This is a very simple post to show the results of some recent testing that Tom and I ran using Oracle SLOB on Violin to determine the impact of using virtualization. But before we get to that, I am duty bound to write a paragraph of text featuring lots of long sentences peppered with industry buzz … Continue reading The Great Hypervisor Bake-off: VMware ESX vs Oracle VM
Category: Databases
Databases are the systems of record at the heart of the enterprise. They were designed for correctness, durability, and human-paced interaction – not for continuous, machine-driven access patterns.
As workloads evolve, the database remains the point of truth… but the assumptions around how it is accessed are starting to break.
ASM Rebalance Too Slow? 3 Tips To Improve Rebalance Times
I've run into a few customers recently who have had problems with their ASM rebalance operations running too slowly. Surprisingly, there were some simple concepts being overlooked - and once these were understood, the rebalance times were dramatically improved. For that reason, I'm documenting the solutions here... I hope that somebody, somewhere benefits... 1. Don't … Continue reading ASM Rebalance Too Slow? 3 Tips To Improve Rebalance Times
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
Back in July 2013, Oracle released the latest version of its flagship database product, Oracle 12c. Among the usual fanfare was information about a number of new options - including one known as Multitenant. With the Multitenant option, databases use a new architecture which features a container database (or CDB) which in turn contains one or more pluggable databases (or PDBs). … Continue reading Deprecation of Non-CDB Architecture in Oracle 12c
Oracle AWR Reports: When IOStats Lie
If you've been unfortunate enough to follow my dithering on Twitter recently you'll know that I've been lurching between thinking that there is and isn't a problem with Oracle's tracking of I/O statistics in its AWR reports. I'm now convinced there is a problem, but I can't work out what causes it... so step 1 … Continue reading Oracle AWR Reports: When IOStats Lie
New Cookbook: Oracle Linux 6 Update 5 within an Oracle VM Template
I've posted a new installation cookbook for using Oracle within a virtual machine running on Oracle VM. Surprisingly, I was unable to come up with a satisfactory method of accessing external storage that did not involve the use of Oracle ASMLib... Oracle Linux 6 Update 5 within an Oracle VM Template
Oracle AWR Reports: When Averages Lie
I was recently contacted by a customer who runs a busy ERP system on their Oracle database. Their users have been screaming for some time about unpredictable performance, where application screens which would usually open in under a second suddenly take an age. ERP systems are legendary for this, of course, because as each screen … Continue reading Oracle AWR Reports: When Averages Lie
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
Oracle, Parallelism and Direct Path Reads… on Flash
Guest Post This is another guest post from my buddy Nate Fuzi, who performs the same role as me for Violin but is based in the US instead of EMEA. Because he's an American, Nate believes that "football" is played using your hands and that the ball is actually egg-shaped. This is of course ridiculous, … Continue reading Oracle, Parallelism and Direct Path Reads… on Flash
Viewing ASM trace files in VIM: Which Way Do You Use?
A couple of people have asked me recently about a classic problem that most DBAs know: how to view ASM trace files in the VIM editor when the filenames start with a + character. To my surprise, there are actually quite a few different ways of doing it. Since it's come up, I thought I'd … Continue reading Viewing ASM trace files in VIM: Which Way Do You Use?
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