The purpose of this article is to perform installation of Oracle Enterprise Manager Cloud Control 13c Release 2 (13.2.0.0) on Oracle Linux 6 and 7. (x86_64).
Contents:
Software
OS Installation
Database Installation (Software-Only)
Repository Database Creation Using Template
Cloud Control 13c Installation
Startup/Shutdown
Prerequisites:
Download the following if you don't have already.
Oracle Linux 6 or 7 (x86_64)
Oracle Database (x86_64) 12.1.0.2 Enterprise Edition
Enterprise Manager Cloud Control 13c Release 2 (13.2.0.0) (x86_64)
12.1.0.2 DB Template with CDB PDB for EM 13.2.0.0 on Linux x86-64
There are two templates available. In this article I will be using the one for the Multitenant architecture, but there is one for the non-CDB architecture also.
OS Installation
Install Oracle Linux (OL) in the same way you would for a regular Oracle Database installation.
During this installation I used a virtual machine with 10G RAM and 100G disk space. The swap size was set at 8G, the firewall was disabled and SELinux was set to permissive.
Database Installation (Software-Only)
For this installation you will need 12.1.0.2 for the repository database.
Do a software-only installation, as we will be using the template to create the repository database.
The installation documentation says the following packages are necessary for the cloud control installation. If you have performed the database installation as described in one of the above articles, most of these prerequisites will already have been met.
The database software installation is now complete.
Repository Database Creation Using Template
In this article, we are going to use the repository template to create the repository database. If you are creating the database manually, remember to check all the prerequisites here, some of which include the following.
Database version 12.1.0.2 Enterprise Edition.
You can use a Non-CDB database, or a PDB.
The OPTIMIZER_ADAPTIVE_FEATURES initialization parameter should be set to FALSE.
Character set AL32UTF8.
The template includes all the relevant database settings, but make sure the character set is selected during the creation, as described below.
Unzip the repository template under the ORACLE_HOME
Start the Database Configuration Assistant (DBCA) and create a new database using the template.
Select the "Create Database" option and click the "Next" button.
Select the "Advanced Mode" option and click the "Next" button.
Select the template for the appropriate size of EM installation you need. In this case I've used the small option. Click the "Next" button.
Enter the Global Database Name and SID, then click the "Next" button.
Make sure both the "Configure Enterprise Manager (EM) Database Express" and "Register with Enterprise Manager (EM) Cloud Control" options are unchecked, then click the "Next" button.
Enter the database credentials, then click the "Next" button.
Enter the listener details and click the the "Next" button.
Choose the preferred location for the database files, then click the "Next" button.
Accept the default settings and click on the "Next" button.
Amend the memory settings as desired, click on the "Character Sets" tab and select the "AL32UTF8" option and click the "Next" button. In this case I'm accepting the memory defaults.
Click the "Next" button to create the database.
If you are happy with the summary information, click the "Finish" button.
Wait while the database is created.
Once the database creation is complete, click the "Close" button.
Edit the contents of the "/etc/oratab" file, making sure the database can be started and stopped using the dbstart and dbshut commands.
Make sure the "empdbrepos" pluggable database is open and has its state saved, so it opened automatically when the instance starts. It should already be open, so the first command will produce and error.
Cloud Control 13c Installation
Make the following directories to hold the management server and agent. There are some restrictions on the possible path lengths, so don't make the directory structure too deep, especially for Windows installations.
Start the installation by running the "em13200_linux64.bin" file.
If you wish to receive support information, enter the required details, or uncheck the security updates checkbox and click the "Next" button. Click the "Yes" button the subsequent warning dialog.
If you wish to check for updates, enter the required details, or check the "Skip" option and click the "Next" button.
If you have performed the prerequisites as described, the installation should pass all prerequisite checks. Click the "Next" button. In this case I got a warning on the kernel parameters because my "ip_local_port_range" was larger than the required range. I also got a warning about the physical memory, as I was using a VM with less than the recommended memory. I ignored both by clicking the "Ignore" button, then the "Next" button.
Select the "Create a new Enterprise Manager System" and "Simple" options, then click the "Next" button.
Enter the middleware and agent locations, then click the "Next" button.
Enter the administrator password and database repository details, then click the "Next" button. If you are using the Multitenant template the PDB name will be "empdbrepos". If your database uses a domain, the PDB name will be "empdprepos.your.domain".
Enter a location for the software library. If you are using multiple management servers, you will need to configure shared storage for BI Publisher. For this installation I unchecked the "Configure a Shared Location for Oracle BI Publisher" option, but left the "Enable Oracle BI Publisher" option checked. Click the "Next" button.
If you are happy with the review information, click the "Install" button.
Wait while the installation and configuration take place. Notice the "Repository Out Of Box Configuration" step. If we had not used the database template, this would read "Repository Configuration" and the contents of the repository would be created from scratch.
When prompted, run the root scripts, then click the "OK" button.
Make note of the URLs, then click the "Close" button to exit the installer. A copy of this information is available in the "/u01/app/oracle/middleware/install/setupinfo.txt" file.
The login screen is available from a browser using the URL provided in the previous screen ("https://ol7-emcc.localdomain:7803/em"). Log in with the username "sysman" and the password you specified during your installation.
Once logged in, you are presented with a with the "Accessibility Preference" screen. Click the "Save and Continue" button and you are presented with the the "License Agreement" screen. Click the "I Accept" button and you are presented with the homepage selector screen. On the right side of the screen it lists the post-installation setup tasks you need to work through. Select the desired homepage (I chose Summary).
You are presented with the selected screen as the console homepage.
Startup/Shutdown
Cloud Control is set to auto-start using the "gcstartup" service. The "/etc/oragchomelist" file contains the items that will be started by the system.
On a simple installation the default auto-start will cause a problem as Cloud Control will attempt to start before the database has started. The service can be disabled by commenting out (using #) all the contents of the "/etc/oragchomelist" file to prevent the auto-start and use start/stop scripts described below.
If the start/stop needs to be automated, you can do it in the usual way using Linux service that calls your start/stop scripts that include the database management.
Use the following commands to turn on all components installed by this article.
Use the following commands to turn off all components installed by this article.
Oracle Enterprise Manager Cloud Control 13c Post Installation Setup Tasks
Setup Software Library
Your software library should be set up as part of your installation in 13c, but if for some reason you needed to do it post-installation, you would do the following.
Create a directory to use as the software library.
Navigate to the "Software Library: Administration" screen using the menu at the top-right of the screen (Setup > Provisioning and Patching > Software Library).
Select the storage type of "OMS Shared File System".
Click the "+ Add" button.
Enter a name and location of the file system for the software library. Once you've selected the appropriate values, click the "OK" button.
The software library is now configured.
Set My Oracle Support (MOS) Credentials
Navigate to the "My Oracle Support Preferred Credentials" screen using the menu at the top-right of the screen (Setup > My Oracle Support > Set Credentials...).
Enter the credentials and click the "Apply" button.
Download Additional Agents
Navigate to the "Self Update" screen using the menu at the top-right of the screen (Setup > Extensibility > Self Update).
Click on the "Check Updates" button and "OK" on the subsequent message dialog.
Click on the "Agent Software" link.
Highlight the agent of interest and click the "Download" button. Select the download schedule and click the "Select" button. Click the "OK" button on the confirmation dialog.
Click the refresh button on the top-right of the screen until the download is complete and the status changes to "Downloaded".
Highlight the newly downloaded software and click the "Apply" button, followed by the "OK" button on the two following message dialogs.
When the status changes to "Applied", the agent software is ready for installation on a target.
Install an Agent on a Target Host
Navigate to the "Add Targets Manually" screen using the menu at the top-right of the screen (Setup > Add Target > Add Targets Manually).
Click the "Install Agent on Host" button.
Click the "+ Add" button.
Enter the host and platform, then click the "Next" button.
Enter the installation details and click the "Next" button.
If you are installing the agent on a HP Service Guard package, remember to set the "Additional Parameters" to point at the package-specific inventory location and override the machine name with the package name. For example.
Check the information on the review screen and click the "Deploy Agent" button.
Wait while the installation takes place. The "Add Host Status" page refreshes every 30 seconds.
When the installation completes, run the specified "root.sh" script and click the "Done" button.
The host will now be visible on the "Targets > Hosts" screen.
Discover Targets on Host
Navigate to the "Add Targets Manually" screen using the menu at the top-right of the screen (Setup > Add Target > Add Targets Manually).
Click the "Add Using Guided Process" button, select the target types to be discovered (eg. Oracle Database, Listener and Automatic Storage Manager) and click the "Add ..." button.
Select the host name and click the "Next" button.
Click the "Configure" icon for any discovered targets and enter the required details. If you are using HP Service Guard, remember to only select and configure targets belonging to the package. By default, the agent will discover all targets on the physical machine.
When all the configuration steps are complete, click the "Next" button, followed by the "Save" button, then finally the "Close" button.
The targets will now be listed on the relevant target screen (Targets > Databases).
Add Administrator Users
Navigate to the "Administrators" screen using the menu at the top-right of the screen (Setup > Security > Administrators).
Select the "Enterprise Manager Repository" and click the "Next" button.
Enter the username/password details and check the "Super Administrator" checkbox, then click the "Review" button.
Click the "Finish" button.
Notifications
There are several areas to consider when configuring and diagnosing notification issues.
Make sure the SMTP server is registered in the "Setup > Notifications > Mail Servers" screen.
Check the "Setup > Incidents > Incident Rules" screen. Make sure the relevant incident rules are enabled. Create any new rules you need.
Subscribe to any rules you want to be notified about. To do this, highlight the rule, then do "Actions > Email > E-mail Me".
Make sure your email is setup in the "Enterprise Manager Password & Email" screen, from the menu below your username on the top right of the screen.
Disable BI Publisher
From 13c onward, I would suggest configuring BI Publisher during the installation/upgrade, so if you need it in future it is ready to go. Having said that, if you currently don't need it, you can switch it off to reduce resource usage and improve startup speed.
The BI Publisher will be started automatically during the startup process of the Enterprise Manager 13c. You don’t like the BI Publisher or you don’t use it? Save the resources, speed up your startup process, disable it. The password of the database repository owner SYSMAN is required.
Verify the Status – the BI Publisher is up and running
[oracle@solothurn ~]$ export OMS_HOME=/u00/app/oracle/product/oms13cr1
[oracle@solothurn ~]$ $OMS_HOME/bin/emctl status oms
Oracle Enterprise Manager Cloud Control 13c Release 1
Copyright (c) 1996, 2015 Oracle Corporation. All rights reserved.
WebTier is Up
Oracle Management Server is Up
JVMD Engine is Up
BI Publisher Server is Up
Disable the BI Publisher
[oracle@solothurn ~]$ $OMS_HOME/bin/emctl config oms -disable_bip
Oracle Enterprise Manager Cloud Control 13c Release 1
Copyright (c) 1996, 2015 Oracle Corporation. All rights reserved.
Enter Enterprise Manager Root (SYSMAN) Password :
Stopping BI Publisher Server...
BI Publisher Server Successfully Stopped
BI Publisher Server is Down
BI Publisher has been disabled on this host and will not be started with the 'emctl start oms' or 'emctl start oms -bip_only' commands.
Overall result of operations: SUCCESS
Verify the Status again
If you want to enable the BI Publisher again, the command is listed below the emctl output.
[oracle@solothurn ~]$ $OMS_HOME/bin/emctl status oms
Oracle Enterprise Manager Cloud Control 13c Release 1
Copyright (c) 1996, 2015 Oracle Corporation. All rights reserved.
WebTier is Up
Oracle Management Server is Up
JVMD Engine is Up
BI Publisher Server is Down
BI Publisher is disabled, to enable BI Publisher on this host, use the 'emctl config oms -enable_bip' command
Timing
I have tested the start of the Oracle Enterprise Manager in my local virtual machine environment (VMWare Workstation,15GB Memory, 4 Cores, SSD) with and without the BI Publisher. The difference:
BI Publisher enabled – 4 Minutes and 18 Seconds
[oracle@solothurn ~]$ time $OMS_HOME/bin/emctl start oms
Oracle Enterprise Manager Cloud Control 13c Release 1
Copyright (c) 1996, 2015 Oracle Corporation. All rights reserved.
Starting Oracle Management Server...
WebTier Successfully Started
Oracle Management Server Successfully Started
Oracle Management Server is Up
JVMD Engine is Up
Starting BI Publisher Server ...
BI Publisher Server Successfully Started
BI Publisher Server is Up
real 4m18.322s
user 0m21.835s
sys 0m2.206s
BI Publisher disabled – 3 Minutes and 6 Seconds
[oracle@solothurn ~]$ time $OMS_HOME/bin/emctl start oms
Oracle Enterprise Manager Cloud Control 13c Release 1
Copyright (c) 1996, 2015 Oracle Corporation. All rights reserved.
Starting Oracle Management Server...
WebTier Successfully Started
Oracle Management Server Successfully Started
Oracle Management Server is Up
JVMD Engine is Up
real 3m6.834s
user 0m11.907s
sys 0m1.323s
Alter Page Timeout
After moving to Oracle Enterprise Manager Cloud Control 12c, one of the annoyances I soon discovered was this message “The page has expired. Click OK to continue”.
When you’re not actively using the console, it doesn’t take long before the message appears, which is especially annoying when you have the performance monitoring pages running in the background!
According to Oracle it’s a new security feature within the EM12c console:
To prevent unauthorized access to the Cloud Control console, Enterprise Manager will automatically log you out of the Cloud Control console when there is no activity for a predefined period of time. For example, if you leave your browser open and leave your office, this default behavior prevents unauthorized users from using your Enterprise Manager administrator account. But with today’s browser behavior all that really happens is the page reloads after you click OK anyway.
So, here’s how you disable it:
Disable the feature altogether with ‘-1’ value (it’s null by default), or enter another value (minutes) if for some reason you want to increase it:
./emctl set property -name oracle.sysman.eml.maxInactiveTime -value -1 -sysman_pwd sysman_password
Restart your OMS(es) to reflect the changes:
In the example above, we uses the value "-1" which represents unlimited, but you can always use an alternative value.