how to install ASM in few mins (windows)

Introduction:

This document describes the steps for creating ASM instance on Windows. We need to install only oracle binaries (From 11g R2, Grid Binary need to be installed).  After binary installation we can proceed to ASM instance creation manually.

Step 1:   Install oracle binaries

Oracle binary needs to be installed. Check for asmtool.exe and localconfig.bat files available on $ORACLE_HOME/bin. These are two important files which is required for creating disk and creating CSS respectively.

 

Step 2:   Creating disks using asmtool

Create a directory and create all the disks under that folder.

C:\>mkdir asm_disks

C:\>cd asm_disks

C:\asm_disks>asmtool -create c:\asm_disks\disk1 256

C:\asm_disks>asmtool -create c:\asm_disks\disk2 256

C:\asm_disks>asmtool -create c:\asm_disks\disk3 256

Here we have created 3 disks of size 256M.

NOTE: asmtool is the GUI tool for creating the disks. When you use this, You should have already partition the disk and use those disks in ASM. The partition should be NTFS.

 

Step 3:   Configuring Oracle CSS 

CSS is installed as part of CRS in RAC environment. This would be installed on CRS_HOME in case of RAC. On NON-RAC environment, it is installed in ORACLE_HOME.

Command to check the OCSS status:

C:\asm_disks>crsctl check cssd

Failure 1 contacting Cluster Synchronization Services daemon

 

Creating the OCSS Service:

C:\asm_disks>localconfig add

Step 1:  creating new OCR repository

Successfully accumulated necessary OCR keys.

Creating OCR keys for user 'administrator', privgrp ''..

Operation successful.

Step 2:  creating new CSS service

successfully created local CSS service

successfully added CSS to home

 

Now you can see the OracleCSService created and running on Windows services.

Start->Run->services.msc

C:\asm_disks>crsctl check cssd

Cluster Synchronization Services appears healthy

 

 

Step 4:   Creating ASM init file.

Create INIT+ASM.ora  file on $ORACLE_HOME/database directory.  Use the below minimum parameters

INSTANCE_TYPE= ASM

DB_UNIQUE_NAME= +ASM

LARGE_POOL_SIZE= 8M

ASM_DISKSTRING= 'c:\asm_disks\*'

_ASM_ALLOW_ONLY_RAW_DISKS= FALSE

 

We use “_ASM_ALLOW_ONLY_RAW_DISKS” parameter so that during the process of disk discovery, the disks what we have created above will be identified.  Else you won’t see any disks from ASM.

 

Step 5:   Starting up ASM instances

Create password file the service before you start the ASM instance. 

C:\>orapwd file= C:\app\administrator\product\11.1.0\db_1\database\PWD+ASM.ora password=asm

C:\>oradim –NEW –ASMSID +ASM

Now set ORACLE_HOME & ORACLE_SID

C:\> set ORACLE_HOME= C:\app\administrator\product\11.1.0\db_1

C:\>set ORACLE_SID=+ASM

C:\>sqlplus “/as sysdba”

SQL> startup

ASM instance started

Total System Global Area  535662592 bytes

Fixed Size                  1334380 bytes

Variable Size             509162388 bytes

ASM Cache                  25165824 bytes

ORA-15110: no diskgroups mounted

SQL>

 

Now we have created ASM instance. Next we will proceed with Diskgroup creation.

 

Step 6:   Creating Diskgroup.

Create diskgroup by using the existing disks.

SQL> col path for a30

SQL> select path, header_status from v$asm_disk;

PATH                           HEADER_STATU

------------------------------ ------------

C:\ASM_DISKS\DISK3             CANDIDATE

C:\ASM_DISKS\DISK1             CANDIDATE

C:\ASM_DISKS\DISK2             CANDIDATE

SQL> create diskgroup data external redundancy disk 'c:\asm_disks\disk*';

Diskgroup created.

SQL> select name, total_mb, free_mb from v$asm_diskgroup;

NAME                           File Size (MB)    FREE_MB

------------------------------ -------------- ----------

DATA                                      256        230

 

 

Step 7:   Creating spfile and setting ASM_DISKGROUPS.

SQL> show parameter pfile

NAME                                 TYPE        VALUE

------------------------------------ ----------- ------------------------------

spfile                               string

 

We are not using spfile, Hence trying to create the same here.

SQL> create spfile from pfile;

File created.

 

Now, Startup force will bring the instance and start it again. When the database is brought up, it will use the SPFILE as it was create on $ORACLE_HOME/database.

SQL> startup force;

ASM instance started

Total System Global Area  535662592 bytes

Fixed Size                  1334380 bytes

Variable Size             509162388 bytes

ASM Cache                  25165824 bytes

ORA-15110: no diskgroups mounted

 

We get “no diskgroups mounted” error during start up because, we have not specified any values in ASM_DISKGROUPS parameter. Now the database has been started using spfile.

Set the value for asm_diskgroups in spfile and restart the instance.

SQL> alter system set asm_diskgroups=data scope=spfile;

System altered.

SQL> startup force;

ASM instance started

Total System Global Area  535662592 bytes

Fixed Size                  1334380 bytes

Variable Size             509162388 bytes

ASM Cache                  25165824 bytes

ASM diskgroups mounted

SQL> select * from v$asm_diskgroup;

 

Conclusion: Here ends creation of asm on windows. You can install this on any system for having better hands on ASM.