Oracle and Tightly Integrated Platforms in Software

Maker Denso QR Bar Code in Software Oracle and Tightly Integrated Platforms

When managing multiple databases or mixed workloads, I/O resource management through the Database Resource Manager and Exadata Storage Server Software can ensure that users and tasks will have the resources they need Databases can be designated to run on certain database server nodes, but a more flexible means of sharing the resources of a single database node can be achieved through the use of instance caging and setting a CPU count per database instance in the Database Resource Manager Enterprise Manager provides a single point of management for Quality of Service (QoS) where policies are defined and enabled, performance is monitored, and resources can be reallocated when needed For the more technically advanced, there is an Exadata Storage Server cell command-line interface (CELLCLI) available for managing the cells Management Services provided by the Oracle Exadata Storage Server Software deployed on the cells enables administering, managing, and querying the status of the cells from either Grid Control or the CELLCLI interface Cell Services provide the majority of other Exadata storage services needed, while Restart Services are used to update the Exadata software and ensure storage services are started and running

Traditionally, platform determination, deployment, and maintenance tasks are delegated to many individuals As you might have gathered from the description of the Oracle Exadata Database Machine thus far, a platform like this can affect the roles of your enterprise architects, storage architects, development and deployment DBAs, and network and systems administrators For an enterprise system of this type, having the right business sponsor also engaged in the process is often key to gaining funding to buy the system and claiming success after deployment The role of enterprise architect has gained in popularity and breadth of responsibility Enterprise architects often evaluate the ability of a platform to meet technical architecture requirements and standards, as well as their appropriateness in meeting business requirements as defined by business sponsors A platform like the Oracle Exadata Database Machine can introduce new considerations into such an evaluation The potentially rapid speed of deployment and predefined balanced configuration help eliminate potential errors and risk of project delays that often occur when platforms are custom designed More focus can be placed on matching the value of

such a platform in delivery of solutions that meet business goals and provide real business return on investment On the other hand, organizational standards for certain hardware and storage components might not align and might need to be overlooked in cases where the value of a complete integrated system outweighs the benefits of conflicting technical component standards In fact, technical component specialist roles, such as the role of storage architect, typically change from one of selection of components to evaluating more advanced deployment considerations, such as planning for disaster recovery The DBA s role also can change in fundamental ways The Oracle Exadata Storage Server Software minimizes certain design and management considerations, such as the need to apply extensive indexing typical on other Oracle-based platforms Striping and mirroring are handled through ASM, so basic storage management tasks often move to the DBA s area of responsibility DBAs for the Oracle Exadata Database Machine also typically monitor patch releases for not only the Oracle database and Exadata software, but also for the operating system Other basic tasks remain unchanged For example, high availability and disaster recovery can be enabled using Data Guard and Flashback Backups are handled using Oracle s Recovery Manager (RMAN) Networking the system into the current IT infrastructure is performed during the installation process Oracle and some Oracle partners offer rapid installation services that usually are completed within two or three days after system delivery, and include the configuration of the Oracle Exadata Database Machine InfiniBand switch Once configured, the Oracle Exadata Database Machine appears much like any other Oracle database server on a network As you might gather, the consolidation of system and database management roles has implications for speed of change once the system is deployed, given that its management is much more centralized Organizations that have deployed such platforms often find their ability to respond to new configuration needs within IT are greatly enhanced, and there are new opportunities for architects to focus on more difficult and challenging problems common in any enterprise deployment situation

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