Oracle 11g RAC Clusterware administration

Before we investigate the nature of Oracle 11g RAC issues, we first need to provide an introduction to how the Oracle 11g Clusterware functions. We will begin with a quick overview of the key 11g Clusterware processes that compose the architecture of the Oracle 11g RAC environment. We will also discuss the primary role of the Oracle 11g Clusterware within an Oracle 11g RAC environment.

About Oracle Clusterware

Oracle 11g Clusterware is Oracle's implementation of cluster management software, which was introduced in the 10g release of Oracle RAC software. It was originally called Cluster Ready Services (CRS) and is the complex software that exists under the hood of all Oracle 11g RAC environments. Oracle Clusterware provides several key services essential to an Oracle 11g RAC configuration, including the following:

• Group Services to manage cluster services within 11g RAC

• Node Monitor or the "heartbeat" to monitor the status of nodes in 11g RAC cluster

• Locking...