Steps to implement RAC

I am afraid the total steps for implenting a RAC system from scratch are much too detailed to list entirely in this space.

In general the tasks include:

1. Obviously it is important to get up to speed on RAC concepts and develop a plan for what exactly it is you want to accomplish and/or prove. Deciding if you even need or can use RAC is always the first step.
2. Setting up the hardware: servers, private network, shared storage, switches, etc.
3. Configuring the O/S: system parameters, mounting storage, remote access, interconnect heartbeat parameters (hangcheck-timer), etc.
4. Installing and configuring the software: clusterware, ASM (if desired), configuring init.ora's, creating instances, configuring tnsnames.ora's, listener.ora's, etc.

It's quite an initial project that requires teamwork between the DBA, server admin and network admin. I don't want to give the impression that it is unmanageable in complexity, because it is not, but it is time-consuming and requires detailed planning.

Here's a nice guide that takes you through the entire process, and the configuration documentation for 9i.

There are also several books that I consider invaluable, especially when starting with RAC for the first time. I own and recommend both of these: Oracle 10g Grid & Real Application Clusters by Michael Ault and Madhu Tumma and Oracle Real Application Clusters by Murali Vallath.

I hope this helps. Good luck to you.

Bill