Introduction

This paper studies the Oracle Cluster File System Release 2 (OCFS2) for Linux® on IBM® System z®, based on an implementation of OCFS2 in a test lab environment, for a clustered database.

The name 'OCFS2 study' is used in place of the full name 'OCFS2 Version 1.2 shared file system for Linux on IBM System z' for the remainder of this document.1

Novell SUSE Linux Enterprise Server (SLES) 10 SP1 on an IBM System z10™ is used. The intent is to provide insight for an enterprise customer who is considering using the OCFS2 shared file system in an IBM System z environment. The following IBM System z features are discussed, in terms of how they relate to OCFS2:
  • Servers in LPARs
  • HiperSockets™ connections
  • Disk storage on large external storage units

This paper is organized into these sections:

1 This paper is intended to provide information regarding OCFS2. It discusses findings based on configurations that were created and tested under laboratory conditions. These findings may not be realized in all customer environments, and implementation in such environments may require additional steps, configurations, and performance analysis. The information herein is provided “AS IS“ with no warranties, express or implied. This information does not constitute a specification or form part of the warranty for any IBM products.