Question

Is it possible to just adjust Oracle parameters (such as db_domain) in duplicating server -- or does Oracle need to be completely reinstalled?

Answer

It is not necessary to re-install Oracle in order to make the server address correct within Oracle.
Though the server address is just "cosmetic", it *can* be confusing to see an incorrect value in a log or elsewhere.

The following website describes how the ALTER SYSTEM command

ALTER SYSTEM db_domain=new_value SCOPE=SPFILE

can be used to change the db_domain:

http://www.lazydba.com/oracle/0__143118.html

Another place where the server address appears is the $ORACLE_HOME/network/admin/tnsnames.ora and .listener.ora...

Additional Information

* Test Aleph v20 running Red Hat Linux 5.4 installed under VMware.
* Plan to have identical hardware for the production server.
* If one of the servers fails, it should be relatively easy to have another server up and running with the same configuration as the failed server.
In order to test this idea, we were going to duplicate the test server to become the production server.

I know I have to request the Aleph license for the production server since it is based on IP address. I also know that I have to adjust all the Aleph configuration files to use the new server name. But what about Oracle?

As we move to higher versions, Oracle is storing more of its configuration in the database itself. For instance, in the alert log:
db_domain = "libcat-dev.library.abc.edu"

Category: Installation & Upgrades (500)

Subject: New Installation (500)

• Article last edited: 10/8/2013