Setup application server on replicated instance of Oracle on UNIX

[DennisH]

Can I setup a new ArcSDE service on a replicated oracle instance housing an SDE database? What would the best method be in getting a replicated instance running under a new UNIX user account?

[VinceAngelo]

You don't give enough details (which Oracle?, what type of replication?) to give a complete
answer, but I do know that you can't run an ArcSDE service in an instance which is replicated
by a logical Data Guard configuration. Generally speaking, advanced database configuration
and ArcSDE  application servers are incompatible -- Using Direct Connect connections will
always be your best solution when RAC is involved.

There's little reason to use multiple logins on Unix hosts -- they are not subject to the same
limitations found in Windows servers. I regularly run three to five instances of different
versions of ArcSDE on Linux boxes with a single UID. The only difficult part is setting up
'.profile' configurations for each instance and being sure to run the right one before
starting each service.

- V

[DennisH]

It would be a cold backup using a netapp snapshot. I'm using oracle 10g. If the cloned instance were to run under the same unix account, what approach would work in order to get the new service up and running? Thx!

[VinceAngelo]

A static database clone is just another database, as far as an ArcSDE application server
is concerned.  You should probably set the READONLY flag to TRUE immediately after
starting the giomgr, though, since changes wouldn't be reflected in later snapshots.

The same approach is used to start a service on a Unix host, regardless of what login
is used to start it:
1) Set the SDEHOME, PATH, and shared library path variables for both the database
client and the ArcSDE application server
2) Set any database environment variables (like ORACLE_SID or TWO_TASK) needed
to make connection
3) Capture the password for the '-p' flag
4) Issue the 'sdemon -o start' command
Shutdown is the same, though step 2 isn't required.

There's an esri.com forum post on this topic using my 'userproxy' utility, and the current
se_toolkit release has an 'arcsde' Linux boot script under the samples directory without
userproxy (it invokes itself with an 'su').  An experienced Unix admin could help you alter
either for your needs.

- V