3.2.1 Configuring Servers Using OEDA

When adding servers to an Oracle Exadata, you can use OEDA.

Note:

In order to configure the servers with Oracle Exadata Deployment Assistant (OEDA), the new server information must be entered in OEDA, and configuration files generated.

1. Download the latest release of OEDA listed in My Oracle Support note 888828.1.
2. Enter the new server information in OEDA.

   Do not include information for the existing rack.

   Note:

   • When extending an existing rack that has database servers earlier than Oracle Exadata X4-2, be sure to deselect the active bonding option for the InfiniBand Network Fabric so the new database servers are configured with active-passive bonded interfaces.

   • When extending an existing Oracle Exadata X4-2 or later system with active-active bonding, select the active bonding option to configure the new database servers for active-active bonding.

3. Use OEDA to generate the configuration files.
4. Prepare the servers as follows, starting with the first database server of the new servers:
   1. Configure the servers as described in Preparing the Servers.

      Note:

      OEDA checks the performance level of Oracle Exadata Storage Servers so it is not necessary to check them using the CellCLI CALIBRATE command at this time.
   2. Create the cell disks and grid disks as described in Configuring Cells, Cell Disks, and Grid Disks with CellCLI.
   3. Create the flash cache and flash log as described in Creating Flash Cache and Flash Grid Disks.

      Note:

      When creating the flash cache, enable write-back flash cache.
5. Ensure the RDMA Network Fabric and bonded client Ethernet interface names are the same on the new database servers as on the existing database servers.
6. When using the same, earlier style bonding names, such as BOND0, for the new database servers, then update the /opt/oracle.cellos/cell.conf file to reflect the correct bond names.

   Note:

   If the existing servers use the latest bonded interface names, such as BONDIB0, then this step can be skipped.
7. Install OEDA on the first new database server.

   See Also:

   My Oracle Support note 888828.1 for information about OEDA
8. Copy the configuration files to the first database server of the new servers in the /opt/oracle.SupportTools/onecommand directory.
   This is the information completed in step 2.
9. Run OEDA up to, but not including, the Create Grid Disks step, and then run the Configure Alerting and Setup ASR Alerting configuration steps.

   Note:

   • The OEDA Validate Configuration File step may display an error message about missing files, pXX.zip. This is expected behavior because the files are not used for this procedure. You can ignore the error message.
   • When using capacity-on-demand, OEDA has the Setup Capacity-on-Demand step. This step uses the setupResourceControl command to set up the cores correctly.
10. Configure the storage servers, cell disks and grid disks as described in Configuring Cells, Cell Disks, and Grid Disks with CellCLI.

    Note:

    Use the data collected from the existing system, as described in Obtaining Current Configuration Information to determine the grid disk names and sizes.
11. On systems with InfiniBand Network Fabric only, run /opt/oracle.SupportTools/reclaimdisks.sh -free -reclaim on each database server.

    The command reclaims disk space reserved for the deployment type not selected, which is not required on RoCE-based Exadata database servers.

    The command typically takes less than 5 minutes.

    Do not skip this step. Skipping this step results in unused space that can no longer be reclaimed by reclaimdisks.sh.

12. Verify the time is the same on the new servers as on the existing servers.
    This check is performed for the storage servers and database servers.
13. Ensure the NTP settings are the same on the new servers as on the existing servers.
    This check is performed for the storage servers and database servers.
14. Configure HugePages on the new servers to match the existing servers.
15. Ensure the values in the /etc/security/limits.conf file for the new database servers match the existing database servers.
16. Go to Setting User Equivalence to continue the hardware configuration.