Database Reference
In-Depth Information
The storage network connects the RAC nodes with the external shared storage. This chapter focuses on public network
as well as private network. Chapter 2 has more details about the configuration of the storage network. The configuration
of the public and private networks consists of the following tasks:
1.
Configuring network hardware
2.
Configuring network in OS
3.
Establishing the IP address and name resolution
4.
Specifying network configuration in Grid Infrastructure installation
The next few sections discuss the configuration of these two types of network.
Network Hardware Configuration
The network hardware for Oracle RAC and Oracle Clusterware includes the NICs or network adapters inside the
hosts and the network switches between the hosts (nodes) or between the host and storage. For example, each host
can have multiple NICs, and some NICs can have multiple ports. Each port is presented as a network interface in OS.
These network interfaces are numbered as eth0, eth1, and so on in Linux. As a minimal configuration, two network
interfaces are required; one for public network and one for the private network (one NIC portis needed for the storage
if you use network based storage). You should use the network switch for the network connection and should not use
the crossover cable for the private interconnect to connect between the RAC nodes. For high availability, it is highly
recommended that you use the following redundant configuration:
•
One or two network interfaces for the public network with one or two redundant public
switches to connect to the public network
•
Two network interfaces for the private network with two dedicated physical switches that are
connected only to the nodes on the cluster. These two network interfaces should not be on the
same NIC if you use a dual-port NIC.
•
Two or more network interfaces or HBAs for the storage network with two or more dedicated
switches, depending on the storage network protocol.
With Oracle HAIP, you can configure up to four network interfaces for the private network. Exactly how many
network interfaces you can use for each network is also limited by the total number of the NIC ports you have on
your server. However, you should use the same network interface for the same network in all the nodes in the same
cluster. For example, you can use eth0 and eth1 for the public network and eth3 and eth4 for the private network on
all the nodes.
The network adapter for the public network must support TCP/IP protocol, and the network adapter for the private
network must support the UDP. The network switch for the private network should support TCP/IP, and it should be at
least 1-gigabit Ethernet or higher to meet the high-speed interconnect requirement. Recently, higher-speed networks
such as 10-gigabit Ethernet or InfiniBand switches have been widely adapted for private network. To use a higher-speed
network for private network, you need to make sure that all the components on the network path such as NICs, network
cables, and switches, operate at higher speed.
It is important that these networks should be independent and not physically connected. It is also recommended
that two dedicated switches be used for the private interconnect. Figure
9-9
shows an example of such a fully
redundant private network between two nodes of the clusters.
