8.5.3 Customization Levels and Impact

The table below provides some guidance in the risks associated with customizing Exadata database servers. While the prerequisite check checks for most customizations, certain configuration changes might need to be rolled back in order to make updating the database server possible. If still needed, the changes can be restored after the update process.

Table 8-8 Customizations and Their Risks

Item	Customization Level	Risk
Default provided Engineered System Software Stack	None	None
Setting up interactive shell profiles for system users (root/oracle)	Low	High
Using all free space in VGExaDb	Low	Low
Installing additional (non-Exadata) rpm packages	Medium	Low
Customizing file system with different mount points	Medium	Low
Updating packages shipped with the current Exadata image	Medium	Low
Customizing configuration files, changing basic operating system functionality	High	Medium
Installing additional (non-Exadata) non-rpm packages	High	Medium
Changing LVM layout	High	High