So now our hardware is all set to go & we need to install 10g database on the server using the above disks.

Install DB & ASM instance

Now we install the Database with ASM option
Create the ASM Instance
ASM runs as a separate Oracle instance, which can be created and configured using OUI.  Now that ASMLib is installed and the disks are marked for use, you can create an ASM instance.
Log in as oracle and start runInstaller:
$ ./runInstaller
1.    Select Installation Method

•     Select Advanced Installation
•     Click on Next

2.    Specify Inventory Directory and Credentials

•     Inventory Directory: /u01/app/oracle/oraInventory
•     Operating System group name:  oinstall
•     Click on Next

3.    Select Installation Type

•     Select Enterprise Edition
•     Click on Next

4.    Specify Home Details

•     Name:   Ora10gAsm
•     Path:      /u01/app/oracle/product/10.2.0/asm

Note:Oracle recommends using a different ORACLE_HOME for ASM than the ORACLE_HOME used for the database for ease of administration.

•     Click on Next

5.    Product-specific Prerequisite Checks
    If you’ve been following the steps in this guide, all the checks should   pass without difficulty. If one or more checks fail, correct the problem before proceeding.

•     Click on Next

6.    Select Configuration Option

•     Select Configure Automatic Storage Management (ASM)
•     Enter the ASM SYS password and confirm
•     Click on Next

7.    Configure Automatic Storage Management

•     Disk Group Name:  DATA
•     Redundancy

- High mirrors data twice.
- Normal mirrors data once.  This is the default.
- External does not mirror data within ASM. This is typically used if an external RAID array is providing redundancy.

•     Add Disks

The disks you configured for use with ASMLib are listed as Candidate Disks.  Select each disk you wish to include in the disk group.

•     Click on Next

8.    Summary

•     A summary of the products being installed is presented.

•     Click on Install.

9.    Execute Configuration Scripts

•     At the end of the installation, a pop up window will appear indicating scripts that need to be run as root.  Login as root and run the indicated scripts.

•     Click on OK when finished.

10.    Configuration Assistants

•     The Oracle Net, Oracle Database, and iSQL*Plus configuration assistants will run automatically

11.    End of Installation

•     Make note of the URLs presented in the summary, and click on Exit when ready.

12.    Congratulations! Your new Oracle ASM Instance is up and ready for use.
 
Create the Database
Once the ASM instance has been created, create a database that uses ASM for storage:
Log in as oracle and start runInstaller:
$ ./runInstaller
1.    Select Installation Method
o    Select Advanced Installation
o    Click on Next
2.    Select Installation Type
o    Select Enterprise Edition
o    Click on Next
3.    Specify Home Details
o    Name:   OraDb10g
o    Path:      /u01/app/oracle/product/10.2.0/db
Note:Oracle recommends using a different ORACLE_HOME for the database than the ORACLE_HOME used for ASM.
o    Click on Next
4.    Product-specific Prerequisite Checks
o    If you’ve been following the steps in this guide, all the checks should pass without difficulty. If one or more checks fail, correct the problem before proceeding.
o    Click on Next
5.    Select Configuration Option
o    Select Create a Database
o    Click on Next
6.    Select Database Configuration
o    Select General Purpose
o    Click on Next
7.    Specify Database Configuration Options
o    Database Naming:  Enter the Global Database Name and SID
o    Database Character Set:  Accept the default
o    Database Examples:  Select Create database with sample schemas
o    Click on Next
8.    Select Database Management Option
o    Select Use Database Control for Database Management
o    Click on Next
9.    Specify Database Storage Option
o    Select Automatic Storage Management (ASM)
o    Click on Next
10.    Specify Backup and Recovery Options
o    Select Do not enable Automated backups
o    Click on Next
11.    Select ASM Disk Group
o    Select the DATA disk group created in the previous section
o    Click on Next
12.    Specify Database Schema Passwords
o    Select Use the same password for all the accounts
o    Enter the password and confirm
o    Click on Next
13.    Summary
o    A summary of the products being installed is presented.
o    Click on Install.
14.    Configuration Assistants
o    The Oracle Net, Oracle Database, and iSQL*Plus configuration assistants will run automatically
15.    Execute Configuration Scripts
o    At the end of the installation, a pop up window will appear indicating scripts that need to be run as root.  Login as root and run the indicated scripts.
o    Click on OK when finished.
16.    End of Installation
o    Make note of the URLs presented in the summary, and click on Exit when ready.
17.    Congratulations! Your new Oracle Database is up and ready for use.

Note : In between the installation , You might be asked to start CSS Deamon , if you havent already done
To start the CSS daemon and configure the host to always start the daemon upon reboot, do the following:

   1.      Log in to the host as root.
   2.      Ensure that $ORACLE_HOME/bin is in your PATH environment variable.
3.    Enter the following command:  localconfig add

Start the ASM instance:
$ export ORACLE_SID=+ASM
$ sqlplus “/ as sysdba”

SQL*Plus: Release 10.2.0.1.0 - Production on Sun Sep 3 00:28:09 2006
Copyright (c) 1982, 2005, Oracle.  All rights reserved.
Connected to an idle instance.
SQL> startup
ASM instance started
Total System Global Area   83886080 bytes
Fixed Size                  1217836 bytes
Variable Size              57502420 bytes
ASM Cache                  25165824 bytes
ASM diskgroups mounted

SQL> select group_number,disk_number,name,state,mode_status,mount_status,total_mb, from v$asm_disk;

G# D# NAME  STATE    MODE_ST MOUNT_S   TOTAL_MB   
—- ———- ———-
 1  0 ASM1 NORMAL   ONLINE  CACHED        2000       
 1  1 ASM2 NORMAL   ONLINE  CACHED        2000       
 1  2 ASM3 NORMAL   ONLINE  CACHED        2000       
 1  3 ASM4 NORMAL   ONLINE  CACHED        2000       
 1  4 ASM5 NORMAL   ONLINE  CACHED        2000       
 2  0 ASM6 NORMAL   ONLINE  CACHED        2000       
 2  1 ASM7 NORMAL   ONLINE  CACHED        1000       

You can get most of the ASM details & implementation details from OTN here : http://www.oracle.com/technology/asm/index.html

I was reading about the TimesTen db , it really fasinated me , so i thought to give it a try & install on a test server , below are the steps to install timesten on linux

Installing Times 10

Prepare Linux Host
pbrun cso -u root
cd /etc
mkdir TimesTen
chmod 775 TimesTen
chgrp dba /etc/TimesTen
chown pchandir:dba /etc/TimesTen
download timesTen code to dir name times10_v603, I used 6.3
cd /u02/app/pchandir/code/times10_v603/linux86
./setup.sh -verbose -record install

[pchandir@webtest linux86]$ ./setup.sh -verbose
INFO: platform = linux86 bits = 32
INFO: product name = TimesTen6.0.3
INFO: user = pchandir
INFO: Groupid for /etc/TimesTen=8500
INFO: Group name for /etc/TimesTen=dba
INFO: Effective userid running this process = 7220
INFO: Member of = 8500 8500

INFO: Current user is a member of group dba …
INFO: Checking /etc for minimum avail space of 100k
INFO: No instance info file (/etc/TimesTen/instance_info)

NOTE: Each TimesTen installation is identified by a unique instance name.
      The instance name must be a non-null alphanumeric string, not longer
      than 255 characters.

Please choose an instance name for this installation? [ tt60 ]
Instance name will be ‘tt60′.
Is this correct? [ yes ]  
INFO: Cache Connect to Oracle is supported on this platform

Please select a product :

  [1] Oracle TimesTen In-Memory Database
  [2] Oracle TimesTen In-Memory Database with Cache Connect to Oracle

Which product would you like to install? [ 1 ] 2
INFO: Installing product type ‘cache’

Of the three components:

  [1] Client/Server and Data Manager
  [2] Data Manager Only
  [3] Client Only

Which would you like to install? [ 1 ]
INFO: installing component ‘ttserver.tar’, type ‘Client/Server and DataManager’
INFO: Cache Connect to Oracle is supported on this platform
Where would you like to install the tt60 instance of TimesTen? [ /home/pchandir ] /u02/app/pchandir
Where would you like to create the daemon home directory? [ /u02/app/pchandir/TimesTen/tt60/info ]
Installing into /u02/app/pchandir/TimesTen/tt60 …
Uncompressing …

The TimesTen Demo applications can take up to 64 Mbytes of disk space.
Depending on how your system is configured, you may not want to create the
DemoDataStore directory in the default location,
/u02/app/pchandir/TimesTen/tt60/info/DemoDataStore

WARNING: It is advised that you do not install the DemoDataStore directory onto a networked drive. Please see the TimesTen install guide for
         more info.

Where would you like to create the DemoDataStore directory? [ /u02/app/pchandir/TimesTen/tt60/info ]
INFO: Checking /u02/app/pchandir/TimesTen/tt60/info for minimum avail space of 64000k
Creating /u02/app/pchandir/TimesTen/tt60/info/DemoDataStore …

Checking port 16000, range of 8 …
Verifying that port 15992 is open …
Verifying that port 15993 is open …
Verifying that port 15994 is open …
Verifying that port 15995 is open …
Verifying that port 15996 is open …
Verifying that port 15997 is open …
Verifying that port 15998 is open …
Verifying that port 15999 is open …
Verifying that port 16000 is open …
Verifying that port 16001 is open …
Verifying that port 16002 is open …
Verifying that port 16003 is open …
Verifying that port 16004 is open …
Verifying that port 16005 is open …
Verifying that port 16006 is open …
Verifying that port 16007 is open …
Verifying that port 16008 is open …
NOTE: All installations that replicate to each other must use the same daemon port number that is set at installation time. The daemon port number can be verified by running ‘ttVersion’.

The default port number is 16000.

Do you want to use the default port number for the TimesTen daemon? [ yes ]
The daemon will run on the default port number (16000).

INFO: daemon will run on port 16000
INFO: Checking /etc for minimum avail space of 100k
Processing /u02/app/pchandir/TimesTen/tt60/PERL/perl.tar …

Would you like to enable datastore access control? [ no ]

System logging appears to be configured correctly.
(TimesTen syslog messages should be recorded in the file ‘/var/log/messages’)

Would you like to specify a different location for TimesTen syslog messages? [ no ]

The following variables have been set in the TimesTen daemon start scripts :

ORACLE_HOME=/u02/app/pchandir/product/10.1.8RC2
LD_LIBRARY_PATH=/u02/app/pchandir/TimesTen/tt60/lib:/u02/app/pchandir/product/10.1.8RC2/lib32:/u02/app/pchandir/product/10.1.8RC2/network/lib32:
/u02/app/pchandir/product/10.1.8RC2/lib:/u02/app/pchandir/product/10.1.8RC2/network/lib

In order for the Cache Connect to Oracle feature to function properly, these environment variables must be accurate. Please update the daemon start scripts (see installation guide for location) whenever these values change.

Select one of these Cache Connect to Oracle Administrator access options :

  [1] Allow access from this computer only
  [2] Allow access from any computer
  [3] Disable Cache Connect to Oracle Administrator
1

Would you like to enable datastore access control:n
Would you like to specify a different location for TimesTen syslog messages:n
Which mode would you like to run in:1
What TCP/IP port number would you like Cache Connect to Oracle Administrator to listen on:16004
Would you like to log all server Connects/Disconnects:y
What is the TCP/IP port number that you want the TimesTen Server to listen on:16002
What is the name of the host running the TimesTen server:webtest
What is the TCP/IP port number that the TimesTen server is listening on:16002
What is the name of the instance running the TimesTen server:tt60
Would you like to install the documentation:y
Where would you like to create the doc directory (q=quit):/u02/app/pchandir/TimesTen/tt60

as root
cd /u02/app/pchandir/TimesTen/tt60/bin
./setuproot -install
Would you like to install the TimesTen daemon startup scripts into /etc/init.d? [ yes ]
Copying /u02/app/pchandir/TimesTen/tt60/startup/tt_tt60 to /etc/init.d

Successfully installed the following scripts :
/etc/init.d/tt_tt60
/etc/rc.d/rc0.d/K45tt_tt60
/etc/rc.d/rc1.d/K45tt_tt60
/etc/rc.d/rc2.d/S90tt_tt60
/etc/rc.d/rc3.d/S90tt_tt60
/etc/rc.d/rc5.d/S90tt_tt60
/etc/rc.d/rc6.d/K45tt_tt60

Below is the log Files
cat  /u02/app/pchandir/code/times10_v603/linux86/install

Please choose an instance name for this installation:tt60
Is this correct1:y
Which product would you like to install:2
Which would you like to install:1
Where would you like to install the tt60 instance of TimesTen:/u02/app/pchandir
Where would you like to create the daemon home directory:/u02/app/pchandir/TimesTen/tt60/info
Where would you like to create the DemoDataStore directory:/u02/app/pchandir/TimesTen/tt60/info
Do you want to use the default port number for the TimesTen daemon:y
Would you like to enable datastore access control:n
Would you like to specify a different location for TimesTen syslog messages:n
Which mode would you like to run in:1
What TCP/IP port number would you like Cache Connect to Oracle Administrator to listen on:16004
Would you like to log all server Connects/Disconnects:y
What is the TCP/IP port number that you want the TimesTen Server to listen on:16002
What is the name of the host running the TimesTen server:webtest
What is the TCP/IP port number that the TimesTen server is listening on:16002
What is the name of the instance running the TimesTen server:tt60
Would you like to install the documentation:y
Where would you like to create the doc directory (q=quit):/u02/app/pchandir/TimesTen/tt60
 
Checking to see if TimesTen is up
[pchandir@webtest pchandir]$ ps -aef | grep Times
pchandir  26542     1  0 19:55 ?        00:00:00 /u02/app/pchandir/TimesTen/tt60/bin/timestend -initfd 13
pchandir  26545 26542  0 19:55 ?        00:00:00 /u02/app/pchandir/TimesTen/tt60/bin/timestensubd -verbose -id 0 -facility user
pchandir  26546 26542  0 19:55 ?        00:00:00 /u02/app/pchandir/TimesTen/tt60/bin/timestensubd -verbose -id 1 -facility user
pchandir  26547 26542  0 19:55 ?        00:00:00 /u02/app/pchandir/TimesTen/tt60/bin/timestensubd -verbose -id 2 -facility user
pchandir  26551 26542  0 19:55 ?        00:00:00 /u02/app/pchandir/TimesTen/tt60/bin/timestensubd -verbose -id 3 -facility user
pchandir  26561 26542  0 19:55 ?        00:00:00 /u02/app/pchandir/TimesTen/tt60/bin/timestenws -verbose -id 4 -facility user
pchandir  26563 26542  0 19:55 ?        00:00:00 /u02/app/pchandir/TimesTen/tt60/bin/ttcserver -verbose -id 5 -p 16002 -facility user
pchandir  26700 21299  0 19:55 pts/9    00:00:00 grep Times

To stop manually
pbrun cso -u root
/etc/rc.d/init.d/tt_60 stop
or
ttDaemonAdmin -stop

To Start manually
/etc/rc.d/init.d/tt_60 start
or
ttDaemonAdmin -start

Note :
Pls read http://www.oracle.com/timesten/index.html for more on TimesTen

I was googling to get some cheatsheet for unix commands & hit a jackpot
i found http://unixguide.net/cgi-bin/unixguide.cgi
It covers all flavours of unix & various instresting arcticles , faq & shortcuts for  various OS …… i think it will take me a couple of days to digest these