Database Reference
In-Depth Information
Chapter 1
Oracle Database Appliance
The Oracle Database Appliance (ODA) is a newer member of Oracle's Engineered Systems family of products.
It is meant as an entry-level appliance to provide a pain-free, Oracle Database implementation experience. An ODA
implementation saves time and money by providing an easier path to deploying a highly available database solution
using a combination of the Oracle Database Enterprise edition and Oracle Unbreakable Linux (OEL) clustered across
two nodes.
Why an Appliance?
Traditional hardware deployments can take anywhere from weeks to months to implement, depending on the
procurement and the deployment model that a company employs. Upgrades to Oracle database versions can also
be a challenge because each hardware/software combination needs certification at various levels to ensure
a smooth upgrade.
The evolution of the Oracle Database is very important to understand as we look at the engineered systems.
Oracle has incorporated a variety of enhancements as it evolved the Oracle Database product. Through its evolution,
the complexity of the software has increased. From a very simplistic relational database management system (RDBMS)
in Oracle V4 to the reintroduction of Oracle Real Application Clusters, which was released as part of V9, Oracle has
revolutionized the RDBMS and clusterware spectrum.
The database administrator (DBA) role has evolved as a result of the enhancements to the Oracle Database
product line. Roles and responsibilities have increased, and coordination with multiple infrastructure groups
that have a disparate goal has also increased. As Oracle introduced versions 10 and 11 of the database, the life of
a DBA became more complicated, particularly with the addition of Automatic Storage Management (ASM) and
Grid Infrastructure (GI). The DBA is now in charge of volume management and for ensuring that all aspects of the
infrastructure meet the requirements of the Oracle stack.
Complexity has its own perils, and problem resolution time is greatly increased as the number of components
increase. Virtualization of hardware and platform can also make things worse if all aspects of infrastructure are not
fully evaluated properly. The infrastructure and software costs to ensure complete compliance can be very expensive
for an organization, and innocently updating firmware in one piece of the infrastructure can cause turmoil in other
aspects of the infrastructure or software.
The human element is very important as we talk about the advances in infrastructure and software. DBAs
have seen their responsibilities increase with each release of the Oracle database stack. They are now expected to
understand all aspects of the RDBMS, infrastructure, OS, and network to deliver a comprehensive and defect-free
solution to the customer. Delivery of such a solution requires extensive coordination with various infrastructure
groups, and may require costly upgrades or purchases.
The ODA is an entry-level appliance meant to help with infrastructure and software deployment, as well
as upgrades. It comes as a complete, boxed solution meant for small- and medium-sized businesses, as well as
enterprises, for rapid deployment of hardware and software. The ODA was introduced at Oracle OpenWorld 2011,
with a second version, the X3-2, shipping in April of 2013. The ODA is the first appliance to support pay-as-you go
licensing. It provides customers the ability to start with as few as 2 cores and move up to 32 cores (X3-2), as needed.
