Integrating a Compute Expansion Rack

Private Cloud Appliance compute capacity can be increased by adding a compute expansion rack. Its compute nodes must be discovered and provisioned before their hardware resources are available for use within compute instances.

The compute expansion rack networking components must be connected to the base rack so the new hardware can be integrated into the hardware administration and data networks. In this section we assume the compute expansion rack has been installed and connected to the Private Cloud Appliance base rack. For installation requirements, physical hardware installation information, and cabling details, see Expanding Private Cloud Appliance Capacity with a Compute Expansion Rack.

The compute expansion rack is activated by running a script from one of the management nodes. With precise timing and orchestration based on a static mapping, this script powers on and configures each component in the compute expansion rack. The required ports on the switches are enabled so that all hardware can be discovered and registered in the component database. When the scripted operations are completed, the data and management networks are operational across the interconnected racks. The operating system and additional software are installed on the new nodes, after which they are ready to provision.

Installation and activation of the expansion rack and expansion compute nodes are performed by Oracle. From this point forward, the system treats the expansion compute nodes the same way as all other compute nodes. After provisioning, appliance administrators can manage and monitor them from the Service Enclave UI or CLI. See Performing Administrative Operations on Compute Nodes.