Technical White Paper Rev A July Oracle RMAN Disk-to-Disk Backup Methods Using Sun Storage Array

(1)

Technical White Paper 41574-00 Rev A July 2010

(2)

(3)

Oracle RMAN Disk-to-Disk Backup Methods

Using Sun Storage Arrays

Implementing an Oracle Backup and Recovery strategy is critical for protecting a database from the loss or corruption of data and for providing the ability to recover that data. Because Oracle's Recovery Manager (RMAN) is built into the database, RMAN provides the necessary foundation for implementing a total backup and recovery methodology, without additional capital investments. This document provides a high-level description of how to implement an RMAN backup and recover methodology using Sun®_{storage arrays as the storage medium.}

For more information about Oracle best practices, refer to Best Practices for Running Oracle RAC Database with ASM on a Sun Storage 6540, 6580, or 6780 Storage Array.

Oracle Recovery Manager

Oracle Recovery Manager (RMAN) is an Oracle utility used to back up and restore an Oracle database along with providing other features and is widely accepted in the Oracle community. RMAN can determine the backup and recovery needs of the database and locate uncommitted database updates down to the database block level. Oracle recommends using RMAN for disk-to-disk backups. This recommendation is based on the reduced cost of storage area networks (SANs) and on the simplicity of RMAN. Consider using RMAN for disk-to-disk backups because of the intuitive nature of RMAN and the tight integration of RMAN with the Oracle database. Additionally, many databases must be available around the clock. By implementing a disk-to-disk backup and restore methodology, you can achieve a highly available, 24/7/365 environment. Also, if you use Oracle Automatic Storage

Management (Oracle ASM), you must also use RMAN to back up and restore the database objects. At this time, no other tool besides RMAN exists that can back up the Oracle ASM disk groups.

(6)

Advantages of Backing Up to Disk Rather Than

to Tape

Availability requirements often dictate the backup and recovery device. For database environments that must be highly available, backing up to disk is a better option than backing up to tape.

Backups themselves do not hinder the availability of a database, because an Oracle database can remain available while hot backups are executing. The real determining factors that favor disk backup over tape backup are as follows:

• The time it takes to back up the database • The time it takes to recover the database

Backing up to disk is much faster than backing up to tape. Backing up to disks reduces the database overhead of the backup as well as reduces the time it takes to back up.

After backing up and recovering the database, you must add the time required to reassemble the individual components of Oracle. The entire recovery process of an Oracle database could result in the database being unavailable for hours—if not days— depending on how large the database is and what components must be restored.

The advantages of disk-based backups and restores are as follows: • Decreases the cost by using high-volume, low-cost storage • Decreases the backup window by using multiple I/O streams • Decreases the recovery time by using multiple I/O streams • Increases the availability of backups

• Increases protection through RAID technology

• Increases the usage and viability of backups by using the premium features within the storage manager software

One feature of the RMAN disk-based backup methodology is the Incrementally Updated Backup process, which can make the restore and recovery operation more efficient. The Incrementally Updated Backup process involves rolling the changes from a Level1 incremental backup to a Level0 backup. If the Incrementally Updated Backup process is performed daily, database recovery requires only the following files:

• The updated image of the Incrementally Updated Backup • The archive logs created since the last incremental backup • (Optional) The online redo logs

(7)

Storing Database Files

An Oracle database installer has three storage options for database files: • File systems

• Oracle ASM • Raw devices

The Oracle installation guide gives further details about each storage option. Refer to the Oracle installation guide for the specific operating system to determine how to take advantage of each storage option.

Using File Systems for Storing Database Files

Most database administrators have used file systems extensively and are very familiar with them. File systems reside on disks in either of two ways:

• Locally attached disks that are internal to the server

• A Logical Volume Manager (LVM) or Redundant Array of Independent Disks (RAID) that is on a SAN.

All file systems are mounted on the host server. When Oracle storage is required to create objects or to store data, Oracle uses physical files in a predefined directory structure. Oracle can generate names for the physical files, or you, as the Oracle database administrator, can create names for them. Refer to the Oracle installation guide for the specific operating system to determine how to place database files on a file system and how to follow Oracle’s Flexible Architecture (OFA) to ensure a reliable and manageable installation.

Using Automatic Storage Management for Storing Database Files

Oracle Automatic Storage Management (Oracle ASM) is Oracle’s proprietary storage solution for Oracle databases. Oracle ASM simplifies or eliminates the use of most traditional disk management tools. However, to realize the performance and the additional protection these systems provide, deploy Oracle ASM on external RAID storage systems.

You can realize the following benefits when you implement Oracle ASM:

• A database administrator no longer needs to lay out or to create database directory structures. Oracle ASM handles all underlying disk use.

• Database objects automatically spread over multiple LUNs.

• Database availability increases because new disk devices can be added or removed without shutting down the database.

(8)

• Oracle Managed Files (OMF)—along with striping and optional mirroring capabilities—provide a file system that can support a multi-node clustered environment or a single-node database system. You can easily implement OMF.

Oracle ASM requires a dedicated Oracle instance on each node to manage the disk groups within the Oracle ASM structure. This Oracle ASM instance communicates with the database instance through the Oracle Cluster Synchronization Services (CSS).

To learn how to install and configure Oracle ASM, and how to enable Oracle ASM to work with an Oracle database, refer to the Oracle installation guide for the specific operating system.

Avoiding Raw Devices for Storing Database Files

Although raw devices are available, they are not recommended for storing database files. Raw devices are simply disks that have not been formatted with a file system. When Oracle writes data to raw devices, Oracle bypasses the file system layer of the operating system and writes directly to the partition or volume. Thus, managing raw devices becomes very complex. Because of this increased administrative complexity, and because raw devices provide very little performance benefit1, most companies do not recommend using raw devices. Therefore, this document does not provide information about raw devices.

Flash Recovery Area

Oracle’s flash recovery area is an allocated disk storage location where you can store all backup- and recovery-related files. The flash recovery area can reside on a File System or an Oracle ASM disk group.

The flash recovery area contains the following database related files: • Control files

• Online logs • Archive logs • Flashback logs

• Control file auto backups • Control file copies • Datafile copies

1 _{The small percentage gains are often more than offset by the additional delays in deployment and}

(9)

• Backup piece

Using the Flash Recovery Area

The flash recovery area is tightly integrated within the Oracle database and provides a prime area for performing disk-to-disk backups. RMAN creates a powerful mechanism to automate recovery of an Oracle database so that recovery is faster and simpler.

Use the flash recovery area to execute the Flashback Database command, which returns the database to a previous point in time based on a system change number (SCN), date/time, or to a defined restore point. For more information about Flashback Database, refer to the Oracle documentation on Flashback procedures available in version10g of Oracle.

Automated Management of the Flash Recovery Area

Oracle manages the flash recovery area and keeps it clean by storing only what is necessary and by automatically removing the following obsolete files:

• Files that are no longer needed for a recovery scenario • Redundant copies

• Files that have been backed up

Configuring the Flash Recovery Area

Configure the flash recovery area by setting two init.ora parameters:

• DB_RECOVERY_FILE_DEST – The location of the flash recovery area

• DB_RECOVERY_FILE_DEST_SIZE – The amount of disk available for the flash recovery area. Sizing the flash recovery area can be a complex task, depending on what is stored in this area. For more information about how to size this area for the components stored in the flash recovery area and for their retention period, refer to the Oracle documentation.

After you set the init.ora parameters for the flash recovery area, you can send all RMAN backups, archive logs, control file auto backups, and datafile copies to write to the location of your choice. • You can send them to automatically write to the specified file system within the flash recovery area. • You can send them to write to an Oracle ASM group.

For details, refer to the Oracle installation guide for the specific operating system.

You can tailor the flash recovery area to meet any database requirement. For example, you can tailor the size depending on the amount of information to be backed up in a single instance.

• You can make the flash recovery area large enough to keep full logs, incremental logs, and archive logs available. You can make the flash recovery area as large as the database itself, so that you can do a complete backup.

(10)

At minimum, take advantage of the flash recovery area to archive redo logs, online redo logs (second multiplexed log), and control files. These logs and files already take up disk space, so that there is no real advantage to storing them anywhere but within the flash recovery area. Additionally, the flash recovery area has added features not normally available for administering database recoveries. For example, use the FRA to store the second copy of the multiplexed redo logs or additional copies of the control files.

Tuning the Flash Recovery Area

Depending on how active the database is, and what objects are stored in the flash recovery area, you might need to tune the flash recovery area to provide sufficient I/O throughput. Insufficient

throughput impedes the performance of the database. Some methods for increasing throughput are as follows:

• Set up multiple file systems for the flash recovery area to distribute the I/O over multiple disk devices or even multiple SANs.

• Use multiple Oracle ASM disk groups for the flash recovery area to distribute the I/O over Oracle ASM disks.

• Spread the flash recovery area across several Oracle ASM disk devices or SANs to distribute the I/O.

• Execute backup RMAN activity during off-peak hours. Selecting Disks for the Flash Recovery Area

Depending on how active the database is, the SATA drives can be sufficient for the flash recovery area, because of the following SATA features:

• Higher disk capacity, if using SATA drives • Lower cost

• Sufficient speed for disk-to-disk backups Integrating the Flash Recovery Area

Figure 1 shows how to use a flash recovery area within an Oracle database. • Place the second multiplexed online redo logs in the flash recovery area. • Write archive log destinations directly to the flash recovery area. • Write backups through RMAN to the flash recovery area.

(11)

Figure 1 Flash Recovery Area in an Oracle Database

When configuring database storage, keep in mind that the flash recovery area and the database do not require the same storage option. For example, the database might use file systems while the flash recovery area might use Oracle ASM. Raw devices in the flash recovery area are the only unsupported file type, which is yet another reason not to use raw devices.

Configuring the RMAN Environment

For clarity, the production Oracle Databases should be on a separate server from the RMAN

repository. The RMAN catalog resides on its own dedicated instance, on a server that is separate from the databases that need to be backed up and restored. Keeping the RMAN catalog on a separate server drastically reduces the risk of having both the RMAN catalogs unavailable at the same time that the databases need recovery.

By contrast, risk increases if the RMAN catalog remains on the same server as the other production databases. If a server-wide issue causes loss of data, the RMAN catalog must be recovered first before the databases can be recovered. As a result, the database will be unavailable for a longer period of time. Store the following file systems and Oracle ASM disk groups on a RAID 10 storage array:

• File systems for Oracle datafiles

• Oracle ASM disk groups for oracle datafiles

Store the following file systems and Oracle ASM disk groups on a RAID 5 storage array: • File systems for the flash recovery area

(12)

• File systems for exports

• File systems or Oracle ASM disk groups for archiving of data

The backup created with RMAN can be copied to the secondary storage using the storage manager’s fast, internal Volume Copy feature. A Volume Copy makes the backup available for disaster recovery activities for the primary storage array: cloning and various development activities where production data is required. Likewise, you can take quick and instantaneous snapshots to keep point-in-time copies on the secondary storage array for backups of the primary storage array.

Configuring Storage Components

When configuring Oracle, leverage different types of storage devices, storage arrays, and mirroring options when implementing database features such as RMAN and Flash Recovery. There are two recommended RAID configurations for the database.

• Use RAID 10 for the primary storage area for tablespaces that require high IOPS or MB/s throughput.

• Use RAID 5 for the storage area dedicated to the flash recovery area, if the database does not require high IOPS or MB/s.

• Use the storage manager to configure the storage used by the database.

Together, RMAN and Flash Recovery provide a powerful combination for backup, for recovery, and for using other features such as flashback for Oracle databases.

Conclusion

(13)

Appendix

A

Sun Storage 6580/6780 Storage Array

Introduction to the Sun Storage 6580/6780 Storage Array

This appendix describes the features, benefits, and components of the Sun Storage 6580/6780 storage array. This appendix describes how the Sun Storage 6580/6780 storage array is an improvement over previous models.

Overview of the Sun Storage 6580/6780 Storage Array

In application and functionality, the Sun Storage 6580/6780 storage array is equivalent to earlier models2_{of storage arrays but with higher performance and greater scalability.}

Figure 1 The Sun Storage 6580/6780 Storage Array

Supporting Your Critical Functions

The Sun Storage 6580/6780 storage array supports the following functions:

• Transactional applications, such as databases and online transaction processing (OLTP) • Throughput-intensive applications, such as high-performance computing (HPC) and rich media • Concurrent workloads for consolidation and virtualization

(14)

Growing with Your Business

The flexibility of the Sun Storage 6580/6780 storage array keeps pace with your growing company by adding or replacing host interfaces, increasing performance, and growing capacity. The Sun Storage 6580/6780 storage array also allows you to add cache and to reconfigure the system on-the-fly.

Extending the Life of Your Storage Array

The life of the Sun Storage 6580/6780 storage array extends beyond the normal three to four years. The extended life delays or even eliminates the expense of migrating data to a new system. Thus, the Sun Storage 6580/6780 storage array’s acquisition costs can be amortized over extended periods of time.

Securing Data

Your data is always available, and any data in cache is captured and safe in the event of a power outage. The Sun Storage 6580/6780 storage array accomplishes data security with the following functions: • Redundant components

• Automated path failover

• Extensive online configuration, reconfiguration, and maintenance capabilities • Multiple replication options

• A persistent cache backup

Product Features of the Sun Storage 6580/6780 Storage Array

Integrating Current Technology

The Sun Storage 6580/6780 storage array powers Sun’s highest performing and most flexible system to date by integrating the following state-of-the-art technology:

• Flexible host interfaces • Next-generation XOR engines • Massive controller bandwidth • Multiple drive technologies • Robust storage management

Adding New Technology

The Sun Storage 6580/6780 storage array contains the following new features: • Next-generation enterprise controller technology

(15)

• Sixteen 4 GB/s Fibre Channel (FC) drive interfaces, which support up to 448 FC or Serial Advanced Technology Attachment (SATA) drives

• Up to 32 GB of dedicated data cache (16 GB for each controller) • Dedicated cache mirroring channels

• Persistent cache backup in the event of a power outage • Field-upgradeable

• Support for the following RAID levels—RAID 0, RAID 1, RAID 3, RAID 5, RAID 6, and RAID 10

• Two performance levels (base and high) with the ability to upgrade in the field Releases of the Sun Storage 6580/6780 Storage Array

Table 1 shows the three releases of the Sun Storage 6580/6780 storage array and the features available

with each release.

Table 1 Phased Feature Release

Release Phase Available Features

4 GB/s FC HICs

8 or 16 GB of data cache (4 or 8 GB for each controller) 256 FC or SATA drives in the CSM200 drive module Premium features:

• Storage Domains • Snapshot • Volume Copy

• Data Replicator Software

Full compatibility list Initial release

Two performance levels (base and high) with ability to upgrade 8 GB/s FC HIC

Second release

448 FC or SATA drives in the CSM200 drive module 10 GB/s iSCSI HIC

Intermixing of FC and iSCSI HICs Third release

(16)

Benefits of the Sun Storage 6580/6780 Storage Array

Table 2 describes the features and the benefits available in the Sun Storage 6580/6780 storage array.

Table 2 Features and Benefits of the Sun Storage 6580/6780 Storage Array (1 of 2)

Feature Benefits

Field-replaceable when the customer's infrastructure changes Ability to plan for the future while leveraging current investments Flexible, replaceable host Interfaces

(4 GB/s FC Initially)

Provide unique investment protection and life-cycle longevity Supports demanding service-level agreements (SLAs), maintaining SLAs through growth

Performance

Well-suited for environments with concurrent workloads, such as consolidation and virtualization

Maintains SLAs through growth Linearly scalable I/O per

Second (IOPS) performance

Increases overall IOPS performance with each new drive Adept at both IOPS and MB/s

Supports applications with wide-ranging performance requirements and demanding SLAs

Well-suited for data warehousing, consolidation, and virtualization environments that have diverse workloads and application requirements

Balanced performance

Concurrently supports transactional applications, such as databases and OLTP, and throughput-intensive applications, such as HPC and rich media

Hardware RAID, custom XOR engine for RAID parity calculations

Efficiently handles compute-intensive parity calculations, which enable exceptional disk-based performance that is ideally-suited for RAID 5 and RAID 6 configurations

Supports high-availability and security for mission-critical data Support for multiple RAID

levels, including RAID 6 _{Configures the system to address varying service levels} Redundant, hot-swappable

components

Maintains data availability by allowing components to be replaced without stopping I/O

Supports demanding capacity requirements Up to 448 FC or SATA drives

(256 Initially) _{Intermixes FC and SATA drives}

Enables tiered storage in a single system

You can allocate FC drives to applications that demand high performance and have high I/O rates

(17)

Table 2 Features and Benefits of the Sun Storage 6580/6780 Storage Array (2 of 2)

Enables maximum use and uninterrupted data availability

Supports custom LUN tuning to ensure maximum performance or utilization

Centrally manages all of the local and networked SANtricity Storage Manager-based systems

Quickly configures and monitors storage from a centralized interface SANtricity Storage

Manager or the Sun CAM

Configures volumes, performs routine maintenance, and adds new modules and capacity without interrupting access to data Brings unused storage online for a new host group or an existing volume to provide additional capacity on demand

Dynamic expansion capabilities

Eliminates application interruptions due to growth, reconfigurations, or tuning

Up to 512 partitions Partitions effectively support large-scale consolidation or virtualization environments, which helps to reduce hardware costs and storage management costs

Uses multiple options to let administrators best fit their replication needs

Fully integrated replications features

Uses local copies or remote copies for file restoration, backups, application testing, data mining, or disaster recovery

Support for heterogeneous open operating systems

(18)

Comparing the Sun Storage 6580/6780 Storage

Array to 6540 Storage Arrays

Comparing Features

Table 3 shows the improved features of the Sun Storage 6580/6780 controller module compared to

the features of the 6540 controller module.

Table 3 Comparing Controller Module Features

Dual-Controller System (unless noted) Sun Storage 6580/6780 Controller Module 6540 Controller Module Improvement of the Sun Storage 6580/6780 Controller Module Over the 6540 Controller Module Host channels (initial release) 16 FC 8 FC 2X

Redundant drive channels Sixteen 4 GB/s Eight 4 GB/s 2X

Maximum number of drives (initial release)

256 FC or SATA 224 FC or SATA 1.14x

Processor Intel Xeon 2.8 GHz Intel Xeon 2.4 GHz –

Processor memory (single controller)

2 GB Up to 1 GB 2X

XOR Technology Dedicated ASIC Dedicated ASIC –

Bus Technology PCI-Express PCI-X 2X

Internal controller bandwidth (single controller)

4 GB/s 1 GB/s 4X

Data cache (minimum/ maximum

(initial release)

8 GB/16 GB 2 GB/16 GB –

Cache hold-up Permanent Battery backed –

Cache mirroring 2 dedicated buses Bace-end loops –

Cache bandwidth (single controller)

17 GB/s 3.2 GB/s 5X

(19)

Comparing Performance

Table 4 shows the improved performance of the Sun Storage 6580/6780 controller module compared

to the performance of the 6540 controller module.

Table 4 Comparing Controller Module Performance

Performance Measure

Sun Storage 6580/6780 Controller Module

(256 drives) 6540 Controller Module

Improvement of the Sun Storage 6580/6780 Controller Module Over the 6540

Controller Module

Burst I/O rate cache needs

~ 700,000 IOPS 575,000 IOPS 1.6X

Sustained I/O rate disk reads

~ 98,000 IOPS 86,000 IOPS –

Sustained I/O rate disk writes ~ 25,000 IOPS 22,000 IOPS – Bursts throughput disk read ~ 6,400 MB/s 1,700 MB/s 3.8X Sustained throughput disk read ~ 6,400 MB/s 1,600 MB/s 4X Sustained throughput disk write (CMD) ~ 5,200 MB/s 1,300 MB/s 4X Sustained throughput disk write (CME)

~ 5,000 MB/s FSW ~ 1,200 MB/s FSW ~ 1,300 MB/s ~ 450 MB/s 4X 7.8X

(20)

Hardware Components

The Sun Storage 6580/6780 storage array continues the Sun storage heritage of a modular, building-block design that enables lower acquisition and expansion costs while maintaining maximum flexibility. With two primary components—controller modules and drive modules—configurations can be built to meet specific requirements.

Sun Storage 6580/6780 Controller Module

Figure 2 Sun Storage 6580/6780 Controller Module

The Sun Storage 6580/6780 controller module contains dual-active, intelligent RAID controllers. The Sun Storage 6580/6780 controller module provides host and network connectivity and supports multiple drive modules. The initial release of the Sun Storage 6580/6780 controller module provides the following features:

• Contains dual-active, hot-swappable controllers

• Each controller has two field-replaceable HICs. The initial Sun Storage 6580/6780 controller module release supports 4 GB/s FC HICs (16 total ports) capable of 4 GB/s, 2 GB/s, or 1 GB/s link speeds for SAN or direct host connections.

• Each controller has sixteen 4 GB/s FC drive ports with support for up to 448 FC or SATA drives. • Supports up to 256 drives

• Supports the CSM200 drive module • Intermixes FC and SATA drives

• Each controller has dedicated data cache (DDR2 SDRAM) with dedicated channels for cache mirroring and persistent cache backup in the event of a power outage.

(21)

- Two ports for authorized service personnel troubleshooting and diagnostics, one for each controller

• Supports an interconnect module that provides internal communication between controllers and contains two battery customer-replaceable units (CRUs)

• Provides a controller support module that contains power supplies, redundant cooling fans, and battery charger

• Includes hot-swappable CRUs for all primary components—two controllers, two customer support modules, and one interconnect—and can be easily accessed and removed or replaced

CSM200 Drive Module

Figure 3 The CSM200 Drive Module

The CSM200 drive module is more than “just-a-bunch-of-disks.” The CSM200 drive module optimizes performance, availability, and serviceability with the following design:

• It contains 4 GB/s FC interfaces for connectivity. • It includes up to 16 dual-ported FC or SATA drives.

• It provides an environmental services monitor (ESM/IOM)-imbedded loop switch.

• It contains redundant 4 GB/s FC drive loops to make sure that complete accessibility to all drives is available in the event of a loop or cable failure.

• It includes redundant power supplies, cooling fans, and ESM/IOMs.

• It provides hot-swappable CRUs for all primary components that can be easily accessed and removed or replaced.

Software Components

Trunking

(22)

pipe” to provide increased network bandwidth. For a given link, trunking lets you incrementally add bandwidth, up to the maximum bandwidth supported by the Quad FastEthernet card.

The Sun Trunking 1.2.1 software implements the following key features:

• Fast Ethernet links – The Sun Quad FastEthernet network interface cards support Sun Trunking 1.2.1 software. Sun Quad FastEthernet cards deliver scalable bandwidth with up to eight 10/100 auto-negotiating Ethernet ports.

• Load balancing – Sun Trunking 1.2.1 software supports static load balancing and failure recovery within a trunk. The Sun Trunking 1.2.1 software distributes traffic, including unicast, broadcast, and multicast traffic, across the aggregated links, based on the policy selected. In the event of a link failure, Sun Trunking 1.2.1 software automatically redistributes loads across the remaining links. Common Array Manager

The Sun Storage 6580/6780 storage array offers you the option of using the Sun Common Array Manager (CAM) software, or the SANtricity® Storage Manager.

CAM is an SMI-S compliant storage management software that uses a browser interface. CAM manages data according to this standard, configuring data using storage profiles and establishing storage pools, virtual disks, and volumes. Premium features can also be used to create storage domains, to replicate, to copy, or to create a snapshot. Table 5 defines CAM acronyms.

Table 5 CAM Acronyms

Acronyms Meaning

FMS Fault Management Services

SCRK Sun Connection Readiness Kit

(23)

Table 6 compares CAM and SANtricity terminology.

Table 6 Terminology Comparison between CAM and SANtricity.

CAM SANtricity

pool volume group

storage domain storage partition

snapshot snapshot

Data Replicator Sotware (DRS) Remote Volume Mirroring (RVM)

volume copy volume copy

volume volume

CAM has three basic components:

• Sun Storage Management Host Software • Sun Storage Data Host Software

• Sun Storage Remote Management Host Software

These components handle such things as SSCS, GUI, CLI, JAVA web console, diagnostics and monitoring, data management, traffic management (multipathing), and communications with the operating system.

SANtricity Storage Manager

Functions

SANtricity Storage Manager manages the Sun Storage 6580/6780 storage array and provides administrators a powerful, easy-to-use management interface. With SANtricity Storage Manager, you can perform the following administrative tasks with no system downtime and no interruption to system I/O. • Configuration • Re-configuration • Expansion • Maintenance • Performance tuning

The SANtricity Storage Manager’s configuration flexibility includes the ability to mix the following capabilities all within a single storage array:

(24)

• Pool sizes

• Volume characteristics • Cache policies

Premium Features

The premium features available with SANtricity Storage Manager extend its functionality to allow for even more powerful storage.

• Storage Domains – Enables a single storage array function as multiple, logical storage arrays. This function provides storage consolidation in heterogeneous environments.

• Snapshot – Instantaneously creates capacity-efficient, point-in-time volume images, which provides a volume for such uses as file restoration and backup.

• Volume Copy – Creates a complete physical copy of a volume within a storage array. This unique entity can be assigned to any host and used for application testing or development, information analysis, or data mining.

• Data Replicator Software – Enables continuous data replication from one system to another to ensure data protection.

Software Specifications of SANtricity Storage Manager

Table 7 Software Specifications of SANtricity Storage Manager (1 of 2)

Component Specification

Firmware release 7.30

Client software release SANtricity Storage Manager 10.30

Maximum volumes supported 2,048

Maximum volume size supported 14 exabytes (EB)

Maximum host ports and logins supported 2,048

Maximum pool size: RAID 6, RAID 5 and RAID 3 – 30 drives

RAID 10 and RAID 1 – 256 drives (full configuration)

Unlimited global hot spares Yes

Maximum storage partitions

(levels: 2, 4 ,8 ,16, 32, 64, 96, 128, 256, 512)

512

Maximum volumes for each partition 256

Maximum snapshots for each base volume 16

(25)

Table 7 Software Specifications of SANtricity Storage Manager (2 of 2)

Component Specification

Maximum concurrent Data Replicator Software copy processes

8

Maximum mirrored pairs 128

Supported Operating Systems

Table 8 Supported Operating Systems Used by SANtricity Storage Manager

Operating System Version Supported

Windows Server 2008 Standard Server, Enterprise Server, Web, and Core editions

Windows Vista - GUI client only

Windows Server 2003 with SP2 Standard Server and Enterprise Server editions Windows XP Professional – GUI client only

Red Hat Enterprise Linux V4 update 6, V5 update 1

SUSE Linux Enterprise Server V9 SP4, V10 SP1

VMware ESX 2.5.3, 3.0.1 AIX® 5.1, 5.2, 6.1 Novell NetWare 6.5 SP7 HP-UX 11.23, 11.31 Solaris 8, 9, 10

Technical Specifications

Table 9 through Table 15 show the technical specifications of the Sun Storage 6580/6780 controller

module and the CSM200 drive module. Physical Characteristics

Table 9 Physical Characteristics

Specification Characteristic Sun Storage 6580/6780

Controller Module CSM200 Drive Module

Height 17.45 cm (6.87 in.) 12.95 cm (5.1 in.)

Width 44.45 cm (17.5 in.) 44.7 cm (17.6 in.)

Depth 60.96 cm (24 in.) 57.15 cm (22.5 in.)

(26)

Operating Temperature Table 10 Operating Temperature3

Controller Module CSM200 Drive Module

Operating range 10°C to 40° C (32° F to 104° F) 10° C to 40° C (50° F to 104° F)

Maximum rate of change 10° C (18° F) for each hour 10° C (18° F) for each hour

Storage range –10° C to 65° C (14° F to 149° F) –10° C to 50° C (14° F to 122° F)

Transit range –40° C to 65° C (–40° F to 149° F) –40° C to 60° C (–40° F to 140° F)

Power Input

Nominal voltage range 90 VAC to 264 VAC 90 VAC to 264 VAC

Frequency range 50 to 60 Hz 50 to 60 Hz

5.40 A at 100 VAC 3.90 A at 100 VAC

Max operating current

2.25 A at 240 VAC 2.06 A at 240 VAC

Not available at the time of this document release

115 VAC, 60 Hz at 0.73 power supply efficiency and 0.96 power factor Typical current

Not available at the time of this document release

230 VAC, 60 Hz at 0.73 power supply efficiency and 0.96 power factor

Relative Humidity With No Condensation Table 11 Relative Humidity with No Condensation

Controller Module

CSM200 Drive Module

Operating range 20% to 80% 20% to 80%

Storage range 10% to 93% 10% to 90%

Transit range 5% to 95% 5% to 95%

Maximum dew point 26° C (79° F) 26° C (79° F)

Maximum gradient 10% for each hour 10% for each hour3

(27)

Altitude Ranges Table 12 Altitude Ranges

Specification Characteristic Sun Storage 6580/6780 Controller Module

Operating

30.5 m (100 ft) below sea level to 3048 m (10,000 ft) above sea level

30.5 m (100 ft) below sea level to 3000 m (9842 ft) above sea level

Storage

30.5 m (100 ft) below sea level to 3048 m (10,000 ft) above sea

level

30.5 m (100 ft) below sea level to 3000 m (9842 ft) above sea level

Transit 30.5 m (100 ft) below sea level to 12,000 m

(40,000 ft) above sea level

30.5 m (100 ft) below sea level to 12,000 m (40,000 ft) above sea level

Heat Dissipation Table 13 Heat Dissipation

Controller Module CSM200 Drive Module Btu/Hr 1842 1517 KVA 0.562 0.462 Watts (AC) 540 444 Amps (240 VAC) 2.25 1.85

The tabulated power and heat dissipation values are the maximum measured operating power.

Acoustic Noise Table 14 Acoustic Noise

Sound power 6.0 bels 6.5 bels

Sound pressure 60 dBA 65 dBA

Power Input Table 15 Power Input

Btu/Hr 1842 1517

(28)

Hardware Architecture and Diagrams

The Sun Storage 6580/6780 controller has specialized processing elements to optimize processing power. Each of these processing elements has its own memory. Independent memories reduce

contention and let each element focus on its specific job. The high-speed XOR engine generates RAID parity with no performance penalty, which lets this compute-intensive task be handled efficiently and effortlessly. A separate processor focuses on data movement control. It processes and dispatches the setup and control instructions independent of data.

With its unique multiple-processor design and multiple high-speed buses, the Sun Storage 6580/6780 controller is equally adept at IOPS and throughput (MB/s). Its multiple 2 GB/s PCI-Express X8 data buses between the HICs, XOR engine, and 4 GB/s FC drive I/O chips have the bandwidth to handle large-block I/O, and the speed to process large amounts of random, small-block I/O to easily satisfy powerful applications.

Each Sun Storage 6580/6780 controller has two HICs. HICs are field-replaceable to adapt to evolving infrastructure requirements. The initial release supports 4 GB/s FC HICs, each with four independent ports, 16 ports for each dual-controller storage array, which support direct host or SAN attachments. On the drive side, each Sun Storage 6580/6780 controller has quad-ported 4 GB/s FC chips. Drive-side loop switches let each controller access all of the drive ports to achieve their full 6,400 MB/s of back-end bandwidth while achieving full redundancy.

The Sun Storage 6580/6780 controller offers two significant new features related to its dedicated data cache:

• Two high-speed cache mirroring channels between controllers ensure that the maximum performance with cache mirroring enabled is available.

• The integrated flash memory provides persistent cache backup in the event of a power outage.

(29)

External Connections

Figure 5 Sun Storage 6580/6780 Controller Module—Rear View

Figure 5 shows that the Sun Storage 6580/6780 controller modules insert from the rear of the module

and support all external connections, including the host ports, drive ports, Ethernet ports, serial port, and power supply.

Drive Channels and Loop Switches

(30)

Figure 6 Controller Access to All 16 Drive Loops

Figure 7 shows that when you attach drive modules to the Sun Storage 6580/6780 controller module,

you must use a drive loop from each controller. As noted, the loop switch implementation provides each controller with access to all 16 drive loops. In the event that a controller is lost, the surviving controller can reach each drive module.

(31)

Cabling

Figure 8, Figure 9, and Figure 10 show cabling for configurations of the Sun Storage 6580/6780

controller module using four, eight, and 16 drive modules.

(32)

(33)

(34)

\ Oracle RMAN Disk-to-Disk Backup Methods Using Sun Storage Array

July 2010 Oracle Corporation World Headquarters 500 Oracle Parkway Redwood Shores, CA 94065 U.S.A. Worldwide Inquiries:

Copyright © 2010, Oracle and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. This document is provided for information purposes only and the contents hereof are subject to change without notice. This document is not warranted to be error-free, nor subject to any other warranties or conditions, whether expressed orally or implied in law, including implied warranties and conditions of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. We specifically disclaim any liability with respect to this document and no contractual obligations are formed either directly or indirectly by this document. This document may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, for any purpose, without our prior written permission.

Oracle and Java are registered trademarks of Oracle and/or its affiliates. Other names may be trademarks of their respective owners.

(35)