Re: oracle grid

From: Daniel Morgan <damorgan_at_x.washington.edu>
Date: Mon, 20 Sep 2004 08:19:47 -0700
Message-ID: <1095693660.122407@yasure>

Howard J. Rogers wrote:

> Daniel Morgan <damorgan_at_x.washington.edu> wrote in message news:<1095614851.629349_at_yasure>...
>

>>Noons wrote:
>>
>>
>>>Daniel Morgan <damorgan_at_x.washington.edu> wrote in message news:<1095458876.315376_at_yasure>...
>>>
>>>
>>>>There is no relationship in the Oracle world between RAC and GRID. You
>>>>can have RAC without GRID, GRID without RAC, both or neither.
>>>
>>>
>>>I wonder then why Oracle includes RAC as part of their grid
>>>infrastructure?
>>
>>Because Oracle's sales and marketing team has either:
>>
>>A. A very confused idea of what they are selling
>>or
>>B. A very confused message creating end-user confusion
>>or
>>C. Both

>
>
> I'm going to simultaneously agree and disagree with you Daniel!
>
> You *can't* have a Grid without a RAC (so Noons is right).

To the best of my knowledge that is not correct. You can use the Grid control without RAC.

Consider this:
http://download-west.oracle.com/docs/cd/B14117_01/server.101/b10743/intro.htm#sthref14

Because some of the key goals of a grid are to provide high availability, scalability, and service performance optimization with minimal costs and complexity, an integrated approach to grid management is necessary. These tools and features include:

Grid Management with Oracle Enterprise Manager. Enterprise Manager provides a simplified, centralized management framework for managing enterprise resources and analyzing a grid's performance. With Enterprise Manager, administrators can manage the grid environment through a Web browser throughout the system lifecycle, front to back, from any location on the network. With Oracle Database, this includes integrated management and monitoring of RAC databases as well as standby Data Guard systems, for failover or switchover scenarios.

Note that it says "this includes integrated management and monitoring of RAC databases. Grid does not require RAC.

For the
> simple reason that, without RAC, as an end-user, I would know what
> server I was connected to (ie, I would *have* to know), whereas the
> essence of Grid-ness is neither to know nor care. And for that, I need
> a choice of instances running on a plethora of servers.

You are technically correct in the sense that you are talking about a generic grid whereas I am referring specifically to Oracle's implementation of software known as the Grid Control.

> Pursuing the grid industry's favourite analogy: if there was only one
> power station in the country, and a cable running directly from it to
> your house, that wouldn't be a power grid.

Once again generically correct but since when has Oracle, or any other software house, used industry standard terminology in their marketing and P/R materials?

> But you are right too, because there is actually no such thing as "the
> Grid", just degrees of grid-ness. So, yes, I *could* indeed have a
> grid without RAC: it's just that it wouldn't be a very griddy grid. On
> a spectrum of transparency and ubiquity, a RAC-less grid is neither
> very transparent nor particularly ubiquitous.
>
> Hence Oracle doesn't say you *have* to have RAC for a Grid (at least,
> I hope not!), merely that RAC is a core grid technology.
>
> It's called having your cake and eating a hearty breakfast, too.
>
> Regards
> HJR
And Larry can buy a new boat and Mark can travel back and for to Oz from time-to-time. Sounds like a win-win.

-- 
Daniel A. Morgan
University of Washington
damorgan_at_x.washington.edu
(replace 'x' with 'u' to respond)

Received on Mon Sep 20 2004 - 10:19:47 CDT