Thin provisioning lets storage arrays report more capacity than they physically have – but Oracle ASM doesn't automatically return space when data is deleted. Here's how to reclaim it.
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 Flash Insider: To POC or Not To POC?
Guest Post I'm excited announce another guest blog written by my good friend and funny-talking American cousin Nathan Fuzi. Like me, Nate comes from a database background but joined the all-flash storage revolution back in its infancy. Which means, like me, Nate how has a little tombstone on his résumé marked Violin Memory. But even though he … Continue reading The Flash Insider: To POC or Not To POC?
Oracle’s ASM Filter Driver Revisited
A full re-test of Oracle's ASM Filter Driver a year on – correcting earlier mistakes and giving a definitive verdict on AFD behaviour with 4k Advanced Format devices.
The Great Hypervisor Bake-off: VMware ESX vs Oracle VM
SLOB benchmark results measuring the I/O overhead of virtualisation on Violin flash – comparing VMware ESX against Oracle VM to see which hypervisor costs less in raw database performance.
ASM Rebalance Too Slow? 3 Tips To Improve Rebalance Times
Slow ASM rebalance operations usually come down to a handful of overlooked settings. Here are three practical fixes that have dramatically cut rebalance times in real customer environments.
Oracle Exadata X5: The Road To Ten Billion Dollars
Now that the dust has settled on the announcement of Oracle's new Exadata X5 Database Machine, I've been doing some research in order to update my History of Exadata post (it'll be ready soon). While reviewing the datasheets and other collateral for the X5 I was struck by the meteoric increase in one particular statistic: the … Continue reading Oracle Exadata X5: The Road To Ten Billion Dollars
Deprecation of Non-CDB Architecture in Oracle 12c
Oracle deprecated the non-CDB architecture in 12c, signalling a forced migration to Multitenant. Here's what that means for DBAs still running traditional single-instance databases.
Oracle AWR Reports: When IOStats Lie
Something is wrong with how Oracle tracks I/O statistics in AWR – here's the reproducible anomaly, the evidence it's real and the investigation into what causes it.
Oracle AWR Reports: When Averages Lie
An ERP database showing intermittent slowdowns looked fine in AWR – because AWR averages hide latency spikes. Here's why averages mislead and what to look at instead.
Postcard from Oracle OpenWorld 2014: The Oracle FS1 Flash Array
A couple of weeks ago I wrote a post about my trip to Oracle OpenWorld 2014 and the surprise announcement of the Oracle FS1 Flash Array. I posted it on the Violin Memory corporate website here: http://www.violin-memory.com/blog/postcard-oracle-openworld-2014-the-oracle-fs1-flash-array/ Follow the link to find out whether I thought it was the most amazing product in the history … Continue reading Postcard from Oracle OpenWorld 2014: The Oracle FS1 Flash Array
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