From the customers I’ve seen or directly heard of from the people working with them, the funny thing is that there just isn’t a need for them to go to lots and lots of nodes. Most customers seem to reach their scalability and/or availability requirements without going to vast numbers of nodes. They’re often around 5 or 6 and that’s enough.

Having said that, that’s certainly not to say that it can’t be done. I know of a 63 node cluster built at a supercomputer centre down here in Oz, just to prove it could scale across that number of nodes. And there was a 128 node cluster built for OracleWorld in Japan some time back (last year?).

I make no comment at all on the value of ***ANY*** company’s marketing department. ;)

Pete

"Controlling developers is like herding cats."

Kevin Loney, Oracle DBA Handbook

"Oh no, it's not. It's much harder than that!"

Bruce Pihlamae, long-term Oracle DBA

From: oracle-l-bounce@freelists.org [mailto:oracle-l-bounce@freelists.org] On Behalf Of John Smiley
Sent: Tuesday, 21 June 2005 9:45 AM
To: cmarquez@collegeboard.org
Cc: oracle-l@freelists.org
Subject: Re: 64 node Oracle RAC Cluster (The reality of...)

To quote my favorite TV show, "The truth is out there". Just don't look for it in their documentation or marketing.

Although RAC is not all that it could be, there are quite a few who use it to good advantage. The biggest production RAC environment that I know of (in terms of nodes in the cluster) is 48 - currently supported by some of the most talented DBAs on the planet at a well known online retailer.

John Smiley

Technical Management Consultant

TUSC, Inc.

On 6/20/05, Marquez, Chris <cmarquez@collegeboard.org> wrote:

===========
http://www.oracle.com/webapps/dialogue/dlgpage.jsp?p_dlg_id=4070697&src=4050521&Act=5

Oracle – Sun Grid Computing

While IBM's fastest computer costs you $5,041,771, for a Grid of 64 Sun Opteron Servers you spend only $504,567.

You can adopt Grid technologies with minimal investment, zero disruption, and fast ROI, starting with three steps:

    * Standardize on low–cost, modular servers and storage with Sun Grid Rack Systems.
    * Consolidate distributed servers and storage with Oracle Database and Real Application Clusters.
    * Automate server and database with easy-to-use management software from Sun and Oracle.

Of course, you need to be willing to spend less.
===========

I have never put my hands on >2 node Oracle OPS-RAC Cluster.
I have only heard of a few *real world* production 4 node Oracle RAC Clusters.

I can't really imagine the *true* reality, simplicity and power of 64 node RAC cluster.

Maybe I just not a forward thinker....but I think this would be a big pain.

Man...I love Oracle more just as much as anyone, but they need to put a cooler on their marketing dept.
Sad thing is that those who love and know Oracle most, are most cynical about their advertisements!
:o|

Was talking to some co-DBA's today...one DBA said a funny thing;
The only "silver bullet" Oracle has, is their User Manuals!"

The more you read...the more you know...and the less you believe...

Chris Marquez
Oracle DBA