Planning the Sandbox

I decided that I would try to be as smart as possible (emphasis on the try :) in setting up this sandbox. So, I started off by planning what my requirements would be.

In quick summary, I wanted to have the following software installed in my sandbox:

• Oracle Database 10g R2
  
• Oracle Database 11g
  
• Oracle Application Server
• Oracle Grid Control

I want to be able to create RAC databases as well as single-instance databases, so I needed some sort of shared disk setup. I found a superb note online titled, "Build your own Oracle RAC Cluster on Oracle Enterprise Linux and iSCSI", written by Jeffrey Hunter. This note goes into great detail about how to create a homemade SAN (as well as creating a 10gR2 RAC database).

Also, I wanted to be able to create an application server cluster, so I can practice creating different HA topologies and studying for the Application Server OCP exam. So, now I'm up to 2 database servers, 2 application servers, and a SAN server. I thought it would be good to have a dedicated grid control server as well.

I planned out the network, choose subnets and IP addresses, and proceeded to create a network diagram with the details of the network:



As part of the planning process, I also enumerated all of the software that I would need to download:

• Oracle Enterprise Linux

• Oracle Enterprise Manager Grid Control 10g (10.2.0.1)
• Oracle Enterprise Manager Grid Control 10g (10.2.0.3) Patch set 2
  
• Oracle Enterprise Manager Grid Control Agents (10.2.0.3)

• Oracle Database 10g Release 2 (10.2.0.1)
• Oracle Database 10g Release 2 (10.2.0.3) Patch set 2
  

• Oracle Database 11g Release 1 (11.1.0.6.0) for Linux x86
• Oracle Database 11g Examples (formerly Companion)
• Oracle Clusterware Release 1 (11.1.0.6.0) for Linux x86

• Oracle Application Server 10g Release 2 (10.1.2.0.2)

• Openfiler

• Sun Java Development Kit 1.4.2
• Sun Java Development Kit 1.5
• Sun Java Development Kit 1.6

The latest version of the SUN JDK can be downloaded from the the sun website here. Older versions can be downloaded here.

My plan of action was to:

1. Create the OpenFiler SAN.
   
2. Install the Oracle Enterprise Linux OS on all of the servers.
3. Configure all of the servers.
   
4. Install the Grid Control Software
5. Install the Oracle 11g CRS, ASM, and database software.
6. Install the Oracle 10gR2 Database software.*
7. Install the Oracle 10gR2 Application Server software.
   

* The reason I'm installing 11g before 10gR2 is so that I won't have to upgrade the 10gR2 ASM and CRS.

In my next few posts, I'll go over the installation of the Openfiler server and the installation of the Oracle Enterprise Linux operating system, and configuration of these servers.