Dbvisit FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)
How is Dbvisit installed?
Dbvisit is installed through a menu that takes you through the installation process. Dbvisit will recommend most of the
settings. Typically the installation takes about 15-30 minutes.
The Database does not need to be restarted and there are no init.ora parameters that need to be altered.
See the Quick installation guide (Linux/UNIX only) for an overview.
Do you provide support and updates to Dbvisit?
Yes, Dbvisit is a fully supported product and updates are provided. Dbvisit creates trace files which can be
emailed to Dbvisit support to be analysed so that issues can be quickly resolved.
Is there a Windows version for Dbvisit?
Yes, to download please go to Download Dbvisit for Windows.
Can Dbvisit run in a virtual server?
Yes, Dbvisit is fully supported to run in a virtual environment.
What sort of reporting can we get out of Dbvisit?
The Dbvisit repository installed in the Oracle database provides a lot of useful information and can be accessed using standard SQL.
Some examples are: How long it takes for each log to transfer to the standby server, archive log gap analysis
etc. This information can be obtained using any SQL reporting tool (TOAD or PL/SQL Developer) that connects to the database. Please see the
Dbvisit Installation Guide and User Manual on our documentation page for more information.
Can Dbvisit be used in a UNIX cluster environment?
Yes, Dbvisit can be used in a clustering environment. For more information please
contact us for more information.
Can Dbvisit be used in an Oracle RAC environment?
Yes, Dbvisit can be used in an Oracle RAC environment. Please see the
Dbvisit with RAC page for more information.
Does Dbvisit impact Database processing?
Dbvisit runs outside the database and therefore has very limited impact on database processing. Dbvisit does not use PL/SQL packages or Database triggers.
When Dbvisit runs, a log switch must occur and this may
have an impact on Database processing (Data Guard has a similar impact on Database processing). The more frequent Dbvisit is scheduled the more this impact will be.
Is it easy to change the configuration of Dbvisit?
Yes, it is very easy to change the configuration of Dbvisit for a particular Database. Each Database has a separate configuration file which
is a plain text ASCII file and can be easily edited using any text editor. We call this configuration file the DDC file (Dbvisit database configuration file).
From Dbvisit version 5.0 onwards the DDC file can also be updated through the Dbvisit setup utility (dbvisit_setup).
Does Dbvisit support multiple Standby Databases?
Yes, Dbvisit supports multiple Standby Database from the same primary Database. There is no limit to the number of standby database supported for
one primary Database. Setting up an additional Standby Database takes about 2 minutes!
When I purchase a Dbvisit license, how long does this last?
The Dbvisit license is a perpetual license. It lasts forever, and the Standby Database license is also included. Included is a 3 month free technical support and free upgrades.
See pricing for more information.
Why does Dbvisit not provide a GUI interface?
We believe in simplicity and using a simple architecture and framework to ensure Dbvisit has a small footprint and is very simple to install and use.
Dbvisit processing happens behind the scenes and a GUI is not necessary.
Most DBA's want to be in control of their databases and know what they are doing. With a GUI it is very easy to click
the wrong button and not be aware of the consequences.
Why does Dbvisit not create a standby database automatically?
Creating a standby database is a simple process, and should be part of any DBA's repertoire.
See how to manually create a standby database video tutorial.
RMAN does a great job in creating a standby database.
See our documentation on how to:
This uses rman or the traditional method (hot or cold backup).
Also most databases these days are too big to transfer online to the remote location (this will take days). The standby database will have to be
created by transferring the primary database backup tapes to the standby location and restoring from backup tapes.
This is something that no software can automate. Data Guard also does not create a standby database.
Can I do a graceful switchover (role reversal) with Dbvisit?
Yes this is fully automated in Dbvisit. Please see our graceful switchover page.
Is automatic failover supported? What is the process you go through when the primary fails?
We prefer not to automate the failover process as it is difficult for software to determine if it is a real disaster or just a temporary glitch.
The failover process cannot be reversed so it is crucial that this only happens in case of a real disaster.
With Dbvisit the standby database is ready to take over instantly at any time. It only requires one Dbvisit command to activate the standby database and this can be scripted to run automatically if automatic failover is required.
What kind of error reporting occurs if a log transmission or other failures occur?
There will be an email sent, and there will be an entry in the Dbvisit "alert" log. The location of the Dbvisit alert log will be specified by the
LOGDIR variable in the Dbvisit database configuration (DDC) file. The name of the Dbvisit alert is specified by the JOBHIST variable but is normally dbvisit.hist.
Just like the Oracle alert log can be monitored by a monitoring tool, the Dbvisit alert log can also be monitored by a monitoring tool.
The Dbvisit alert log is a very condensed alert log which makes monitoring easy.
Dbvisit will also produce a trace file. The email will contain the name and location of the trace file.
The trace file can be sent to Dbvisit support for analysis. The trace files are very comprehensive and we have never had to log onto a
customer servers to resolve issues.
Can we install Dbvisit in any location, say /u01/oracle/dbvisit/ or d:\program files\dbvisit?
Dbvisit can be installed in any location. Dbvisit can be installed in different locations on the primary and the standby servers.
How to start/stop the database synchronisation process?
Dbvisit is started on both the primary and standby servers with the same command:
dbvisit database_name
This will synchronise the databases at the time that the Dbvisit process is run.
To continuously synchronise the databases, the Dbvisit command has to be scheduled on both the primary and standby servers (say every 5 minutes).
By stopping the Dbvisit scheduling, the synchronisation process will also stop.
See the full list of Dbvisit commands.
