Cisco Cisco UCS C22 M3 Rack Server Libro blanco

 

 

White Paper 

© 2009-2012 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved. This document is Cisco Public Information. 

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This document describes how the Cisco Unified 

Computing System™ can be used in conjunction with EMC® 

CLARiiON

®

 storage systems to implement an Oracle Real Application Clusters (RAC) system that is an Oracle 

Certified Configuration. The Cisco Unified Computing System provides the compute, network, and storage access 

components of the cluster, deployed as a single cohesive system. The result is an implementation that addresses 

many of the challenges that database administrators and their IT departments face today, including needs for a 

simplified deployment and operation model, high performance for Oracle RAC software, and lower total cost of 

ownership (TCO). The document introduces the Cisco Unified Computing System and provides instructions for 

implementing it; it concludes with an analysis of the clust

er’s performance and reliability characteristics. 

Data powers essentially every operation in a modern enterprise, from keeping the supply chain operating efficiently to 

managing relationships with customers. Oracle RAC brings an innovative approach to the challenges of rapidly 

increasing amounts of data and demand for high performance. Oracle RAC uses a horizontal scaling (or scale-out) 

model that allows organizations to take advantage of the fact that the price of one-to-four-socket x86-architecture 

servers continues to drop while their processing power increases unabated. The clustered approach allows each 
server to contribute its processing power to the overall cluster’s capacity, enabling a new approach to managing the 
cluster’s performance and capacity. 

Cisco is the undisputed leader in providing network connectivity in enterprise data centers. With the introduction of 

the Cisco Unified Computing System, Cisco is now equipped to provide the entire clustered infrastructure for Oracle 

RAC deployments. The Cisco Unified Computing System provides compute, network, virtualization, and storage 

access resources that are centrally controlled and managed as a single cohesive system. With the capability to scale 

to up to 160 rack-mount servers and incorporate both blade and rack-mount servers in a single system, the Cisco 

Unified Computing System provides an ideal foundation for Oracle RAC deployments. 

Historically, enterprise database management systems have run on costly symmetric multiprocessing servers that 

use a vertical scaling (or scale-up) model. However, as the cost of one-to-four-socket x86-architecture servers 

continues to drop while their processing power increases, a new model has emerged. Oracle RAC uses a horizontal 

scaling, or scale-out, model, in which the active-active cluster uses multiple servers, each contributing its processing 

power to the cluster, increasing performance, scalability, and availability. The cluster balances the workload across 

the servers in the cluster, and the cluster can provide continuous availability in the event of a failure. 

All components in an Oracle RAC implementation must work together flawlessly, and Cisco has worked closely with 

EMC and Oracle to create, test, and certify a configuration of Oracle RAC on the Cisco Unified Computing System. 
Cisco’s Oracle Certified Configuration provides an implementation of Oracle Database 10g Release 2 and Oracle 

Database 11g Release 1 with Real Application Clusters technology consistent with industry best practices. For back-

end Fibre Channel storage, it uses an EMC CLARiiON storage system with a mix of Fibre Channel drives and state-

of-the-art Enterprise Flash Drives (EFDs) to further speed performance.  

The Oracle Certified Configuration of Oracle RAC on the Cisco Unified Computing System offers a number of 

important benefits.