Network setup

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This section lists the network setup of the Oracle RAC study.

The network setup uses these features:
  • For the private Interconnect between the Oracle RAC nodes
    • HiperSockets™
    • 10 Gb Ethernet
    • 1 Gb Ethernet
  • For the LAN connection to the workload generating client
    • 1 Gb Ethernet
  • Oracle RAC requirement for external range IP address for public IP addresses
  • Networking Switch with VLANs and a private LAN, in order to isolate I/O traffic
Each Oracle RAC node uses three IP Addresses and host names on two separated network interfaces, as described in Table 1.
Table 1. IP addresses and host names for the network interface
IP interface Function Network interface Network hardware
db-noden External Ethernet access eth0 One OSA Express® 1 Gb Ethernet
db-nodenvip Access for clients eth0:1 alias to eth0
db-nodenpriv Interconnect hsi0 HiperSockets or OSA Express 10 Gb Ethernet
Note: n = 1, 2, … corresponds to the node number
Figure 1 illustrates the network connection.
Figure 1. Network connections used in the Oracle RAC study
Diagram of the network connections used in the Oracle RAC study. At the top is a DS8000 storage system with RAC-wide shared disks. The DS8000 is connected to two IBM System z10 LPARs. Each LPAR has 8 FICON ports and runs Oracle 10g CRS SLES 10 SP1. The two LPARs are connected together with a HiperSockets 10 Gb OSA. Each LPAR has also a 1 Gb OSA connection with two IP interfaces. Both LPARs are connected to a Network switch. On the other side of the Network switch is an IBM System x running Linux, with a 1 Gb OSA network.

HiperSockets

HiperSockets are a high speed and high-bandwidth I/O function on IBM® System z® that communicates between Logical Partitions (LPARs) inside a central processor complex (CPC). HiperSockets are configured as a standard Linux™ network device, providing point to point connectivity.

10 Gb OSA setup

When the 10 Gb OSA card was used as the interconnect for the Oracle Cache Fusion function, it was connected from one OSA port to the other with a cable attached directly between the two channel adapters, and without a switch in the middle. This setup enables the use of a 10 Gb network environment as a point to point connection without the requirement of a 10 Gb LAN infrastructure. The use of both ports (instead of a shared port) closely resembles a configuration of a 10 Gb cabled connection between two central processor complexes (CPCs).

1 Gb OSA setup

For this setup the standard LAN infrastructure was used.