Supporting Hardware - Expert Consolidation in Oracle Database 12c - page 71

Chapter 3

Supporting Hardware

After a quick introduction to some of the most noteworthy Oracle 12.1 New Features, it is time to get back to the core
theme of this topic: consolidation. What you need to consider as important for any new project is even more true
for consolidation projects: defining the right infrastructure for the task ahead. Consolidation projects most likely differ
from other projects in that the infrastructure platform—once decided upon—is to be used in many deployments in
exactly the same way. A successful consolidation project has the potential of replacing a lot of hardware. But only if
done right! And this is exactly the reason why you are finding such a large chapter dedicated to the matter of selecting
hardware.
But hardware is not the only important subject to consider. Once the hardware platform has been agreed upon
by all parties, the next step is to think about the deployment for Oracle databases. The next chapter is written with
that in mind. You read about the author's preference for the Linux platform on x86-64 hardware in previous chapters,
and you will find this thread throughout the rest of the topic. Although many believe that Linux on x86-64 is the future
mainstream platform, there is, of course, no obligation for you to follow the same path. This is another of the key
elements you will find throughout the topic: use what your staff is comfortable with. If you would like to transition
to new systems, or to new processes and tasks, please do so only after appropriate change management has been
implemented. Getting buy-in from the engineers and operational team supporting your systems is important, not only
because it is needed for smooth operations and internal support, but also because it adds extra motivation to the team
if you are proud of what you do.
This chapter aims at evaluating and introducing options related to the consolidation hardware platform, taking
into account the developments in terms of CPU, operating system, and storage. When evaluating these, it is important
not to focus on individual components but rather adhere to the big picture. You can read about enabling software
in the following chapter. Again, there is a wealth of options here, and the fact that the ones you read about made it
into the topic doesn't mean they are the best options for all tasks out there. The chapter is not about comparing and
ranking: it is about introducing and familiarizing you with some of the available products.

Enabling Hardware
This chapter will explore some of the potential hardware choices for the consolidation platform. As you just read
in the introduction, the choice of hardware should be made after careful consideration. The impact of selecting
an inappropriate platform can be felt painfully if it turns out that some factors have not been taken into account.
Once budget is allocated for a specific iteration of the consolidated service, it might be difficult to arrange for major
changes. After all, it's economies of scale your company is after!
The focus of the chapter is going to be on the Linux operating system running on the x86-64 platform. The main
reason lies in the platform's great current and future potential. The mantra of commodity computing has always been
to use easy-to-replace standard building blocks.
The established vendors in the server market offer a comprehensive suite of support products around these
industry standard servers, and making use of them allows you to benefit from economies of scale. First of all, there is
a benefit of reducing the platform footprint. Training and employing staff capable of supporting multiple platforms to