An Oracle White Paper
July 2013
Accelerating Database Infrastructure
Using Oracle Real Application Clusters 11g R2
and QLogic FabricCache© Adapters
Using Oracle Real Application Clusters 11gR2 and QLogic FabricCache
Accelerating Database Infrastructure
Executive Overview
Thousands of companies world-wide use Oracle Real
Application Clusters (RAC) running on cost effective server
hardware, to run mission-critical applications for their business.
Today’s more powerful servers, increased use of virtualization
and increased datacenter density allow for large-scale
implementations of database applications based on Oracle RAC.
This presents challenges for shared storage subsystems to keep
up with demands for highly-accessible, highly available shared
storage for database systems such as Oracle RAC.
Storage subsystems, consisting of large arrays of spinning disks, have been challenged to provide
adequate I/O capacity and transaction latency to support applications such as Oracle RAC that require
high performance. While using flash memory for server-side I/O acceleration has become a popular
method to bridge this performance gap, clustered applications such as Oracle RAC have an additional
requirement for shared access across all nodes that limits the viability of typical "Captive Cache"
solutions. A new "Shared Cache" paradigm is needed to support clustered application environments to
allow maximum utilization of datacenter server resources.
Introduction
This paper introduces the concept of database infrastructure acceleration through the use of caching
host bus adapters (HBAs) to optimize server storage throughput across all nodes within the cluster.
The enabling technology for Oracle RAC database infrastructure acceleration is provided by QLogic in
the form of their FabricCache™ adapter technology. The benefits of using FabricCache adapters for
RAC database storage access are discussed here, as are topics such as implementation considerations
and costs.
What is Database Infrastructure Acceleration?
Over the past decade, the cost of server hardware used for running enterprise databases has gone
down dramatically. However, to meet business demand, IT infrastructures have also grown
dramatically over the same time span. This growth presents challenges to IT: unevenness in business
demand, added application functionality, difficulty scaling management and support, and managing
cost. In order to be a strategic asset to the business, IT needs to face such challenges proactively.
A large amount of IT assets are typically used to manage databases, which are in turn strategic assets
for the business. For IT infrastructure used to manage databases to be “optimized”, that infrastructure
should be simple to manage, effectively utilized, protected from failure, and able to deliver maximum
value to the business at all times.
A key factor in delivering an optimized database infrastructure is providing adequate resources for
storage I/O. Database management systems generate large amounts of I/O, and the performance they
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Using Oracle Real Application Clusters 11gR2 and QLogic FabricCache
Accelerating Database Infrastructure
deliver can be impacted by I/O throughput capacity and transaction latency. Thus, optimization of the
I/O capabilities of the database infrastructure can pay big dividends when I/O workloads are high,
extending the capabilities of the infrastructure and allowing the hosted databases to deliver maximum
performance to business users.
Considerations
It is important when undertaking the optimization of database infrastructure to manage capital cost by
utilizing, as much as possible, existing assets. It’s also important to control deployment costs of such a
solution, so that the full return on the initial investment is recovered as quickly as possible. At the
same time, it’s important that the solution also provides for low operational costs by enhancing the
value delivered by the existing infrastructure without increasing complexity.
Protecting Your Investment
Standard Adapter Technology. QLogic’s FabricCache adapters can be utilized in place of the
current standard adapters from any vendor. The capability of the FabricCache adapter can be used
to extend the life of your existing infrastructure and future proof your server investments.
No need to upgrade or replace storage system. By functioning as a plug-in replacement for the
existing HBA, QLogic’s FabricCache adapters can optimize server and database I/O without
requiring any changes to the storage subsystem. This makes it possible to improve application I/O
performance without an expensive storage system upgrade or replacement, which could be a major
capital cost to IT and a significant impact to operations.
Controlling Deployment Costs
No changes to storage network. QLogic’s FabricCache adapter replaces only the server HBA in
the I/O path. This means that the rest of the I/O system, e.g. cabling, fabric and the storage
subsystem itself, remain completely unchanged. This in turn means that deployment of FabricCache
adapters can be done very quickly, and with almost no disruption to IT operations.
No upgrades or configuration changes to existing applications. Since FabricCache adapters
only change the HBAs being used by the servers, the performance advantages that are brought by
FabricCache can be utilized by Oracle RAC (and indeed any other applications that need to do
significant amounts of I/O) without any configuration changes.. I/O paths that are used by RAC
can be left unchanged, so RAC is ready to go as soon as the FabricCache adapters are installed and
the servers are rebooted.
Improved Utilization
Database Servers. FabricCache adapters, by improving application throughput for Oracle RAC
when it is experiencing I/O throughput issues, effectively increases the I/O headroom on the
database servers being used by Oracle RAC. This can make it possible for Oracle RAC instances to
be driven to higher transaction rates before experiencing I/O issues.
Storage Subsystem. FabricCache adapters can improve utilization of the storage subsystem by
offloading much of the read I/O traffic to the server-side cache maintained in the servers. This means
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Using Oracle Real Application Clusters 11gR2 and QLogic FabricCache
Accelerating Database Infrastructure
that not only will all servers caching hot data see higher I/O throughput, but those reads will have
been offloaded from the SAN and the storage array, so they will have more resources to devote to
processing write operations.
Oracle and QLogic Technologies for Accelerating Database
Infrastructure
Why Use FabricCache Adapters for RAC Environments?
Database Management Systems such as Oracle Real Application Clusters are demanding applications.
Flash-based solutions for Solid State Disk and caching are becoming top considerations for addressing
the challenges posed by such I/O-intensive applications. When evaluating which flash-based solution
to standardize on, IT managers face several important considerations:
Many caching solutions in the marketplace represent proprietary storage platforms, which may be
costly and/or incompatible with storage strategy already chosen for the enterprise.
Current server-based SSD solutions typically only support single server instances and specifically do
not support multiple-server implementations such as clustered environments, including Oracle RAC.
FabricCache™ QLE10000 adapters bring shared, server-based caching to the SAN. They are
purposely designed to address the high I/O demands and distributed nature of clustered applications
and virtualized environments.
Most SSD solutions are not entirely transparent to the application. To be effectively utilized for
Oracle RAC, they may require (at the very least) implementation of a cumbersome Information
Lifecycle Management (ILM) strategy, often requiring restructuring of database storage and
redeployment of the database. There is also an ongoing administrative cost component to managing
the ILM strategy itself.
Solutions that deploy SSDs as server-based cache have been shown to outperform solutions that
deploy SSDs with filter drivers in the storage system for applications such as Oracle RAC.
With its adapter-based caching technology QLogic’s FabricCache adapters offer an alternative that, for
Oracle RAC implementations, streamlines both the cost and complexity of realizing the performance
benefits of flash-based storage technology. The benefits of using FabricCache adapters for Oracle
RAC environments are:
Transparency. By deploying flash as a coherent caching mechanism at the HBA level, FabricCache
adapters can ensure that management, access and use of flash-based caching can be made
*completely* transparent to Oracle RAC, as well as the operating system and hypervisor. With
FabricCache adapters, there is no need to restructure or redeploy your Oracle RAC databases.
FabricCache HBAs can be installed on servers where RAC instances are already deployed, and your
Oracle RAC database can begin using FabricCache caching (with no configuration changes) as soon
as the cluster is brought back up. FabricCache is also transparent to the SAN, so the SAN’s
configuration and data protection model are preserved intact.
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Using Oracle Real Application Clusters 11gR2 and QLogic FabricCache
FabricCache adapters:
No change to Oracle RAC, server
hardware or storage system
Little or no change to existing
operations
Simple, rapid deployment
Scalability. QLogic’s FabricCache adapters deploy caching at the HBA within each server in the
Accelerating Database Infrastructure
RAC cluster. By satisfying many read requests in the server-side cache, FabricCache effectively
offloads the SAN and storage array. This leaves more resources available for processing writes,
which can mean that write performance improves.
Recommendations
Deployment of QLogic FabricCache adapters is conceptually simple. However, to minimize
deployment time and risk, and to maximize the benefits you can realize from Oracle RAC and
QLogic’s FabricCache adapters, we recommend considering the following factors:
Partner with Oracle and QLogic
Oracle and Qlogic, both industry leaders, have been established partners for years. The depth and
maturity of this partnership means that customers can count on joint solutions such as Oracle 11g R2
RAC with QLogic’s FabricCache adapters. By partnering with both companies, customers can increase
value and reduce risk. This leads to smooth, rapid implementation, resulting in a solution that delivers
maximum performance and quality of service for minimal cost.
Start with a thorough assessment of your current database estate
To maximize value of an optimized infrastructure for your database estate, it is important to start with
a thorough assessment of the targeted database community, whether it is a Test/Dev/Qual
environment, production enterprise application implementation, database grid, or some combination
of these. In addition to assessing the Oracle RAC implementation(s) targeted for an optimized
infrastructure, it is also crucial to assess the existing hardware environment.
A thorough assessment will form the basis of an effective implementation plan, as well as assist you in
budgeting and planning the transition to an optimized database infrastructure.
Oracle and QLogic have worked together to establish a knowledge base of methods to completely
appraise your database environment and infrastructure, regardless of size or complexity. Your Oracle
and QLogic representatives will work together to ensure that you receive a complete assessment
package that is appropriate to your needs.
Evaluate the total cost of the solution
Oracle and QLogic will work with you to help you understand the cost and return on investment for
you FabricCache implementation.
Factors affecting cost include:
Size of implementation
Type of implementation (production, test/dev, etc.)
Other implementation projects (consolidation, upgrades,
etc.)
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Implementation downtime
Professional Deployment Services
Effecting significant change to your IT environment can be a daunting task. Typically, the most
effective strategy is to utilize deployment services to quickly and efficiently handle the initial push.
Getting your implementation underway, and completed, quickly and effectively allows you to begin
realizing the total return on your investment as quickly as possible. Professional deployment
services also minimize implementation risk, providing expert resources and effecting rapid
knowledge transfer so you are up and running quickly and with confidence in your ability to
continue to reap the benefits of your optimized database infrastructure.
Through Oracle’s Enterprise Solutions Group, you can receive deployment services tailored to your
requirements, and utilizing Oracle and QLogic expertise.
Using Oracle Real Application Clusters 11gR2 and QLogic FabricCache
Accelerating Database Infrastructure
More Information
Qlogic FabricCache Adapters
http://www.qlogic.com/Products/adapters/Pages/FibreChannelAdapters.aspx
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Accelerating Database Infrastructure
Using Oracle Real Application Clusters 11g R2
and QLogic FabricCache
July 2013
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