Installing Oracle RAC on Windows

Question:  How do I install Oracle RAC on a Windows Platform.  I?m a beginner, and the documentation does not help and I want step by step directions for installing and configuring RAC on my Windows PC.

Answer:  For Windows-based RAC database systems, both the Windows 2000 and Windows 2003 are supported. Windows 2003 refers to enterprise, data center and standard edition. Windows 2000 refers to Advanced Server and Datacenter Edition. Note that the RAC clusterware is supplied by Oracle.

Ordinarily, the data files, control files, and redo log files need to reside on the unformatted raw devices on a Windows RAC platform. However, with the Oracle9i Release 2 (9.2.0.1.0) there is the option of using the cluster file system for setting up the shared storage volumes for the RAC database.  If Oracle9i Release 1 (9.0.1.0.0) is being installed, logical partitions (otherwise known as RAW Partitions) for the shared disks must still be used.

In a Windows environment, the raw devices are more commonly known as logical drives that reside within extended partitions.

Installing Windows OCFS for RAC

The Oracle Cluster File System (OCFS) for Windows
OCFS is a shared file system specifically designed for Real Application Clusters. It allows multiple nodes to share Oracle Home and databases on a single SAN volume. All nodes in the cluster have concurrent ownership and access to the shared disks.

For installing OCFS on Windows RAC, Oracle supports all database files and installation of the Oracle software. It was designed for use of an Oracle database, not a new general-purpose file system. The single shared Oracle Home aids the install process by providing a consistent image of binaries and metadata across the RAC cluster.

However, according to Oracle MOSC Note # 225550.1, the current version of OCFS for RAC does not support access from mapped drives in the Windows environments.
 

Getting help installing Windows RAC

Installing and configuring Oracle RAC is quite complex, and many shops hire experienced Oracle RAC consulting.

If you want to install Oracle RAC on Windows yourself, in lieu of the Oracle RAC training, I recommend the book "Oracle 10g RAC and Grid".

For installing RAC on a Windows PC, there is a whole book dedicated to installing and configuring RAC on a PC by Edward Stoever.

If you are a neophyte in RAC, it's best to get the step-by-step directions from the book "Personal Oracle RAC Clusters:  Create Oracle 10g Grid Computing at Home".

Related RAC Windows install notes

See my related notes in installing RAC on a Windows server: