Third-Party Cluster Management Support

As an alternative to regular raw devices or the new Automatic Storage Management feature, Oracle 10g also supports third-party cluster file–management software in a RAC environment. Third-party cluster-file management, referred to as “Cluster File System” (CFS), provides a shared environment where node members within a predefined cluster can access the same files. Third-party CFS not only supports the Oracle-specific files that are supported on ASM, but also supports the file types that are not supported by ASM, such as ORACLE_HOME and ORACLE_BASE files, CRS voting and OCR files, and any other relevant files needed to support your application.

Currently with Oracle 10g, only certified third-party cluster-management software may be used to support RAC. You can find a complete certification matrix of all certified platforms and third-party CFS providers by accessing MetaLink Note #184875.1, “How to Check the Certification Matrix for RAC,” or via OTN at http://www.oracle.com/technology/support/metalink/index.html. If you click View Certifications by Product and then click Real Application Clusters, you can choose whatever platform you wish. Unlike ASM, customers who choose to use third-party cluster support must also purchase separate software licenses, additional to any Oracle licenses already purchased.