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Use Oracle Exadata Configuration Assistant with Oracle Exadata Database Service on Cloud@Customer

Introduction

When managing an Exadata environment, it is essential to have a clear and comprehensive view of your system’s configuration, whether you are planning an upgrade, reviewing system resources and environmental requirements, or simply ensuring that best practices are followed. To simplify this process, Oracle developed the Oracle Exadata Configuration Assistant (OECA).

OECA is a lightweight utility designed to configure and display detailed information about Exadata systems, including performance metrics, usable resources, power requirements and network details. It supports a range of Exadata offerings, such as Oracle Exadata Database Machine, Oracle Exadata Database Service on Cloud@Customer and Oracle Zero Data Loss Recovery Appliance. It is a valuable tool for both customers and Oracle engineers, assisting in configuration assessments, planning upgrades, and documenting the current state of a system.

In this tutorial, we will configure an Oracle Exadata Database Service on Cloud@Customer X11M system using OECA. We will walk through the various options and features available in the tool while explaining each of them.

Objectives

Task 1: Install OECA

  1. Download OECA from here: Oracle portal.

  2. Extract and run the executable file, which will initiate the download of a .zip file containing the necessary resources to run OECA.

  3. Once this download is complete, unzip the file and navigate to the web folder.

  4. Open the index.html file using the browser of your choice. You should then see the page as shown in the following image. At this point, you are ready to start configuring your first Exadata system.

    Image 1: Exadata Config Assistant (OECA) 5.2.3 (250411) Home Screen

Task 2: Configure an Oracle Exadata Database Service on Cloud@Customer System in OECA

In this task, we will configure an Oracle Exadata Database Service on Cloud@Customer X11M with two database nodes and three storage servers.

  1. Select the system you want to configure from the Rack Information drop-down menu.

  2. Scroll down to the Oracle Exadata Database Service on Cloud@Customer options within the Cloud section of the drop-down menu.

    Image 2: Rack Information selection

  3. Select ExaCC X11M.

    IImage 3: Exadata Cloud@Customer X11M selection

    This will automatically populate several values on the screen. For example, the Database Server Generation / Type option will be set to 2, as this is the minimum number of database nodes that can be configured in an Exadata system. You can adjust this value to match your desired configuration.

    Note: Take note of the Rack Validity Status section. Initially, it will display the message Rack Config is NOT VALID. This is because the minimum configuration for this system requires two database nodes and three storage servers, but in our example, no storage servers have been configured yet.

  4. Select the number of required Storage Server Generation / Type.

    Image 4: Valid rack configuration

    Change the Storage Server Generation / Type value to 3. This will automatically update the status to Rack Config is VALID. You can adjust this value to match your desired configuration.

    We have now successfully configured an Oracle Exadata Database Service on Cloud@Customer X11M system in OECA. The values displayed across the various sections will now reflect the resources, metrics, and environmental information associated with this configured rack.

Task 3: Work with Multi-Rack Configurations

If a single rack is not sufficient to accommodate all the components needed to run your workloads, OECA offers the option to enable multi-racking. Multi-racking allows you to connect multiple Exadata racks into a single, integrated system, effectively combining and leveraging the resources available across all racks.

The first rack configured in a multi-rack environment is known as the Primary Rack, which includes the Control Plane Servers for OCI connectivity. Any additional racks connected to the primary rack are referred to as Expansion Racks. By default, each expansion rack includes one storage server and requires a minimum of 4 servers to be added for the configuration to be considered valid. This means that on top of the included storage server, you need to add 3 more servers (either storage or database servers).

In Oracle Exadata Database Service on Cloud@Customer, you can configure up to 6 racks in a multi-rack setup, including the primary rack. Across these 6 racks, the maximum number of database servers allowed is 32, while the maximum number of storage servers is 64.

With this in mind, let us move on to configuring an Oracle Exadata Database Service on Cloud@Customer system with an expansion rack in OECA.

Image 5: Exadata Cloud@Customer configuration with 6 database nodes and 10 storage servers.

In the above example configuration, we have reached the maximum number of components allowed for the primary rack (16 components in total—6 database nodes and 10 storage servers in this case). But what if you need more resources for your deployment? In that case, you will need to expand with a second rack, which is where multi-racking comes into play.

To enable multi-racking, select Include Spine Switch in the Rack Information section. This will add a new tab next to the Rack 1 tab at the top left of the page, and a spine switch will be automatically placed at RU1. The spine switch is a critical component in multi-rack configurations, as it facilitates the interconnection between racks, allowing them to function as a single, unified system.

Image 6: New Rack tab appears after checking the “Include Spine Switch” checkbox

Clicking New Rack tab will trigger a pop-up alert with the following message: You must validate each rack configuration individually, then add it to multi-racking. Multi-racking does not verify the configuration validity. This message indicates that the rack you configure in this tab will not be automatically validated, so it is essential to follow the official guidelines for expansion racks during the setup. For more information on Oracle Exadata Database Service on Cloud@Customer rack minimums and maximums, check the Multi-Rack Expansion section on the Overview of Elastic Storage Expansion.

After clicking OK on this alert message, you will notice that a new tab named Rack 2 has been created. This is where we will configure the expansion rack.

Start by selecting the Cloud Rack Generation in the Rack Information section. Keep in mind that, for X11M, you can only expand using X11M components. Additionally, ensure that the type of database server configured in the primary rack (Rack 1) matches the expansion rack, as mixing different types is not allowed. Database server types are identified as X11M, X11M-L and X11M-XL, each offering a different amount of memory per database server. For more information on database server types, see Exadata Cloud@Customer X11M Datasheet.

Image 7: Expansion options

In our example, we configured standard X11M database servers in the primary rack, so select the ExaCC X11M Expansion option. You will notice that a single storage server is immediately added to the configuration.

To ensure the expansion rack configuration is valid, a minimum of 4 servers (either database or storage servers) is required, with a maximum of 18. This is because expansion racks do not include Control Plane Servers. Add 3 or more servers to the rack to match your desired configuration.

Image 8: Expansion rack with minimum configuration (4 servers)

You have now successfully configured an Oracle Exadata Database Service on Cloud@Customer system with an expansion rack.

OECA allows you to view the resources and environment information of this multi-racked system either per rack or as a combined view. To see the combined information, click Combined located at the top right of the screen. The values displayed in the different OECA sections will automatically update to reflect the total resources and environment information of both racks. To view individual rack information, click Rack 1 or Rack 2 next to the Combined button.

Image 9: Combined view of the configured Exadata Cloud@Customer X11M racks

Note: You do not need to completely fill a rack before adding an expansion rack. In some cases, due to weight, power or other limitations or requirements, you may choose to leave some RUs empty. Simply configure your system as needed, while keeping in mind the minimum requirements for primary and expansion racks. However, it is important to ensure that primary and expansion racks are physically located in subsequent footprints within the data center, or as close as possible, due to cable length limitations.

In the next section, we will walk through the different OECA sections and explain their purpose in detail.

Understand the OECA Interface

Rack Information

The Rack Information section allows you to configure your system by selecting the desired database servers and storage servers, defining the PDU type, adding additional equipment, and setting up the graphical display of the rack on the screen.

Image 10: Rack Information details

  1. Select the Rack Generation: Select the type of system and generation you want to configure. The available options are grouped into four categories: Two Socket and Eight Socket Oracle Exadata Database Machines, ZDLRA (Oracle Zero Data Loss Recovery Appliance) and Cloud for Oracle Exadata Database Service on Cloud@Customer systems.

  2. Checkboxes for Visual Details and Multi-Racking Options:

    • Show Rack Text Details: Displays textual information on each Rack Unit (RU) of the rack.
    • Show Rack Graphical Details: Displays realistic images of the components on each RU of the rack.
    • Include Spine Switch: Select this option for multi-rack configurations. A New Rack tab will appear at the top of the page next to the Rack 1 tab and a spine switch will be automatically placed at RU1.

    Image 11: a) Rack layout with text details; b) Rack layout with graphical details; c) Rack layout with text and graphical details

  3. Database Server Generation / Type: Specifies the amount of database servers included in the configuration. The minimum number allowed is 2. The + button next to the Quantity box allows you to include other generations of Exadata database servers (applicable only to older Exadata generations).

  4. Storage Server Generation / Type: Specifies the amount of storage servers included in the configuration. The minimum number allowed is 3. The + button lets you add other generations of Exadata storage servers (applicable only to older Exadata generations). In the case of X11M, you can click + to select a different type of storage server from the same X11M generation (base or high capacity).

    Note: You can configure either base or high capacity (HC) storage servers in X11M, but mixing both types is not allowed.

  5. PDU Type Selection: Select a PDU Type based on your data center setup and PDU rating. Depending on the amount of database and storage servers configured in the rack, some PDU ratings may be restricted. Available options include 3Ph 15kVA, 3Ph 24kVA, 1Ph 15kVA and 1Ph 22kVA.

    • Show PDU Details checkbox: Displays graphical details in the rack such as port groups and power distribution outlets for the selected PDU.

  6. Insert Additional Equipment: Configure any extra equipment to be placed inside the rack besides the database servers, storage servers, integrated Oracle Exadata Database Service on Cloud@Customer networking switches and Control Plane Servers. You will need to specify the start and end RU of this equipment, as well as the power consumption (watts) and weight (pounds). This additional equipment will be automatically reflected in the physical layout. Leave this section blank if no extra equipment is installed.

Environmental Information

The Environment Information section provides essential data to ensure the system’s reliable and efficient operation. It displays details about power, cooling, airflow, rack weight and noise for the configured rack. This information is automatically updated whenever a configuration change is made.

Image 12: Environment Information for Exadata Cloud@Customer X11M with 2 Database nodes and 3 Storage servers

OECA Actions

The OECA Actions section provides tools to save, load, export and import your rack configuration. It also offers additional information about the PDUs and datasheet details.

Image 13: OECA Actions

Performance/Capacities

The Performance/Capacities section displays the performance and raw/usable capacity details of the configured rack. These values are automatically updated as you add or remove components from the rack or change the storage allocation ratio, allowing you to quickly assess the performance and resource capacities it will provide.

Image 14: Performance/Capacities details

The above image also includes two additional sections:

Network

The Network section appears when you select the Network tab at the top right of the screen. It provides a graphical representation of the ports used to connect the various components in the rack to the Management switch and the RoCE switches. The ports used are automatically updated as components are added or removed from the rack.

Image 15-1: Network details

Image 15-2: Network details

Summary

The Oracle Exadata Configuration Assistant (OECA) is a powerful and user-friendly tool designed to simplify the configuration and management of Exadata racks. With OECA, users can efficiently handle power, cooling, network connections, resources, and performance metrics, while also ensuring rack stability and configuration validity.

OECA makes it easy to save, load, export, and import configurations. The real-time updates allow users to see the impact of changes as new components and racks are added or removed. OECA is equally valuable whether you’re managing on-premises Exadata systems, Recovery Appliances or Exadata Cloud@Customer environments. It provides the insights needed to optimize performance and maintain configuration integrity.

Acknowledgments

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