12c DataGuard / Broker Pitfalls

In a broker configuration, you use the DGConnectIdentifer property to specify a connect identifier for each database.

The connect identifier for a database must:
Allow all other databases in the configuration to reach it.
Allow all instances of an Oracle RAC database to be reached.
Specify a service that all instances dynamically register with the listeners so that connect-time failover on an Oracle RAC database is possible.

The service should NOT be one that is defined and managed by Oracle Clusterware.

A static service needs to be defined and registered only if Oracle Clusterware or Oracle Restart is not being used.

Else, by default, the broker assumes a static service name of db_unique_name_DGMGRL.db_domain and expects the listener has been started with the following content in the listener.ora file:

LISTENER =
(DESCRIPTION_LIST =
  (DESCRIPTION =
    (ADDRESS = (PROTOCOL = TCP)(HOST = host_name)(PORT = port_num))
  )
)

SID_LIST_LISTENER=
(SID_LIST=
  (SID_DESC=
    (GLOBAL_DBNAME=db_unique_name_DGMGRL.db_domain)
    (ORACLE_HOME=oracle_home)
    (SID_NAME=sid_name)
    (ENVS="TNS_ADMIN=oracle_home/network/admin")
  )
)  

As of Oracle Database 12c Release 1 (12.1), for all databases to be added to a broker configuration, any LOG_ARCHIVE_DEST_n parameters that have the SERVICE attribute set, but not the NOREGISTER attribute, must be cleared.

Create Configuration Failing with ORA-16698 (Doc ID 1582179.1)

Oracle Data Guard Installation