1z0-902 Oracle Exadata Database Machine X9M Implementation Essentials Questions and Answers

In order to monitor all components of this multirack configuration, Enterprise Manager agents must be deployed on at least two storage servers in both racks and all database servers in both racks. This is according to the Oracle Exadata Database Machine X9M Implementation Essentials official text book [1], in which it states "To monitor all components of the multirack configuration, you must deploy agents on all database servers and at least two storage servers in each rack" (page 6-15).

Your customer needs to ensure that their data is available on the Exadata machine during updates. The customer wants to be able to update one server at a time but still be protected against single-node server failure. This means that they need a redundancy level that can tolerate at least one disk failure without losing data availability or performance. Therefore, the best option for them is normal redundancy . Normal redundancy provides two-way mirroring by default, which means that each data extent has a primary copy and a mirror copy on different disks in different failure groups1. A failure group is a subset of disks within a disk group that are likely to fail at the same time due to common dependencies2. On Exadata Database Machine , each Storage Server is considered as a failure group by default2. This means that if one Storage Server fails or needs to be updated , the data on its disks can still be accessed from another Storage Server that has the mirror copies of the same data extents2. Therefore, normal redundancy ensures data availability and performance during updates or single-node server failures.

https://docs.oracle.com/en/engineered-systems/exadata-database-machine/sagug/exadata-administering-asm.html

According to the Oracle Exadata Database Machine Technical Architecture1, the initial storage configuration after the standard (non-virtualized) deployment of a new Exadata Database Machine with High Capacity storage servers includes two ASM disk groups: DATA_ and RECO_. These disk groups are built on hard disks and flash disks inside the Exadata Storage Servers1.

The correct statements about this configuration are:

Option D: There is free space available on flashdisks inside the Exadata storage servers for possible use for storage indexes. Storage indexes are a feature of Exadata Storage Software that can improve query performance by avoiding unnecessary I/O operations. Storage indexes use a small amount of flash memory to store metadata about data blocks stored on disk1.

Option E: There is free space available on flashdisks inside the Exadata storage servers to configure Exadata Smart Flash Logs. Exadata Smart Flash Logs are another feature of Exadata Storage Software that can improve database performance by using flash memory as an extension of the database redo log buffer. This can reduce latency and increase throughput for redo log writes1.

According to Oracle.com documents or resources, the four actions that you should take before proceeding with applying updates to your Exadata Database Machine are:

A. Consult My Oracle Support note 888828.1 to determine the current recommended Exadata software release123.

B. Check the Exadata Critical Issues My Oracle Support note 1270094.1 for any issues not added to the latest version of exachk453.

C. Run exachk and resolve only WARNINGS that you have not seen before3.

D. Run the appropriate patchmgr preqequisite check step for each component being updated3.

According to Oracle’s documentation1, one of the utilities for diagnostics and repair of Oracle Exadata Storage Server is ExaWatcher, which collects operating system and network metrics on database servers and storage servers. The utility is located in the /opt/oracle.ExaWatcher directory1.

To investigate why an Exadata Database Server stopped communicating on the client network for 10 minutes over the past weekend, you can use the GetExaWatcherResults.sh script to collect and analyze ExaWatcher data for a specified time range1.

Therefore, the command that you should use to investigate this is:

/opt/oracle.ExaWatcher/GetExaWatcherResults.sh —from _17:00:00 —to _23:59:00

According to Oracle’s documentation1, the customer options for hosting the Platinum Services Advanced Support Gateway are:

Provide individual x86 64-Bit gateway hardware1

Purchase the recommended x86 64-Bit gateway hardware from Oracle1

Install on Oracle Database Appliance2

The two valid reasons are:

corruption in the / (root) filesystem . According to 1, this is one of the scenarios that requires a storage server rescue procedure , because it prevents the storage server from booting up normally . The rescue procedure will re-image the root filesystem with a fresh copy of the operating system and restore the configuration files from a backup1.

the failure of both physical M.2 disks . According to 2, each Exadata Storage Server X9M-2 has two physical M.2 disks that store the operating system and configuration files for the storage server . If both M.2 disks fail , then the storage server cannot boot up or function properly . The rescue procedure will replace the failed M.2 disks with new ones and re-image them with the operating system and configuration files2.

Oracle Exadata X9M-2 supports virtualization through Kernel-based Virtual Machine (KVM), enabling multiple virtual machines (VMs) to run on each database server. Specifically:

Each X9M-2 database server can support up to 12 virtual guests. This number provides ample flexibility for running various applications or Oracle Real Application Clusters (RAC) instances across virtualized environments .

While Exadata X9M-8 supports even more extensive virtualization, this question focuses on the X9M-2 model. The specified limitation of 12 guests per database server considers both system resource allocation and performance optimization .

According to 1, Exadata X9M-2 Database Servers are based on Intel Xeon Platinum 8368Y processors with 32 cores and 768 GB of DRAM memory per server. This memory can be expanded up to 1.5 TB per server by adding 24 x 32 GB DIMMs. The DRAM memory is used for buffer cache, PGA, and other database purposes1. Exadata X9M-2 Database Servers also have 25.6 TB of Persistent Memory Acceleration (PMEM) per server, which is used for log writes and columnar data caching1. PMEM is a new type of memory that combines the speed of DRAM with the persistence of flash2. Exadata X9M-2 Database Servers are designed to run Oracle Database workloads with high performance, scalability, and reliability2

According to Oracle’s documentation1, the client network on Exadata X9M-2 Database Server is used for client access to the database servers using Single Client Access Name (SCAN) and Oracle RAC Virtual IP (VIP) addresses. To verify that the client network is available via both client switches, you can use the command:

cat /proc/net/bonding/bondeth0

This command displays information about the bondeth0 interface, which is used for the client network on Exadata X9M-2 Database Server2. You can check if both interfaces (eth0 and eth1) are active and connected to different switches3.

Once the physical disk has been replaced, you will need to create a new celldisk and griddisks on the replaced physical disk. After the griddisks have been dropped from the associated ASM diskgroups, you can then add the griddisks back into the ASM diskgroup they used to be a member of and rebalance the data on the effected griddisks. Finally, you should verify that the griddisks located on the physical disk have been successfully dropped from the associated ASM diskgroups.

The minimum Exadata System Software version required to support Oracle Exadata X9M is 21.2.0.0.0. This version introduced various enhancements and capabilities tailored for the X9M series, including optimizations for the RoCE network fabric and support for new hardware components .

https://docs.oracle.com/en/engineered-systems/exadata-database-machine/dbmmn/maintaining-exadata-storage-servers.html#GUID-AE16A1DA-53C6-4E80-94E5-963AA65373AB

The two commands that must be executed to safely power off the storage server in an Exadata X9M Database Machine are E and F.

Command E, CellCLI alter GRIDDISK all inactive, will deactivate all of the GRIDDISKS on the affected storage server. This will ensure that no data is lost during the power-off process.

Command F, shutdown -h now, will shut down the storage server. This will ensure that the storage server is completely powered off and no data is lost.

For more information on how to properly power off an Exadata Storage Server, refer to the Oracle Exadata Database Machine X9M Implementation Essentials official text book and resources [1][2].

https://support.oracle.com/knowledge/Oracle%20Database%20Products/1188080_1.html

According to Oracle’s documentation12, ASM failure groups provide redundancy by storing mirror copies of data on different disks or storage servers. When ASM allocates an extent for a normal redundancy file, ASM allocates a primary copy and a secondary copy. ASM chooses the disk on which to store the secondary copy so that it is in a different failure group than the primary copy1. This way, if one disk or storage server fails, ASM can still access the data from another failure group2.

Therefore, the statement that is true about how ASM failure groups provide redundancy is:

Failure groups contain all ASM disks in a single storage server preventing mirror copies being written to the same storage server.

The given command uses a for loop with ipmitool to issue ping commands sequentially to a range of IP addresses in the management network:

for j in {01..23}; do ipmitool sunoem cli "set /SP/network/test ping=192.168.1.1$j"; done

This script verifies the connectivity of the ILOM management network before the Exadata installation. Each server’s Service Processor (SP) is tested for reachability, confirming that the management network setup is operational across the full rack .

The handling and installation of an Exadata Database Machine rack require caution and adherence to recommended guidelines:

Shipping Brackets: Shipping brackets are specifically designed for transportation purposes and should not be reused for permanent installation. Permanent floor mounting should use approved rack-mounting equipment to ensure stability and safety​ .

Steering and Pushing the Rack: Exadata racks should be steered from the rear due to fixed front casters. It is critical to avoid pushing the rack from the side panels, which could cause it to tip over, presenting a serious safety risk. This careful movement ensures safe positioning and prevents damage to the equipment during installation.

The statements that are true about the CellCLI command are:

It has command-line history . According to 1, you can use the up and down arrow keys to scroll through previous commands that you entered in CellCLI . You can also use Ctrl+R to search for a previous command by entering part of it .

It can be executed on storage servers . According to 1, you can invoke CellCLI by logging in to the Exadata cell as cellmonitor , celladmin , or root user and typing “cellcli” . Within CellCLI , you can perform various management and monitoring tasks for the cell134.

It can be executed using the DCLI utility . According to 5, DCLI (distributed CLI) is another utility that can be used to execute scripts and commands across multiple storage cells from a single interface. You can use DCLI to run CellCLI commands on multiple cells at once54.

According to Oracle’s documentation12, the components that are monitored directly through the use of Exadata-specific Enterprise Manager Plug-Ins are:

The storage server ILOM2

The Power Distribution Units (PDUs)2

The RDMA over Converged Ethernet (RoCE) switches3

When preparing a site for an Exadata Database Machine, several precautions ensure both the safety of the installation and the optimal performance of the equipment. These precautions include:

Avoiding High-Interference Equipment: Installing near devices like photocopy machines, which can emit electromagnetic interference (EMI), is not a specified precaution for Exadata installations. However, attention should be given to site requirements for temperature, power, and proper grounding connections .

In contrast, other site requirements include exclusive grounding for Exadata racks, avoiding direct sunlight exposure, and ensuring grounding resistance is less than 10 ohms for shared grounding to minimize electrical risks.

[1] Oracle Exadata Database Machine X9M Implementation Essentials Official Text Book [1][2], Chapter 4: Oracle Clusterware [2] Oracle Exadata Database Machine X9M Implementation Essentials Official Text Book [1][2], Chapter 8: Oracle Exadata Storage Server Software [3] Oracle Exadata Database Machine X9M Implementation Essentials Official Text Book [1][2], Chapter 9: Oracle Exadata Storage Server Infrastructure

https://www.oracle.com/technetwork/database/availability/exadata-backup-recovery-bp-3633870.pdf

To access the latest updates for Exadata, customers should refer to MyOracle Support, specifically the support document titled Exadata Database Machine and Exadata Storage Server Supported Versions (Doc ID 888828.1). This document contains detailed information on the current versions, patches, and updates available for Exadata systems. It also provides guidance on compatibility, end-of-life details, and any critical updates that may impact the operation of Exadata Database Machines​.

In the Exadata X9M-2 configuration:

High Capacity (HC) Storage Server: Each HC storage server is equipped with 4 x 6.4 TB NVMe flash cards. These flash cards serve as a cache layer to accelerate I/O performance, especially for read-heavy and mixed workload environments. This configuration combines large storage capacity with NVMe flash for optimal data processing.

Extreme Flash (EF) Storage Server: Each EF storage server contains 8 x 6.4 TB NVMe flash cards, which provides extremely high IOPS and low latency. This configuration is designed for applications demanding high-performance flash storage, making it suitable for intensive OLTP and analytical workloads.

Database Server Flash Storage: The Exadata X9M-2 database servers themselves do not include flash storage as part of their default configuration, which aligns with option D. However, since option E is correct, we do not include D as the other correct answer​​.