Customizing Oracle VDB Configuration Settings
Delphix Administration / Oracle Environments and Data Sources / Provisioning VDBs from Oracle, Oracle RAC, and Oracle PDB Sources / Customizing Oracle VDB Configuration Settings

This topic describes how to customize Oracle and Oracle RAC virtual database (VDB) configuration settings, including settings that the Delphix Engine reserves and those that it removes from the database configuration file during the provisioning process.

When you create a VDB, the Delphix Engine copies configuration settings from the dSource and uses them to create the VDB. Most settings are copied directly, and you can see these settings by clicking the Advanced link in the Target Environment screen in the Provision VDB wizard.

When a VDB is provisioned in the browser, you can specify configuration parameters directly or copy them from a VDB Configuration Template. Once set, the Delphix Engine will use these parameters whenever the VDB is refreshed, even if you change the original template. With the command-line interface (CLI), you can store a reference to the template with the VDB instead of copying the values. When using a template reference, subsequent refreshes will use the configuration settings from the template. In this case, changes to a template will appear in any VDBs when they are refreshed. If you delete a template while VDBs still refer to it, the template property will be unset for those VDBs and the current settings will be used when refreshed in the future.

It is important to know, however, that some configuration parameters cannot be customized. In addition, some configuration parameters are stripped out during the provisioning process but are customizable. The list of required, restricted, and customizable parameters can be found below.

Oracle Pluggable Database

Customizing Oracle VDB Configuration is only supported for virtual pluggable database provisioned into a virtual container database. If the virtual pluggable database is provisioned into a user created container database on the target host, the database configuration parameters will be managed by the users outside Delphix, as they have direct control on the container database on the target host.

VDB Config Templates

A VDB config template is a list of database configuration parameter names and values that you can save on the Delphix Engine to use at a later time.

Creating a VDB Config Template Via GUI

  1. Log into the  Delphix Management application as an engine administrator.
  2. Click Manage.
  3. Select VDB Config Templates.
  4. Click the icon next to the VDB Config Temp... and select New Template to create a new template.
  5. In the New Template dialog, enter the name for the new template, parameters that you want to provide, and select the source type from the available options. 
  6. Click Create.

Updating a VDB Config Template Via GUI

  1. Log into the Delphix Management application as an engine administrator.
  2. Click Manage.
  3. Select VDB Config Templates.
  4. Select the template from the left-side pane that you need to update.
  5. Click on the pencil icons to edit an existing VDB template. 
  6. Click the button to save the changes or click the button to discard the changes that you made.

Apply/Configure a VDB Config Template to a VDB Via GUI

  1. Login to the  Delphix Management application as an engine administrator.
  2. Click Manage > Datasets.
  3. Select the VDB you want to edit.
  4. From the right-side pane select the Configuration tab. 
  5. Click on the pencil icon next to 'DATABASE' to be able to edit the database. 
  6. To apply an already existing VDB template, select from the available template in the drop-down under VDB Config Template.
    Similarly, you can configure the VDB for an already associated template from the available templates.

  7. Click the button to save the changes or click the button to discard the changes that you made.

You can apply a VDB Config Template to a VDB during the provisioning process, which copies the values from the template. Any subsequent changes to the template will be reflected in the VDB when that VDB is refreshed. During provisioning, you can specify configuration parameters directly or copy them from a VDB Configuration Template. Once set, the Delphix Engine will use these parameters whenever the VDB is refreshed, even if you change the original template.  It is important to know, however, that some configuration parameters cannot be customized. In addition, some configuration parameters are stripped out during the provisioning process but are customizable. The list of restricted and customizable parameters can be found below.

Dynamic Template Parameters on Refresh (CLI Only)

In the CLI, you can set a reference to the template instead of copying the parameters. Subsequent refreshes will use the values from the template, even if those values have changed. Setting a template reference causes the Delphix Engine to ignore any manually-set parameters.

  1. Select the target source.


    delphix> source select vexample

  2. Update the source.


    delphix source "vexample"> update

  3. Set the configTemplateproperty using the name of your desired template.


    delphix source "vexample" update *> set configTemplate=ExampleTemplate

  4. Commit the result.


    delphix source "vexample" update *> commit

You can also set the template reference during provisioning. See the CLI Cookbook: Provisioning a Single Instance Oracle VDB topic for more information.

Required Parameters

The VDB configuration template must contain at least the following database parameters:

  • compatible: Required for both Non-Multitenant and Multitenant sources. Must be set with the same value as in the dSource 'compatible' parameter.
  • enable_pluggable_database: Required for Multitenant sources only. Must be set to TRUE.

Restricted Parameters

These parameters are restricted for use by the Delphix Engine. Attempting to customize these parameters through the use of a VDB Config Template will cause an error during the provisioning process.

  • active_instance_count
  • cluster_database
  • cluster_database_instances
  • cluster_interconnects
  • control_files
  • db_block_size
  • db_create_file_dest
  • db_create_online_log_dest_1
  • db_create_online_log_dest_2
  • db_create_online_log_dest_3
  • db_create_online_log_dest_4
  • db_create_online_log_dest_5
  • db_file_name_convert
  • db_name
  • db_recovery_file_dest
  • db_recovery_file_dest_size
  • db_unique_name
  • dg_broker_config_file1
  • dg_broker_config_file2
  • dg_broker_start
  • fal_client
  • fal_server
  • instance_name
  • instance_number
  • local_listener
  • log_archive_config
  • log_archive_dest
  • log_archive_duplex_dest
  • log_file_name_convert
  • spfile
  • standby_archive_dest
  • standby_file_management
  • thread
  • undo_tablespace
  • __db_cache_size
  • __java_pool_size
  • __large_pool_size
  • __oracle_base
  • __pga_aggregate
  • __sga_target
  • __shared_io_pool_size
  • __shared_pool_size
  • __streams_pool_size

Customizable Parameters

The default value for these parameters is cleared during the provisioning process. They are removed from the VDB configuration file unless you set values for them through a VDB Config Template.

  • audit_file_dest
  • audit_sys_operations
  • audit_trail
  • background_dump_dest
  • core_dump_dest
  • db_domain
  • diagnostic_dest
  • dispatchers
  • fast_start_mttr_target
  • log_archive_dest_1
  • log_archive_dest_2
  • log_archive_dest_3
  • log_archive_dest_4
  • log_archive_dest_5
  • log_archive_dest_6
  • log_archive_dest_7
  • log_archive_dest_8
  • log_archive_dest_9
  • log_archive_dest_10
  • log_archive_dest_11
  • log_archive_dest_12
  • log_archive_dest_13
  • log_archive_dest_14
  • log_archive_dest_15
  • log_archive_dest_16
  • log_archive_dest_17
  • log_archive_dest_18
  • log_archive_dest_19
  • log_archive_dest_20
  • log_archive_dest_21
  • log_archive_dest_22
  • log_archive_dest_23
  • log_archive_dest_24
  • log_archive_dest_25
  • log_archive_dest_26
  • log_archive_dest_27
  • log_archive_dest_28
  • log_archive_dest_29
  • log_archive_dest_30
  • log_archive_dest_31
  • log_archive_dest_state_1
  • log_archive_dest_state_2
  • log_archive_dest_state_3
  • log_archive_dest_state_4
  • log_archive_dest_state_5
  • log_archive_dest_state_6
  • log_archive_dest_state_7
  • log_archive_dest_state_8
  • log_archive_dest_state_9
  • log_archive_dest_state_10
  • log_archive_dest_state_11
  • log_archive_dest_state_12
  • log_archive_dest_state_13
  • log_archive_dest_state_14
  • log_archive_dest_state_15
  • log_archive_dest_state_16
  • log_archive_dest_state_17
  • log_archive_dest_state_18
  • log_archive_dest_state_19
  • log_archive_dest_state_20
  • log_archive_dest_state_21
  • log_archive_dest_state_22
  • log_archive_dest_state_23
  • log_archive_dest_state_24
  • log_archive_dest_state_25
  • log_archive_dest_state_26
  • log_archive_dest_state_27
  • log_archive_dest_state_28
  • log_archive_dest_state_29
  • log_archive_dest_state_30
  • log_archive_dest_state_31
  • remote_listener
  • user_dump_dest

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