Oracle SuperCluster T5-8, Owner'S Manual

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Understanding Oracle SuperCluster T5-8
Oracle Database (DB) Domains in Oracle SuperCluster T5-8 or on the database servers in
the Oracle Exadata Database Machine.
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Standalone Exadata Storage Servers can only be connected to Oracle SuperCluster T5-8 or
an Oracle Exadata Database Machine, and only support databases running on the Database
Domains in Oracle SuperCluster T5-8 or on the database servers in the Oracle Exadata
Database Machine. The standalone Exadata Storage Servers must be installed in a separate
rack.
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Earlier Oracle Database releases can be run in Application Domains running Oracle Solaris
10. Non-Oracle databases can be run in either Application Domains running Oracle Solaris
10 or Oracle Solaris 11, depending on the Oracle Solaris version they support.
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Oracle Exadata Storage Server Software and the operating systems cannot be modified, and
customers cannot install any additional software or agents on the Exadata Storage Servers.
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Customers cannot update the firmware directly on the Exadata Storage Servers. The
firmware is updated as part of an Exadata Storage Server patch.
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Customers may load additional software on the Database Domains on the SPARC T5-8
servers. However, to ensure best performance, Oracle discourages adding software except
for agents, such as backup agents and security monitoring agents, on the Database Domains.
Loading non-standard kernel modules to the operating system of the Database Domains is
allowed but discouraged. Oracle will not support questions or issues with the non-standard
modules. If a server crashes, and Oracle suspects the crash may have been caused by a non-
standard module, then Oracle support may refer the customer to the vendor of the non-
standard module or ask that the issue be reproduced without the non-standard module.
Modifying the Database Domain operating system other than by applying official patches
and upgrades is not supported. InfiniBand-related packages should always be maintained at
the officially supported release.
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Oracle SuperCluster T5-8 supports separate domains dedicated to applications, with high
throughput/low latency access to the database domains through InfiniBand. Since Oracle
Database is by nature a client server, applications running in the Application Domains can
connect to database instances running in the Database Domain. Applications can be run in
the Database Domain, although it is discouraged.
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Customers cannot connect USB devices to the Exadata Storage Servers except as
documented in Oracle Exadata Storage Server Software User's Guide and this guide. In
those documented situations, the USB device should not draw more than 100 mA of power.
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The network ports on the SPARC T5-8 servers can be used to connect to external non-
Exadata Storage Servers using iSCSI or NFS. However, the Fibre Channel Over Ethernet
(FCoE) protocol is not supported.
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Only switches specified for use in Oracle SuperCluster T5-8, Oracle Exadata Rack
and Oracle Exalogic Elastic Cloud may be connected to the InfiniBand network. It is
not supported to connect third-party switches and other switches not used in Oracle
SuperCluster T5-8, Oracle Exadata Rack and Oracle Exalogic Elastic Cloud.
18 Oracle SuperCluster T5-8 Owner's Guide • May 2016