Oracle 19c Data Guard Broker Configuration & Verification
Continue from the finished physical standby and place it under Data Guard Broker control. Covers enabling the Broker on both databases, clearing manual archive destinations, creating the configuration with DGMGRL, and final end-to-end verification of sequence sync for your Oracle 19c disaster recovery architecture.
Prerequisites & Starting State
This part assumes the physical standby from Part 1 is fully built, synchronized and passing the Phase 10 health checks. The Broker is layered on top of that working configuration.
- Redo transport and MRP must already be running — confirmed in Part 1, Phase 10
- TNS entries must resolve in both directions between primary and standby (Part 1, Phase 4)
- Run the Broker commands on PRIMARYDB → STANDBYDB first, then repeat for PRIMARYDB2 → STANDBYDB2
- Manual
LOG_ARCHIVE_DEST_2/3settings on the standby are cleared before the Broker takes over redo shipping
Data Guard Broker Configuration
Follow all sections in sequence. Section numbering continues from Part 1 so each step still maps directly to the original implementation. All commands and configurations are preserved exactly as executed in the production migration.
Enable Broker on Primary & Standby
Enable the Data Guard Broker on both databases. The Broker provides centralized management, automated switchover/failover, and a single interface (dgmgrl) to manage the entire Data Guard configuration. Setting dg_broker_start=TRUE starts the DMON background process on each instance.
SHOW PARAMETER dg_broker_start; ALTER SYSTEM SET dg_broker_start=TRUE SCOPE=BOTH; SHOW PARAMETER broker_config_file;
Clear Archive Dest on Standby Before Broker Setup
Before creating the Broker configuration, clear the manual LOG_ARCHIVE_DEST_2 and LOG_ARCHIVE_DEST_3 settings on the standby. The Broker will manage redo shipping configuration automatically — having both manual and Broker-managed settings conflicts and causes errors.
ALTER SYSTEM SET LOG_ARCHIVE_DEST_2='' SCOPE=BOTH; ALTER SYSTEM SET LOG_ARCHIVE_DEST_3='' SCOPE=BOTH; SHOW PARAMETER LOG_ARCHIVE_DEST;
Create Broker Configuration (On Primary)
Create the Data Guard Broker configuration using dgmgrl. This registers the primary database, adds the standby database, and then enables the complete configuration. Once enabled, the Broker takes over management of redo shipping and monitors both databases continuously.
dgmgrl / as sysdba CREATE CONFIGURATION DG_PRIMARYDB AS PRIMARY DATABASE IS PRIMARYDB CONNECT IDENTIFIER IS PRIMARYDB; ADD DATABASE STANDBYDB AS CONNECT IDENTIFIER IS STANDBYDB MAINTAINED AS PHYSICAL; ENABLE CONFIGURATION; SHOW CONFIGURATION; SHOW DATABASE VERBOSE PRIMARYDB; SHOW DATABASE VERBOSE STANDBYDB;
SHOW CONFIGURATIONshould display SUCCESS status- Both databases should show SUCCESS in
SHOW DATABASEoutput - If Broker shows WARNING — check the specific warning with
SHOW DATABASE VERBOSE - Broker logs are in
$ORACLE_BASE/diag/rdbms/for troubleshooting
Final Verification After Broker Setup
Perform a final end-to-end validation after Broker setup. Force a log switch on the primary and verify the sequence number advances identically on the standby. The sequence difference should be zero, confirming the Broker-managed Data Guard configuration is fully operational.
ALTER SYSTEM SWITCH LOGFILE; SELECT thread#, MAX(sequence#) AS "Last Seq Generated" FROM v$archived_log val, v$database vdb WHERE val.resetlogs_change# = vdb.resetlogs_change# GROUP BY thread# ORDER BY thread#;
SELECT
ARCH.THREAD# AS "Thread",
ARCH.SEQUENCE# AS "Last Sequence Received",
APPL.SEQUENCE# AS "Last Sequence Applied",
(ARCH.SEQUENCE# - APPL.SEQUENCE#) AS "Difference"
FROM
(SELECT THREAD#, SEQUENCE# FROM V$ARCHIVED_LOG
WHERE (THREAD#, FIRST_TIME) IN
(SELECT THREAD#, MAX(FIRST_TIME)
FROM V$ARCHIVED_LOG GROUP BY THREAD#)) ARCH,
(SELECT THREAD#, SEQUENCE# FROM V$LOG_HISTORY
WHERE (THREAD#, FIRST_TIME) IN
(SELECT THREAD#, MAX(FIRST_TIME)
FROM V$LOG_HISTORY GROUP BY THREAD#)) APPL
WHERE ARCH.THREAD# = APPL.THREAD#
ORDER BY 1;Need to revisit the standby build?
Part 1 covers environment preparation, RMAN active duplicate, standby redo logs, redo transport, MRP and validation checks.
✅ Final Outcome — Broker-Managed DR Architecture
The Data Guard Broker was configured successfully on top of the physical standby. Final verification passed with zero transport and apply lag.
DG_PRIMARYDB configuration. Both databases show SUCCESS status. Centralized monitoring and automated failover capability enabled.- Document Type: Sample Reference — Based on Real-World Implementation
- All technical procedures, commands, and outcomes reflect actual implementation steps
- All server identifiers, IPs, and environment-specific values replaced with generic placeholders
- Oracle Version: 19c (19.0.0.0) — Storage: Non-ASM Standard Filesystem
- Previous: Part 1 — Physical Standby DR Setup