Delphix Products

Just trying to inderstand how Delphix works with Oracle database machines like ODA, Exadata etc. Reason, since database machines comes with storage and in some case infiniband network to provide optimal speed.

Delphix may still be able to virtualize and provide very small database on NFS to database machine but database machine and storage comes with it will not be utilized well.

Just want to know if someone use Delphix with Database machines and their experience or if Delphix as a compay has any input.

Thanks,

We often see customers with production systems utilizing Exadata.  Because Delphix uses Oracle API's to sync with production, there is no difficulty there.  Delphix is logically like a backup destination.

For a Virtual Database (VDB), the database server continues to run the Oracle binaries and create an SGA and manage user connections.  There is no logical difference in the "instance level" config of a VDB using Delphix compared to a database using physical storage.  Typically, servers hosting VDBs have minimal storage--just enough to host the OS and database binaries (~50-100GB).

Each Delphix Engine has it's own storage, typically using enterprise class SAN vendors like Hitachi and EMC.  One can choose any storage which VMWare or Amazon EC2 supports, from a single lowly drive to a pure SSD array.  The key is to get the required IOPS and storage footprint.  To a VDB, the Delphix Engine looks similar to NAS.

Using Exadata for the Delphix Engine storage would not make sense, as the features which make Exadata worth the money could not be leveraged by IO running through the Delphix Engine.  The Delphix Engine does not run Oracle (or any other vendor database software).  Other storage solutions from Oracle/SUN could be used for Delphix Engine storage, provided the required performance characteristics are met and they are supported by the hypervisor.

 

Hello .. Thanks for your update. I may need to elobrate the question a little more, if we decided to go with ODA for all the environments (CRP/TST/Dev/test/QA/PROD), how Delphix will help.

 

Thanks,

Warning, I have not seen this configuration tested out.

Because the ODA has a connection to your network and supports expansion of storage via NFS, you can still use Delphix.   The 10 Gbps cards should support the needed IO.

As noted in the bottom of http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oracle_Database_Appliance, you can extend your storage by using dNFS.  This document offers a deeper dive: http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/database/database-appliance/documentation/oda-expandingstorage-170.... Delphix would fill the role of the NFS server in that configuration.   You would still derive all of the benefits of Delphix (faster, easier, cheaper cloning) 

But Delphix will have it's own storage.  It cannot use the disk in the appliance, because that disk is local storage, and will not be available to the VMWare cluster which will host the Delphix Engine.