Re: Using RAC for 25+ small to medium sized database

englishguy2006_at_gmail.com wrote:
> Hi, I'm working in a very large company where changing the name of a
> database is something that takes months of planning and in some cases
> is just not possible. All I have to work with is the very fixed
> requirement that the databases remain completely as they are. So from
> that respect I have decided that I can't change that. Given that
> situation I then need to come up with a suggestion for the RAC or
> VMware options. We'll probably end up trying both in a POC but I need
> to try and get some ideas. Ideally if anyone out there has had them
> same problem then I'd like to hear feedback from them. thanks,

This sounds like a really bad idea from start to finish.

1. I would never use VMWare as I doubt Oracle would support what you are doing in production and to test in anything other than a replicant of the production environment is not significantly better than not testing at all.
2. With respect to name changes ... database names are irrelevant. Let people use the same name in their TNSNAMES.ORA and the database/ service names can be anything you want: They are invisible.
3. Blades are a waste of money until such time as there is an industry standard. One vendors has changed their blade specification three times in five or so years. Buy blades now and you will have zero confidence of getting compatible hardware a few years down the road.

My recommendation would be to have your company management read Oracle's RAC message until they get it. Build systems from inexpensive commodity hardware.

-- 
Daniel A. Morgan
http://www.psoug.org
damorgan_at_x.washington.edu
(replace x with u to respond)