Re: Digital Unix Advfs

edmundov_at_epcc.edu wrote:
> I have a question regarding Digital's Advanced File System
> and Oracle. This is our setup:
 

> DEC 4000/300 Alpha running Digital Unix v4.0b
> Oracle Release 7.3.3
 

> We are going to install Oracle on the DEC system and
> we have a choice on using UFS (Unix File System) or
> Advfs (Advanced File System). Oracle said there won't
> be a problem with using Advfs, but has anybody out there
> encountered any problems with installing using Advfs or
> any other problems we should look out for. I am not a
> Unix expert so any advice would be helpful.
 

> Thanks...
 

> Edmundo Vasquez
> El Paso Community College
> edmundov_at_nmail.epcc.edu

Edmundo,

   We have used Advfs with Oracle 7.3 for close to two years. It has some definite advantages to ufs file systems. Among these are:

• Advfs can recover from a crash incredibly faster than ufs because ufs has to scan the entire filesystem during recovery.
• We use the feature called 'cloning a fileset' with Advfs to perform a kind of 'COLD' backup EVEN WHILE THE DATABASE IS UP AND RUNNING. The way this works is to have a procedure which shuts-down the database for the 'cloning' to take place (about 5 minutes), then bring it back up, then make copies to tape of the clones. Advfs actually uses the original blocks of data for reference until a block is changed by Oracle or some other application. When a block is changed, it copies the original block from the normal fileset to the clone and uses that as the reference copy when your backup asks for that block. It is really cool :-)

Our configuration right now is:

   AlphaServer 8200
   Digital Unix 3.2d
   Oracle 7.3.2.3
   150 Gigabytes Diskspace

-Doug Anderson
Oracle Database Administrator
doug.anderson_at_NDCorp.com Received on Fri Oct 03 1997 - 00:00:00 CDT