One of the essential things in the configuration of Oracle Data Guard and Oracle Data Guard Broker is where the file tnsnames.ora is placed, which by default, from some other early releases of 19c it has been defined at $ORACLE_HOME/network/admin. However, in one of the environments that I was providing some job as a consultant, I could see the following outputs from the Oracle Data Guard broker utility :
Version 19.3.0.0.0
Copyright (c) 1982, 2019, Oracle and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved.
Welcome to DGMGRL, type "help" for information.
DGMGRL> connect sys/xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx@TECHDBP
Connected to "TECHDBP"
Connected as SYSDBA.
DGMGRL> show configuration;
Configuration - BROKERTECH
Protection Mode: MaxPerformance
Members:
TECHDBP - Primary database
Error: ORA-16778: redo transport error for one or more members
TECHSTDB - Physical standby database
Warning: ORA-16853: apply lag has exceeded specified threshold
Fast-Start Failover: Disabled
Configuration Status:
ERROR (status updated 31 seconds ago)
DGMGRL> show database TECHDBP;
Database - TECHDBP
Role: PRIMARY
Intended State: TRANSPORT-ON
Instance(s):
tech1
tech2
Error: ORA-16737: the redo transport service for member "TECHSTDB" has an error
Database Status:
ERROR
DGMGRL> show database TECHDBP "statusreport";
STATUS REPORT
INSTANCE_NAME SEVERITY ERROR_TEXT
tech2 ERROR ORA-16737: the redo transport service for member "TECHSTDB" has an error
Just a brief explanation on the output above to make it easier to understand from now on:
Standby database has db_unique_name as : TECHSTDB
Primary database has db_unique_name as : TECHDBP
Configuration was named as: BROKERTECH
“tech1” and “tech2” are the name of the instances for the primary database TECHDBP .
And, with the output above was found the error was reporting on the instance “tech2” that it was having a problem to connect to the standby database showing “tech2 ERROR ORA-16737: the redo transport service for member “TECHSTDB” has an error.”
So then I started digging to find out what the reason was. Therefore, I connected to the server where the instance “tech2” was located and started to check the alertSID.log file as below:
]$ tail -f alert_bo1.log 2021-09-08T21:00:26.188702+02:00 rfs (PID:7142): Selected LNO:22 for T-1.S-1101 dbid 1530008807 branch 1081336999 2021-09-08T21:00:26.193743+02:00 ARC3 (PID:29273): Archived Log entry 1310 added for T-1.S-1100 ID 0x5b31c1e7 LAD:1 2021-09-08T21:04:45.459693+02:00 rfs (PID:11969): Possible network disconnect with primary database 2021-09-08T21:04:45.460291+02:00 rfs (PID:11959): Possible network disconnect with primary database 2021-09-08T21:04:45.460422+02:00 rfs (PID:30571): Possible network disconnect with primary database rfs (PID:7142): Selected LNO:21 for T-1.S-1102 dbid 1530008807 branch 1081336999 2021-09-08T21:43:36.737978+02:00
Thus, I could have a hint at the cause by the message “RFS (PID:11959): Possible network disconnect with primary database”. And, then more information from inside the database:
SQL> SELECT thread#, dest_id, gvad.status, error, fail_sequence FROM gv$archive_dest gvad, gv$instance gvi WHERE gvad.inst_id = gvi.inst_id AND destination is NOT NULL ORDER BY thread#, dest_id;
THREAD# DEST_ID STATUS
---------- ---------- ---------
ERROR FAIL_SEQUENCE
----------------------------------------------------------------- -------------
1 1 VALID
0
1 2 VALID
0
2 1 VALID
0
THREAD# DEST_ID STATUS
---------- ---------- ---------
ERROR FAIL_SEQUENCE
----------------------------------------------------------------- -------------
2 2 ERROR
ORA-12154: TNS:could not resolve the connect identifier specified 0
Consequently, I checked the tnsnames.ora and found out that the alias to the service that it was reporting error was added in the file and there was no issue on the listener.ora. So what could be? It was when I decided to setup the TNS_ADMIN variable as I found out that it was not configured as below:
trace]$ srvctl getenv database -d TECHDBP -t "TNS_ADMIN" TECHDBP: PRKF-1128 : Environment variable TNS_ADMIN is not defined.
You do not have to set up this variable in a server where you have only the database running. Still, after a while, I learned that this environment has many applications that occasionally were using another TNS_ADMIN to their purpose. Knowing that, I decided to setup the variable TNS_ADMIN to oracle user on the CRS of this Oracle RAC configuration as below:
~]$ srvctl setenv database -d TECHDBP -T "TNS_ADMIN=/u01/app/oracle/19.3.0/db/network/admin"
Following by a restart of the database:
~]$ srvctl stop database -d TECHDBP ~]$ srvctl start database -d TECHDBP
And then … Voilà! After the configuration, the Data Guard Broker output was changed successfully, and it started to operate normally:
admin]$ dgmgrl
DGMGRL for Linux: Release 19.0.0.0.0 - Production on Wed Sep 8 21:52:48 2021
Version 19.3.0.0.0
Copyright (c) 1982, 2019, Oracle and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved.
Welcome to DGMGRL, type "help" for information.
DGMGRL> connect sys/xxxx@TECHDBP
Connected to "TECHDBP"
Connected as SYSDBA.
DGMGRL> show configuration;
Configuration - BROKERTECH
Protection Mode: MaxPerformance
Members:
TECHDBP - Primary database
TECHSTDB - Physical standby database
Fast-Start Failover: Disabled
Configuration Status:
SUCCESS (status updated 33 seconds ago)
DGMGRL>
I hope that this post helps you!
*The views expressed here are my own and do not represent those of my employer.*
Hello, I’m Bruno — a dual citizen of Brazil and Sweden. I bring a global perspective shaped by experiences in both South America and Europe, with a strong focus on collaboration and innovation across cultures. I am a Computer Scientist, PhD Candidate in Information and Communication Technologies, focusing on Data Science and Artificial Intelligence, and hold dual Master’s degrees in Data Science and Cybersecurity. With over fifteen years of international experience spanning Brazil, Hungary, and Sweden, I have collaborated with global organizations such as IBM, Playtech, and Oracle, as well as contributed remotely to projects across multiple regions. My professional interests include Databases, Cybersecurity, Cloud Computing, Data Science, Data Engineering, Big Data, Artificial Intelligence, Programming, and Software Engineering, all driven by a deep passion for transforming data into strategic business value.