This section describes functional changes, improvements and bug fixes compared to the previous release.
Oracle PCA Release 2.3.2 software adds provisioning and orchestration support for Oracle Server X7-2 expansion compute nodes. These offer practically the same functionality and performance as their predecessors, but with more up-to-date internal components.
Release 2.3.2 adds support for Oracle Server X7-2 expansion compute nodes only. The use of this generation of servers as management nodes is not supported with this software release. Supported Oracle Server X7-2 configurations are listed below.
Oracle Server X7-2 expansion nodes can be installed in base racks of a previous release, provided the software stack is updated to Release 2.3.2 or a future release. Oracle Server X7-2, Oracle Server X6-2, Oracle Server X5-2, Sun Server X4-2 and Sun Server X3-2 compute nodes can be used within the same rack in the same Oracle VM server pool. The only functional implication is that virtual machines cannot be live-migrated between the different server types because they belong to separate CPU compatibility groups. In that situation, a virtual machine would need to be shut down on one server and restarted on the other server.
Oracle Server X7-2 compute nodes are available in three different RAM configurations:
P/N 7118585: Oracle Private Cloud Appliance X7-2 Server with 384 GB memory (12x 32 GB)
P/N 7118586: Oracle Private Cloud Appliance X7-2 Server with 768 GB memory (24x 32 GB)
P/N 7118587: Oracle Private Cloud Appliance X7-2 Server with 1.5 TB memory (24x 64 GB)
The Oracle PCA CLI offers new functionality to remove the configuration records of an existing, provisioned compute node from the system in a clean way. This deprovisioning operation allows you to repair a defective compute node and subsequently reprovision it as if it were a new component. The mechanism can also be used to decommission a compute node in order to replace it with a newer model with increased performance and capacity.
Oracle VM Manager and Oracle VM Server have been upgraded to Release 3.4.4. This allows Oracle PCA to take advantage of the latest functional enhancements and bug fixes in Oracle VM. For a detailed description of what has changed in Release 3.4.4, refer to the Oracle VM Release Notes in the Oracle VM 3.4 documentation library.
The following table lists bugs that have been fixed in Oracle PCA Release 2.3.2.
Table 2.2 List of Fixed Bugs
Bug ID | Description |
|---|---|
26722089 | “Oracle VM Server 3.4.2 Kernel Panics” Compute nodes running Oracle VM Server 3.4.2 have been known to experience a kernel panic due to xve_create_arp and path resolution issues. When the compute node reboots, the ILOM console displays messages similar to these: BUG: unable to handle kernel paging request at ffff8801c8c4060b IP: [<ffffffffa0e70bae>] xve_create_arp+0x1ae/0x200 [xve] Oracle PCA Release 2.3.2 provides an updated compute node kernel that contains the necessary fixes to avoid this problem. With this release, no kernel patch is required. |
25781156 | “Pre-upgrade Checks Required for Ethernet Card Definitions in XMS and Fabric Interconnects” The pre-upgrade script now verifies that 8 Ethernet card definitions are present in XMS and the Fabric Interconnects. This further reduces the risk of controller software updates and system upgrades failing to complete. |
26223801 | “Model Database Pre-upgrade Check Generates Wrong Error Message” Error messages resulting from pre-upgrade check failures have been improved in order to make interpretation and debugging easier. |
26249598 | “ZFS Storage Appliance Firmware Should Not Be Updated Automatically” The Oracle PCA Controller Software contains a mechanism to detect new firmware for the ZFS Storage Appliance in the ISO file of a new release. Previously, the internal ZFS Storage Appliance would be updated automatically as part of the controller software update process. To avoid potential compatibility issues, this auto-update feature has been disabled in Release 2.3.2. |