Unplugging an Oracle Pluggable Database

In a multitenant BMC Database Automation (BDA) environment, you can unplug an Oracle Pluggable Database (PDB) so that you can back it up or move it to another location. Unplugging (also known as closing) a PDB makes changes in the PDB data files to record that the PDB was properly and successfully unplugged. It also generates an XML manifest file that contains information about the names and the full paths of the tablespaces, as well as data files of the unplugged PDB. This information is used when you open the PDB (known as plugging).

If a CDB already has 252 PDBs plugged into it, then unplugging one of those enables another PDB to be plugged into that CDB.

Before you begin

A container database with at least one open PDB currently managed by BDA must be available.

To unplug an Oracle Pluggable Database

1. From the Management Console, navigate to the container database that contains the pluggable database (PDB) that you want to unplug.
2. In the Pluggable Databases section of the Database Configuration page, click the PDB that you want to unplug.

3. Select Management > Unplug Pluggable Database.

4. In the General page, populate the following fields, and click Next.

   Field	Description
   Domain	Displays the BMC Database Automation multitenant domain within which this PDB is contained.
   Oracle Cluster	(RAC and Restart only) Displays the cluster in which this PDB will reside
   Container Database	Displays the name of the CDB that contains this PDB.
   Pluggable Database	Displays the name of this PDB.
   Host	RAC: Select the host on which to initiate the job. Note: All CDB instances are affected during the job. Restart: Displays the host on which the job will be initiated.
   Template	(Optional) Select a BMC Database Automation template for this operation. See Managing templates for Oracle on Linux and UNIX. If you select a template, click Skip Ahead to advance directly to the next step that requires input. An informational message appears on these steps, in green type, listing the fields that require entries before advancing to the next step. If you select a template for your database, some fields in subsequent pages for this task would be pre-configured and, depending the template specification, non-editable. This allows administrators to enforce standards across the environment.

5. If you select a template, click Skip Ahead to advance directly to the next step that requires input. An informational message appears on these steps, in green type, listing the fields that require entries before advancing to the next step.
   If you do not select a template, go to the next step.

6. In the Configuration page, populate the following fields, and click Next.

   Field	Description
   Metadata Filename	Type the xml file name and full path for the configuration file. The recommended value is /oradata/<your initials>export.xml. For Oracle RAC databases, this location will be accessible from all the nodes of the CDB. Make sure the oracle user has write permissions to the selected directory.
   Drop Pluggable Database	Select this option to drop the PDB as part of the Unplug operation. Note: The data files will remain intact. If this option is not selected, the PDB will be displayed with a status of UNPLUGGED, after the Unplug operation is complete.

7. In the Custom Scripts Configuration page, select any pre-provisioning or post-provisioning scripts that you want to run as follows:

   Section	Description
   Pre-Provisioning Script Directory	(Optional) Select the scripts that you want to run before this event and click to move them to the Selected list box. The scripts in Selected are run in the order listed. Use Move Up and Move Down to re-order the scripts when necessary. See also Managing pre-provisioning and post-provisioning script files.
   Post-Provisioning Script Directory	(Optional) Select the scripts that you want to run after this event and click to move them to the Selected list box. See also Managing pre-provisioning and post-provisioning script files.

8. In the Job Options page, specify any of the following Job options, and click Next.

   Type	Option	Description
   Notification Emails	Email List	(Optional) Click Add Email to add email addresses to the notification list.
   Job Administration	Cleanup Agent Logs	(Optional) Select to automatically remove logs that are generated by BMC Database Automation on the Agent after the Job is complete.

9. If the Change Control page displays, populate the following fields, and click Next.

   Section	Field	Description
   	Bypass Change Control	(Optional) Select to bypass using BMC Remedy ITSM to control the change process. Selecting this option removes the rest of the fields from this page.
   	Change Control Options	Select to determine whether to open a new BMC Remedy ITSM change ticket, or to use an existing BMC Remedy ITSM change ticket to control the change process. Selecting Use Existing Change Ticket displays the fields in the Use Existing Change Ticket section on this page. Selecting Create New Change Ticket displays the fields in the Create New Change Ticket section on this page.
   Use Existing Change Ticket	ITSM Change ID	Specify the BMC Remedy ITSM change ticket number to associate with this change process.
   	ITSM Task ID	Specify the BMC Remedy ITSM task ID number to associate with this change process.
   Create New Change Ticket	Change Type	Assign the type of change for the new BMC Remedy ITSM change ticket.
   	Change Impact	Assign the impact level of this change process for the new BMC Remedy ITSM change ticket.
   	Change Urgency	Assign the urgency level for the new BMC Remedy ITSM change ticket.
   	Change Risk-Level	Assign the risk level of this change process for the new BMC Remedy ITSM change ticket.
   	Change Class	Assign the change class for the new BMC Remedy ITSM change ticket.
   	Change Summary	Type a summary of the change process.

   Note

   The Change Control page appears only when change control is configured for your environment. See Configuring change control.

10. In the Summary page, review the provisioning information.
    To make changes, do the following:
    1. Click Go to to return to the provisioning step that you want to edit.
    2. Make your changes.
    3. Click Save and Review to return to the Summary page.
11. Specify your verification preferences.
    For additional information, see Understanding pre-verification tests.
    • To continue with unplugging the database after the pre-verification tests have been successfully run without manual intervention, select Automatically Continue If All Tests Succeed.

    • To unplug the database without having first run the pre-verification steps, select Skip Pre-Verification Tests.

      Note

      The Skip Pre-Verification Tests option should only be used when you are certain all tests can succeed. The option skips verification and advances directly to the actual provisioning activity.

12. Click Unplug Oracle Pluggable Database.

13. Enter Yes when you are prompted to confirm your decision, and click OK.
    BDA prepares to unplug the pluggable database. A progress page appears.
    When the pluggable database is unplugged, it no longer appears under the CDB in the grid.

    Warning

    Once you unplug the PDB, it no longer appears in BDA (and there is no visual representation of it being unplugged) and you must recreate it to get it back.