1.2.7 Files

Exascale is optimized to directly store and manage files associated with Oracle Database and Oracle Grid Infrastructure.

When Oracle Database or Oracle Grid Infrastructure creates a file inside a vault, Exascale automatically recognizes the file type and applies the appropriate file storage attributes using a template associated with that file type. Among other things, the template defines the file's media type, which in turn determines the storage pool where the file is stored.

You can also use the Exascale Command Line (ESCLI) mkfile command to create a file. By this means, you can explicitly set the file storage attributes, or you can influence the file storage attributes by specifying the file type or applying a specific template. You can then use the ESCLI putfile command to copy the contents of a file into Exascale.

To optimize storage efficiency, physical space is consumed only when data is written to the file. For example, when you use the ESCLI mkfile command to create a file, the specified file size is reserved in the vault, but the file does not use any physical storage at that point. Physical storage is only allocated when data is written to the file.

Technically, you can store any type of files inside an Exascale vault. However, Exascale is optimized to manage Oracle Database files, which are typically much larger than regular files. To optimally store and manage regular files, you can define a block volume on Exascale, attach the volume to a server, and then use the volume attachment to support a file system. See Exascale Block Store.