A Friday at Bradley International

Well, sitting here in Poughkeepsie waiting on my flight back to Atlanta. Asfar as the proof of concept I was here for, let me give you one take-away, when Oracle says put the RAT clients on a different server, they mean it! Of course it didn't help that the client was testing 24 databases simultaneously on the same Power8 box...

Anyway, John with the IBM lab and I convinced them to move RAT to its own server and things are now going great. 

I decided I better put down on paper what I need to do for the home lab:

Action Plan for Lab Set up

 

1. Convert files to disk images on DVD
2. Cable up systems
1. Interconnet

                                                               i.      2-1 GB Ethernet cables and switch

2. Network

                                                               i.      2-1 GB ethernet cables for servers

                                                             ii.      1 cable for SAN

                                                            iii.      1 Cable for Storage Switch

                                                           iv.      1 GB Ethernet switch

                                                             v.      1 wifi switch for remote access (2^nd floor office to basement lab)

3. SAN

                                                               i.      Install 4-4 GB HBAs (2 per server installed)

                                                             ii.      Install 6-4 GB FC optical cables between components and Switch

1.       2 for SAN

2.       2 for each server

                                                            iii.      4 GB switch setup

1.       Zone SAN and servers

4. Install OS

                                                               i.      Install Oracle enterprise Linux on each server

                                                             ii.      Locate and install any needed drivers for HBA, monitor, etc.

                                                            iii.      Implement multipathing to SAN

5. Install Oracle12c

                                                               i.      Install grid software

                                                             ii.      Install RAC software

                                                            iii.      Create database

6. Download SLOB and/or Swingbench and install
7. Create and load databases

Trying to keep it simple to allow for some flexibility.

New Lab status

Well, I have all the equipment, power cords and Ethernet cords. I am waiting on some Fibre channel cables that should arrive by Tuesday at the latest. I purchased a WiFi Ethernet switch so I can connect to the system form my loft office without having to go all the way downstars. I salvaged my KVM switch and cables along with the power cords, Ethernet switches and touchpad keyboard and monitor from my old lab. Should get the system mostly wired and cables on Friday night and be able to start loading the OS on Monday with any luck, then begins the joy of loading Oracle12c! I have a line on a couple of FusionIO 190 gb cards I made an offer on them, we will see if they will give them up. I offered $175 apiece for them since I have no idea how many PE cycles they have on them. I figure to use the FusionIO cards as flash cache for the RAC instances since it won’t be shared storage.

I am at the Atlantsa airport waiting on a flight to Poughkeepsie where I will be helping on a proof of concept tomorrow, it is about boarding time so I will keep this entry short.

Upgrading the Lab

I am afraid I have been a bit negligent in my blog posts of late. I will endeavor to make them more frequently and of course try to make them interesting and enlightening! I am embarking on a new project, I am rebuilding my computer lab with newer, better equipment. To that end I just completed the purchase of the following gear:

1. 2 – Dell PowerEdge 2950 III servers
1. 2x2.83 GHz E5440 Quad core
2. 16 GB memory
3. 4x500 GB internal drives
4. PERC6i 2PS
2. 4 – Dell Qlogic QLE2460 single port 4 GB FC PCIe HBAs
3. 1 – A7394a HP Storageworks SAN 4 GB/s Switch with 32 active ports
4. 1- CIPRIO MediaVault RX 4 GB dual FC Storage 5 TB array (capable of RAID0, RAID1 or RAID3)

Now, you should realize I have access to a full IBM Power8 server with an IBM FlashSystem 840 attached via remote access to the STG lab, but when I am testing and learning I prefer a system where if I crash it or trash it, it will effect only my work. Once I learn what not to do I will take advantage of the advanced equipment that IBM has made available.

It is interesting to note that when I started writing Oracle books I purchased a new server (back in the late 1990’s) at that time I got a hyper-threaded, dual core system with 2 GB of memory for about $5K. When RAC was released I needed to upgrade so I purchased 2 – single core hyper-threaded servers with 4 GB or memory, a 1 GB switch and 2 disk arrays at a total cost of around $3K. For all of the equipment listed above I paid $1.6K on Ebay. It just goes to show the incredible decrease in costs and increase in capabilities that have occurred over the last 20 years.

Next I will be acquiring Oracle OEL for the operating system and Oracle12c for testing and learning on. I will post my lessons learned as I go along. I hope to test many of the new features of 12c such as container databases, in-memory database options, use of Flash Cache in container, regular and RAC 12c databases and of course use of the in-memory option with a 12c RAC database.

Next I have to decide whether to install the equipment in the house or out in the shed, if I do it in the shed I have to build a computer room out there and put in a small AC unit. I an existing AC unit that will work, just have to cut the needed ports in the side of the building and install the intake/outlet lines for the air handler section. Of course instead of building a room it may be more cost effective to buy a small 8x10 foot shed and place it in the larger 30x50 foot equipment shed. I’ll post pictures along with the blog entries as I go along.