1.3.1 Exadata Software Overview

Unique algorithms in Oracle Exadata System Software implement database intelligence in storage, PCI-based flash, and the RDMA Network Fabric to deliver higher performance and capacity at lower costs than other platforms.

Oracle Exadata System Software provides intelligent database-aware storage services, such as the ability to offload SQL and other database processing from the database server. Exadata System Software primarily manages the data stored on Exadata storage servers. However, various software components also run on the Exadata database servers.

Each Exadata database server includes the following software components:

• Oracle Database instance(s), including the Oracle Database Resource Manager (DBRM) for managing resource allocation.
• Core Exadata System Software components, including:
  • The DBMCLI command-line interface for managing the Exadata System Software on the database servers.
  • Management Server (MS), which works in cooperation with and processes most of the commands from DBMCLI.
  • Restart Server (RS), which monitors and restarts other services if they fail to respond within the allowable heartbeat period.
• Oracle Grid Infrastructure (GI), which provides cluster services to support Oracle Real Application Clusters (Oracle RAC). If the Exadata system is configured to use Oracle Automatic Storage Management (Oracle ASM) for storage management, then each Exadata database server also includes an ASM instance.
• If the Exadata system is configured to use Oracle Exadata Exascale for storage management, each Exadata database server also includes client services and other programs to support Exascale storage.

Each storage server contains data storage hardware and Exadata System Software to manage the data. The software includes the following components:

• Cell Control Command-Line Interface (CellCLI) for managing the Exadata System Software on the storage servers.
• Cell Server (CELLSRV), which provides the majority of the storage server services, including the advanced SQL offload capabilities and the I/O Resource Management (IORM) functionality to meter out I/O bandwidth to the various databases and consumer groups issuing I/O calls. CELLSRV also collects various metrics and statistics, which enable you to monitor the performance and capacity of the storage server.
• Management Server (MS), which works in cooperation with and processes most of the commands from CellCLI.
• Restart Server (RS), which monitors and restarts other services if they fail to respond within the allowable heartbeat period.
• If the Exadata system is configured to use Oracle Exadata Exascale for storage management, each Exadata storage server also includes storage services and other programs that implement the Exascale storage cluster.

Administrators manage the database and storage servers using secure network connections over the administration network. In addition to CellCLI and DBMCLI, administrators can use the following command-line interfaces:

• dcli for running administration commands across a set of database or storage servers.
• ExaCLI for managing database and storage servers remotely.
• exadcli for centrally managing an Oracle Exadata system by running ExaCLI command across a set of servers.
• ESCLI for managing the Exascale storage cluster.

The following diagram summarizes the major software components in Oracle Exadata.

Figure 1-3 Software Components in Oracle Exadata

Description of "Figure 1-3 Software Components in Oracle Exadata"