1z0-902 Oracle Exadata Database Machine X9M Implementation Essentials Questions and Answers

Oracle Enterprise Manager (EM) Cloud Control provides comprehensive monitoring and management for Exadata Database Machines, including:

Support for Database Machine Storage Expansion Racks: EM Cloud Control seamlessly integrates with the Storage Expansion Rack, allowing administrators to monitor both primary and expansion storage environments together, which is essential for large-scale deployments​.

Minimal Agent Installation: Cloud Control needs only one Oracle Management Agent on one compute node to monitor the entire Database Machine cluster, covering all compute and storage nodes. This is due to Exadata’s interconnect and resource-sharing capabilities, enabling centralized monitoring with minimal setup requirements​​.

Exadata storage realms using ASM-scoped security mode allows you to control which database can access which griddisks by creating realms at the ASM level, thereby allowing you to limit the access of each database to the griddisks that it needs to access. This is covered in section 3.15.2 of the Oracle Exadata Database Machine X9M Implementation Essentials Official Text Book and Resources [1].

Exadata storage realms using database-scoped security mode allows you to control which database can access which griddisks by creating realms at the database level [1], thereby allowing you to limit the access of each database to the griddisks that it needs to access. This is covered in section 3.15.3 of the Oracle Exadata Database Machine X9M Implementation Essentials Official Text Book and Resources [2].

[1] https://docs.oracle.com/en/engineered-systems/exadata-database-machine/x9m/exad-implementing-database-machine-x9m.pdf  [2] https://docs.oracle.com/en/engineered-systems/exadata-database-machine/x9m/exad-implementing-database-machine-x9m.pdf

Exadata System Software metrics and alerts work as follows:

Persistence of Thresholds: When metric thresholds are configured, they remain active and persist across server reboots. This ensures consistent monitoring behavior even after maintenance or unexpected reboots .

Default Metrics: By default, metrics are collected without predefined thresholds. Administrators must set custom thresholds to enable specific alerting based on their operational requirements​.

The dbmcli -e "LIST IBPORT DETAIL" command is not valid on Exadata X9M. According to the Oracle Exadata Database Machine X9M Implementation Essentials Official Text Book [1][2], this command is only valid on Exadata X3 and X4 models. The other three commands are valid on Exadata X9M.

https://forums.oracle.com/ords/apexds/map/tech/apps-infra/discussion/4342715/monitoring-roce-performance

Oracle Linux 7.9 is the minimum version required to support RoCE and Persistent Memory. This is because Oracle Linux 7.9 includes kernel enhancements that enable RDMA over Converged Ethernet (RoCE) networking and Intel Optane DC Persistent Memory Modules (DCPMM) for Exadata X8M systems3. These features allow faster access latency and higher throughput for database workloads2.

The two valid reasons are:

corruption in the / (root) filesystem . According to 1, this is one of the scenarios that requires a storage server rescue procedure , because it prevents the storage server from booting up normally . The rescue procedure will re-image the root filesystem with a fresh copy of the operating system and restore the configuration files from a backup1.

the failure of both physical M.2 disks . According to 2, each Exadata Storage Server X9M-2 has two physical M.2 disks that store the operating system and configuration files for the storage server . If both M.2 disks fail , then the storage server cannot boot up or function properly . The rescue procedure will replace the failed M.2 disks with new ones and re-image them with the operating system and configuration files2.

According to Oracle’s documentation12, ASM failure groups provide redundancy by storing mirror copies of data on different disks or storage servers. When ASM allocates an extent for a normal redundancy file, ASM allocates a primary copy and a secondary copy. ASM chooses the disk on which to store the secondary copy so that it is in a different failure group than the primary copy1. This way, if one disk or storage server fails, ASM can still access the data from another failure group2.

Therefore, the statement that is true about how ASM failure groups provide redundancy is:

Failure groups contain all ASM disks in a single storage server preventing mirror copies being written to the same storage server.

Oracle KVM Guest: This is a virtual machine that runs on top of Oracle Linux KVM hypervisor. It can be used to run Oracle Database or other applications on Exadata Database Machine2. Therefore, it runs on the Database Servers.

Oracle Enterprise Manager Agent (OMA): This is a software agent that communicates with Oracle Enterprise Manager Cloud Control and provides monitoring and management capabilities for Exadata Database Machine2. Therefore, it runs on both Database Servers and Storage Servers.

ASM instance: This is an instance of Oracle Automatic Storage Management (ASM), which is a volume manager and a file system for Oracle Database files. It manages disk groups that span across multiple Storage Servers2. Therefore, it runs on the Database Servers.

RDBMS instance: This is an instance of Oracle Database that processes SQL statements and executes transactions. It uses ASM disk groups to store data files, control files, redo log files, etc2. Therefore, it runs on the Database Servers.

Automatic Diagnostic Repository Command Interpreter (ADRCI): This is a command-line tool that enables you to view diagnostic data stored in the Automatic Diagnostic Repository (ADR). ADR is a file-based repository for database diagnostic data such as trace files, alert logs, etc2. Therefore, ADRCI runs on both Database Servers and Storage Servers, depending on where the ADR is located.

CELLCLI: This is a command-line interface that enables you to configure and manage Exadata Storage Server Software. It allows you to perform tasks such as creating disk groups, monitoring cell health, applying patches, etc2. Therefore, it runs on the Storage Servers.

Cell Server(CELLSRV): This is a process that runs on each Storage Server and handles I/O requests from the Database Servers. It implements Exadata Smart Scan , which offloads data-intensive SQL operations from the Database Servers to the Storage Servers2. Therefore, it runs on the Storage Servers.

diskmon: This is a process that monitors the status of disks and flash devices on each Storage Server. It reports disk failures and performs automatic disk reclamation2. Therefore, it runs on the Storage Servers.

Restart Server (RS): This is a process that manages automatic restarts of critical processes such as CELLSRV , MS , or OMA in case of failures. It also handles graceful shutdowns and startups of all processes on each server2. Therefore, it runs on both Database Servers and Storage Servers.

Management Server (MS): This is a process that provides management services for each server such as collecting metrics , logging events , executing commands from CELLCLI , etc2. Therefore, it runs on both Database Servers and Storage Servers

[1] Oracle Exadata Database Machine X9M Implementation Essentials Official Text Book [1][2], Chapter 4: Oracle Clusterware [2] Oracle Exadata Database Machine X9M Implementation Essentials Official Text Book [1][2], Chapter 8: Oracle Exadata Storage Server Software [3] Oracle Exadata Database Machine X9M Implementation Essentials Official Text Book [1][2], Chapter 9: Oracle Exadata Storage Server Infrastructure

https://www.oracle.com/technetwork/database/availability/exadata-backup-recovery-bp-3633870.pdf

https://docs.oracle.com/en/engineered-systems/exadata-database-machine/dbmso/new-features-exadata-system-software-release-23.html

When preparing a site for an Exadata Database Machine, several precautions ensure both the safety of the installation and the optimal performance of the equipment. These precautions include:

Avoiding High-Interference Equipment: Installing near devices like photocopy machines, which can emit electromagnetic interference (EMI), is not a specified precaution for Exadata installations. However, attention should be given to site requirements for temperature, power, and proper grounding connections .

In contrast, other site requirements include exclusive grounding for Exadata racks, avoiding direct sunlight exposure, and ensuring grounding resistance is less than 10 ohms for shared grounding to minimize electrical risks.

Oracle Auto Service Request (ASR) on Exadata Database Machines is designed to proactively monitor and detect hardware and software issues. When a problem is detected, ASR Manager automatically opens a service request (SR) with Oracle Support. The primary focus of ASR is on hardware assets, such as storage servers, database servers, and network components, as well as software assets related to Exadata System Software and Oracle Database configurations​​.

For adding a new RAC (Real Application Clusters) VM cluster to an existing Oracle Exadata X9M-2 deployment, you can utilize the Oracle Exadata Deployment Assistant (OEDA). OEDA is available in two interfaces:

OEDA Web-based Configuration Tool: This web-based interface facilitates the configuration of Exadata environments, supporting both physical and virtual deployments. The graphical interface helps in defining VM clusters, including RAC clusters, and ensures the configuration aligns with Oracle best practices​.

OEDA Command Line Interface (CLI): For more advanced or automated tasks, the command-line interface (oedacli) allows for precise control over the deployment process. It supports various configuration actions such as adding or removing clusters, resizing ASM disk groups, and managing VM clusters​.

These tools are specifically designed for Exadata configurations and provide a streamlined approach for deploying and managing RAC clusters in both physical and virtualized environments.

This SQL statement is adding the new griddisks to the existing diskgroup "DATA" and creating one new failgroup, consisting of all 96 griddisks. The "REBALANCE POWER 512" option tells the system to perform a rebalance operation with a power of 512. It means the system distributes the data evenly across all the disks in the diskgroup using a power of 512.

After running the commands above, the filesystem mounted on /u01 is on the logical volume /dev/mapper/VGExaDb-LVDbOral. So, to add 20G of space to the filesystem mounted on /u01, the command that needs to be run is:

lvextend -L +20G --verbose /dev/mapper/VGExaDb-LVDbOral

This command will extend the logical volume /dev/mapper/VGExaDb-LVDbOral by 20 GB of space. It is important to note that the option --verbose is used to display the progress of the operation.

https://www.oracle.com/a/ocom/docs/engineered-systems/exadata/exadata-x9m-2-ds.pdf

Oracle Platinum Services provides patching features for the full software stack, which includes operating systems, virtualization, storage software and firmware, and databases. This service is typically performed up to twice per year, allowing customers to schedule the patching at their convenience. The patching is usually done to keep the software and firmware up-to-date and to fix any known security vulnerabilities. It's important to note that patching services are not done automatically during business hours, customer's involvement and schedule is needed, and the rolling and complete downtime approaches are options to minimize the impact on the system during patching.

The correct statement about the patching features provided in Platinum Services is that patching services are available for the full software stack up to twice per year. Oracle Platinum Service covers Exadata storage software and firmware patching, and customers must also perform the database patching. The rolling and complete down time approaches are two options for patching, and patching should be scheduled for times when the system is not being heavily used. Patching is not done automatically during business hours. This is covered in section 4.13 of the Oracle Exadata Database Machine X9M Implementation Essentials Official Text Book and Resources [1].

[1] https://docs.oracle.com/en/engineered-systems/exadata-database-machine/x9m/exad-implementing-database-machine-x9m.pdf

Search results: [1] Oracle Exadata Storage Server Patching [1][2]. Oracle Exadata Storage Server patching is performed by a team of Oracle engineers [3][2], and includes the latest Oracle… [2] Patching and Upgrades. Oracle Database Machine provides automated patching and upgrades for the full Exadata software stack, up to twice a year, with… [3] Virtualized Exadata. Oracle Database Machine X9M-2 comes with a choice of two patching approaches to accommodate different customer needs: Rolling… [4] Jan 10, 2017 … Exadata Patching Process. Oracle Exadata Storage Server patching is performed by a team of Oracle engineers [3][2], and includes the latest…

https://www.oracle.com/a/ocom/docs/engineered-systems/exadata/exadata-x9m-2-ds.pdf

https://chriscraftoracle.wordpress.com/2022/11/09/what-makes-exadata-faster/

According to Oracle’s documentation1, to set a threshold for a metric on a database server, you need to use the create threshold command with the appropriate parameters. The set threshold command is used to modify an existing threshold2.

Therefore, the command that you should use to generate alerts for such an event is:

dbmcli -e “create threshold ds_temp comparison=‘>’, critical=30” on each database server1

The Exadata X9M-2 Extended (XT) Storage Server does not include any Persistent Memory (PMEM) DIMMs. The XT server configuration primarily serves as a cost-effective archival storage option and lacks the performance features available in the HC (High Capacity) and EF (Extreme Flash) storage servers. This configuration does not include Persistent Memory, which is leveraged in other models for accelerating OLTP workloads and providing extremely low-latency data access​​.

The CELLCLI CALIBRATE command can be used to check the health of all flash cards in the storage server, and it should be run after logging in as the celladmin user. The hardware monitoring using the storage server ILOM should also be used to check for errors and other potential issues with the flash cards. The CELLCLI list LUN DETAIL command should not be used to identify a damaged or failing flash card, since it will not provide any information about the health of the flash card.

https://docs.oracle.com/en/engineered-systems/exadata-database-machine/dbmmn/index.html

According to Oracle’s documentation1, the client network on Exadata X9M-2 Database Server is used for client access to the database servers using Single Client Access Name (SCAN) and Oracle RAC Virtual IP (VIP) addresses. To verify that the client network is available via both client switches, you can use the command:

cat /proc/net/bonding/bondeth0

This command displays information about the bondeth0 interface, which is used for the client network on Exadata X9M-2 Database Server2. You can check if both interfaces (eth0 and eth1) are active and connected to different switches3.