7.1.3 Support for Oracle Exadata X8M Systems

A new class of Database and Storage Server, designated X8M, are designed to utilize RDMA over Converged Ethernet. Known as RoCE (pronounced rocky), RDMA over Converged Ethernet is the combination of using the existing Remote Direct Memory Access (RDMA) networking verbs, in association with the InfiniBand™ Trade Association (IBTA) standards based extensions for Converged Ethernet to enable high speed fabrics over Ethernet layer 2 and 3 networks. RoCE shares a common API infrastructure with InfiniBand, differing only at the physical and link layers. All existing Oracle Exadata high-performance architecture and tuning is compatible with the new network.

Oracle Exadata X8M-2 and X8M-8 Database Servers utilize 100Gb/sec RDMA Network cards, which enables higher IO performance, and, when used in conjunction with Oracle Exadata X8M-2 Storage Servers with persistent memory acceleration, experience up to 10x lower latency for RDMA reads. All Oracle Exadata X8M-2 Storage Servers use the 100Gb/sec RDMA network cards, however the Extended Storage Server (XT) does not receive the persistent memory acceleration. High Capacity and Extreme Flash Storage Servers for the X8M generation receive 1.5 TB of persistent memory per server.

See Hardware Components of Oracle Exadata Database Machine in the Oracle Exadata Database Machine System Overview for details.

The Oracle Database and Oracle Grid Infrastructure software installations on Oracle Exadata X8M database servers must meet the minimum release requirements listed in Oracle Linux Kernel to Unbreakable Enterprise Kernel 5 and Oracle Linux Distribution Upgraded to Oracle Linux 7.7.

Oracle Exadata X8M servers must use Oracle Exadata System Software release 19.3.0 or later.