Oracle’s parallel features fall into two broad categories: parallel execution and parallel server. Table 2.1 shows which parallel features are available under each combination of hardware and software architecture that Oracle supports. Oracle’s parallel processing features are available on all parallel hardware architectures. Table 2.1 provides examples of specific hardware architectures in each type. Oracle runs under many operating systems, including Windows NT, Alpha VMS, and variations of Unix.
Table 2-1. Availability of Oracle’s Parallel Processing Features on Different Hardware Architectures
|
Hardware/Software Architecture |
Oracle Parallel Server? |
Parallel Execution? |
Vendor Platform Examples |
|---|---|---|---|
|
SMP/shared everything |
No |
Yes |
IBM RS/6000 Sun Enterprise 4500 SGI Origin 2000 HP 9000 Windows NT |
|
Cluster/shared disk |
Yes |
Yes |
HP 9000 S800 Cluster IBM RS/6000 HACMP Cluster Sun Ultra Enterprise PDB Cluster Pentium-based NT Clusters |
|
MPP/shared disk |
Yes |
Yes |
IBM RS/6000 SP Siemens MPP RM1000 |
|
NUMA /shared everything |
No |
Yes |
IBM NUMA-Q |
|
NUMA cluster/shared disk |
Yes |
Yes |
IBM NUMA-Q Cluster |
Oracle Parallel Server (OPS) requires either a clustered system or an MPP system, because it uses a shared disk configuration. OPS is available for several Unix-based clusters and MPP systems. It also is available for Windows NT clusters. In addition, OPS runs on NUMA clusters such as IBM’s NUMA-Q. All major vendors, including Sun Microsystems, IBM, and HP, have platforms for which OPS is available.
Oracle’s parallel execution features are available on all types of parallel hardware architectures. Parallel execution works on both shared everything and shared disk software architectures. SMP and NUMA systems easily support parallel execution with their multiple processors. On MPP and clustered systems, any nodes that are themselves SMP systems also can take advantage of parallel execution. Chapter 13, discusses the details of parallel execution in an OPS environment.