Overview

Oracle Data Guard Broker is a self sustaining configuration, which allows you to manage the Dataguard in more simple way. With the Broker you can start observer, perform switchover and failover. Also, you can change the Protection mode and define a redo log routes. As such, the Data Guard Broker provide a set of utilities to the DBA to manage the Data Guard in easier way.

You can see a brief architecture of the broker. The broker can be started from a 3rd server, but the configuration has to be sure with all instances. Because of that, it is recommended to be stored on the shared data location (ASM in our case)

Before we configure the Broker, we need again to prepare the standby and the primary, as there are some settings that needs to be fixed :)

Preparation

To prepare the primary and standby, we have to move the password file to shared location and reset the destination parameters:

Note: As of Oracle Database 12c Release 1 (12.1), for all databases to be added to a broker configuration, any LOG_ARCHIVE_DEST_n parameters that have the SERVICE attribute set, but not the NOREGISTER attribute, must be cleared.

Prepare Primary & Standby

Configuration

The configuration is done on the primary and then the configuration is edited to include the standby as well:

Configure DG Broker

Management

Now that we have the configuration, we can change the configuration for the data guard:

Change the Redo Rules to SYNC

Set Redo Rules to SYNC

Change Protection Mode to Max Availability

Change Protection Mode

Verify Transportation & Apply

From the Broker it is very easy to verify both Transportation & Apply

Verify Transportation & Apply