Friday, December 12, 2025

EXADATA Basic Info and Components

🚀 Oracle Exadata Overview

Oracle Exadata is a super-fast, pre-built, engineered system (hardware + software together) designed to run Oracle databases much faster and more efficiently than a normal server.


🧩 Exadata Main Components


🖥️ Database Servers (Compute Nodes)

  • Run Oracle Database software

  • Handle query execution and database logic


📦 Storage Servers (Cell Servers)

✅Smart storage servers with their own CPUs and memory

✅ Process queries directly inside the storage

✅ Filter data before sending results to DB servers

✅ Reduce workload on the database layer

✅ Provide extremely fast I/O

✅This is called Smart Scan, one of Exadata’s biggest advantages.


⚡ High-Speed Network

     RoCE/InfiniBand fabric ensures ultra-fast communication between servers and storage.

     InfiniBand (IB) replaced with RoCE (RDMA over Converged Ethernet) Starting from X8M

     The InfiniBand Subnet Manager (SM) is NOT used in the new RoCE.

     RoCE Fabric Manager (RFM) =>  Management and monitoring software that controls the RoCE network fabric used in modern Exadata (X8M and later) systems


Feature

IB Subnet Manager (opensm)

RoCE Fabric Manager (RFM)

Network Type

InfiniBand

RoCE (RDMA over Ethernet)

Function

Builds & manages IB fabric

Builds & manages RoCE fabric

Runs On

IB switches

RoCE switches

Technology

IB routing + partitioning

RDMA, DCB, PFC, ECN, congestion control

Used In

Exadata X7 and earlier

Exadata X8M, X9M, X10M

      


🌐 Management/Network Switches

Provide connectivity and manage traffic across the Exadata environment.


🛠️ Exadata Software

Specialized software stack that integrates and optimizes all components.



🗄️ Exadata Rack Types


Rack Type DB Servers Storage Servers

Quarter Rack                2 3

Half Rack           4 7

Full Rack           8 14


🔧  Notes

  • olsnodes -n → List cluster nodes

  • asmcmd lsdg → Display ASM disk groups

  • cellcli -e "list flashcache" → Show flash cache details

  • ./exachk → Run complete Exadata health check

  • Use AWR Reports to check Cell Offloading & Smart Scan Efficiency


🛠️ Exadata Tools


🔹 CellCLI

  • Runs locally on a storage cell to manage and monitor storage components:

  • Grid disks

  • Cell disks

  • Flash cache

  • Physical disks (NVMe, SSDs)

  • Cell services

  • Metrics and alerts


Examples:

cellcli -e "list physicaldisk"

cellcli -e "list cell detail"


🔹 DCLI (Distributed Command Line Interface)

  • Python-based tool for cluster-wide management:

  • Parallel Execution: Run commands across multiple servers simultaneously

  • Centralized Management: Manage the entire cluster from one location

  • SSH Integration: Requires passwordless SSH connectivity

  • Automation: Ideal for routine tasks like installs or checks

  • Targeting: Specify servers via node lists or group files


Examples:

dcli -g all_cells -l root "cellcli -e list cell"

dcli -l oracle -g /tmp/a.txt "ps -ef |grep pmon"


🔹 ExaCLI

  • Remote administration tool for Exadata:

  • Manage and monitor storage cells and DB nodes without SSH access

  • Essential for Exadata Cloud and Exadata Cloud@Customer

  • Provides visibility into storage-level metrics and objects


🧑‍💻 Key Software Features


Smart Scan

Smart Flash Cache

Storage Index

Exadata Hybrid Columnar Compression (EHCC)

IORM (I/O Resource Manager)



🔹 Smart Scan

  • Controlled by CELL_OFFLOAD_PROCESSING (default: TRUE)

  • Offloads SQL processing to storage servers

  • Activated during full table scans or index fast full scans

  • Look for "TABLE ACCESS STORAGE FULL" or "STORAGE INDEX" in SQL plans

  • Limitation: Doesn’t work if data is on NFS, SAN, or local disk


⚡ Flash Cache Modes

  • Exadata flash can operate in two modes for handling writes:

  • Write-through → Write to disk first (safe, slower). Default in older Exadata.

  • Write-back → Write to flash first (fast, modern). Default in Exadata X5 and later.


Commands:

cellcli -e "LIST CELL DETAIL" | grep flashCacheMode

cellcli -e "ALTER CELL flashCacheMode=WriteBack"

cellcli -e "ALTER CELL flashCacheMode=WriteThrough"


🔹 Storage Index

  • In-memory metadata structure on each storage cell

  • Maintains min/max values of columns to eliminate unnecessary I/O

  • Stored only in memory (lost on reboot, rebuilt as queries run)

  • Storage region = 1 MB chunk of data


🔹 Exadata Hybrid Columnar Compression (EHCC)


Compression modes:

Query Low (Warehouse)

Query High (Warehouse, default)

Archive High (Archive)

Archive Low (Archive, default)


Examples:

         Create table example compress for query high as select * from example2;

         Alter table example compress for query high;

         Alter table example move nocompress;


  • Organizes data into Compression Units (CUs)

  • Ideal for Data Warehousing / Archival

  • Not recommended for OLTP workloads


📊 Exadata Calibrate

  • Acts like a storage speed test

  • Command: DBMS_RESOURCE_MANAGER.CALIBRATE_IO

  • Measures raw disk/flash performance (IOPS, throughput)


0 comments:

Post a Comment

Auto Scroll Stop Scroll