A head-to-head SLOB benchmark comparing Violin flash memory arrays against Oracle Exadata – testing raw Oracle physical I/O throughput on two very different architectures.
Category: Databases
Databases are the systems of record at the centre of the enterprise. They exist to ensure correctness, durability, and control over critical data.
For decades, they have been optimised around human interaction – predictable query patterns, bounded concurrency, and clear operational ownership.
That assumption is now under pressure. As AI systems begin to interact directly with data, the database remains the point of truth… but the way it is accessed is starting to change.
The History of Exadata
A detailed timeline of Oracle Exadata from the original HP Oracle Database Machine through to the X2 series – tracking how the product and its marketing have evolved.
Oracle minimises the Exadata minimal pack
As of Exadata Storage Software version 11.2.3.1 released in March 2012 the "minimal pack" has now been deprecated. This is a component of the storage server software patch which is actually applied to the database servers in order to bring them up to the same image version. Those who have been patching Exadata for a … Continue reading Oracle minimises the Exadata minimal pack
ASM Metadata Utilities
An introduction to Oracle's undocumented ASM metadata utilities – including kfed, the kernel file editor – and how to use them to inspect and understand ASM disk group internals.
Analysing Oracle Exadata
I've been working on a document recently which describes Exadata and examines its strengths and weaknesses. I have uploaded a number of the sections of the document as pages to this site - start here.
flashdba 