Home > Workload Solutions > Oracle > White Papers > Accelerate Oracle Databases and Maximize Your Investment > Conclusion
PowerEdge systems designed by Dell engineers are compatible for almost all Oracle databases and enable initiatives like datacenter consolidation. This white paper discusses factors that influence PowerEdge server configuration for Oracle databases and similar workloads. The number of cores, processor frequencies, and CPU caches determine how the database will perform. The type of server memory and the amount of memory also are key factors that impact performance and consolidation.
The three scenarios presented in this document show how PowerEdge design choices can impact the server. The first scenario described a two-tier architecture consisting of a database server and an application server. A range of CPUs were presented for the database server to show how parallel processing power influences performance. We recommend sizing a database server so that both average CPU utilization and peak utilization workloads can be supported. Maximum frequency can also provide the means to accelerate job completion during peak workload times.
The application server in the second scenario might have to support single-threaded jobs, meaning base and maximum CPU frequencies could play an equally important role as the number of cores. The workload on the application server of the three CPUs were reviewed to show possible configurations. With the PowerEdge R750, customers can strike a balance between parallel processing and high frequency CPUs to match their application workloads.
The benefits of database consolidation include fewer servers, standardization, and less infrastructure management. The R750 server with the IntelÒ XeonÒ Platinum processors can support medium to large database consolidations. With the Platinum 8360 in both sockets of the server a total of 80 physical cores and 160 virtual cores are available to consolidate databases. As LRDIMMs support 8 TB of maximum capacity on the server this memory type is recommended for large R750 configurations.
The third and final scenario included the R940 server with four sockets. This provides businesses the capability to support very large databases and more databases per servers for consolidation. With the Platinum 8280L processors, 112 physical processors, and 224 virtual processors are available if all the sockets are populated. When a parallelism for very large workloads is the primary deciding factor then the R940 is highly recommended.
Across all these configuration scenarios are best practices. With best practices each of the PowerEdge designs reviewed can be optimize for greater performance, security, and reliability. Table 5 provides a list of validated best practices published on the Dell Technologies Info Hub. These best practices are a part of the validation work to optimize every design. We recommend reviewing Day 1 best practices to plan your server configuration, as those best practices offer the greatest return on performance. Follow these recommendations with Day 2 and Day 3 best practices.
Next steps include collaborating with your Dell representative and a Dell Oracle specialist. All the Oracle specialists at Dell Technologies have many years of experience designing Oracle solutions on Dell infrastructure. Their expertise can help your business determine the optimal configuration for your databases.