Expert Oracle Exadata - Parent Directory

CHAPTER 15 COMPUTE NODE LAYOUTswitch cables seen in Figure 15-4 are redistributed so that each leaf-to-spine-switch link uses one cable(eight cables per leaf switch). When you’re linking from three to seven Exadata racks together, the seveninter-switch cables are redistributed as evenly as possible across all leaf-to-spine-switch links. Leafswitches are not linked to other leaf switches, and spine switches are not linked to other spine switches.No changes are ever needed for the leaf switch links to the compute nodes and storage cells.Exadata Full Rack #1 Exadata Full Rack #2Spine SwitchSpine SwitchLeaf Switch 1 Leaf Switch 2 Leaf Switch 1Leaf Switch 2Figure 15-5. A switch configuration for two Exadata racks, with one database gridSummaryExadata is a highly complex, highly configurable database platform. In Chapter 14, we talked about allthe various ways disk drives and storage cells can be provisioned separately, or in concert, to deliver wellbalanced, high-performance I/O to your Oracle databases. In this chapter we turned our attention toprovisioning capabilities and strategies at the database tier. Exadata is rarely used to host standalonedatabase servers. In most cases it is far better suited for Oracle RAC clusters. Understanding that everycompute node and storage cell is a fully independent component is important, so we spent aconsiderable amount of time showing how to provision eight standalone compute nodes on an Exadatafull rack configuration. From there we moved on to an Oracle RAC provisioning strategy that providedseparation between three computing environments. And finally, we touched on how Exadata racks maybe networked together to build massive database grids. Understanding the concepts explored in Chapter14 and 15 of this book will help you make the right choices when the time comes to architect aprovisioning strategy for your Exadata database environment.509