Oracle Exalogic – Comprehensive Guide

Introduction

Oracle Exalogic is an integrated hardware and software system designed to provide a complete platform for a wide range of application types and workloads, enabling you to streamline operations, increase productivity, and reduce costs.

• Integrated System: Oracle Exalogic combines compute, networking, and storage hardware with virtualization, operating system, and management software into a single system.
• Optimized Performance: Oracle applications, middleware, and databases are engineered to run faster and more efficiently on Exalogic, but it can also run other workloads and applications.
• Cloud-Ready: Exalogic is an ideal foundation for private cloud, supporting many applications with differing security, reliability, and performance requirements.

Understanding Oracle Exalogic

Oracle Exalogic is an Engineered System on which you can deploy various applications, middleware, and databases.

It combines hardware and software to provide a high-performance, highly reliable platform for Oracle and non-Oracle workloads.

The hardware components of an Exalogic system include servers, storage devices, and networking components. The software comprises the operating system, virtualization software, and management software. Together, these components provide a platform optimized for running various applications and workloads.

Oracle Exalogic is designed to provide the following:

• Superior Performance: Oracle Exalogic is engineered from the ground up to provide high performance for all workloads. It uses a combination of powerful hardware, intelligent software, and optimizations for Oracle applications to deliver unmatched performance.
• Simplified Management: With Oracle Exalogic, you can manage your entire application infrastructure from a single console. This simplifies operations and reduces the risk of errors.
• High Availability and Reliability: Oracle Exalogic is designed for high availability and reliability. It includes redundant hardware components, automatic failover features, and data protection and recovery features.
• Scalability: Adding more nodes can quickly scale out your Oracle Exalogic system. This allows you to increase capacity and performance without disrupting your applications.
• Cost Savings: By consolidating your applications onto Oracle Exalogic, you can reduce the cost of your IT infrastructure. You can also reduce operational costs by automating routine management tasks.

Oracle Exalogic: Technical Specifications

Oracle Exalogic comes in several configurations, each designed to meet the needs of different workloads.

Here are the technical specifications for some of the most common configurations:

• Exalogic Elastic Cloud X6-2: This configuration includes two 22-core Intel Xeon processors, 256 GB of memory, and 1.6 TB of flash storage per compute node. It also includes 40 Gb/sec InfiniBand connectivity for high-speed networking.
• Exalogic Elastic Cloud X5-2: This configuration includes two 18-core Intel Xeon processors, 256 GB of memory, and 1.6 TB of flash storage per compute node. It also includes 40 Gb/sec InfiniBand connectivity for high-speed networking.
• Exalogic Elastic Cloud X4-2: This configuration includes two 12-core Intel Xeon processors, 256 GB of memory, and 1.6 TB of flash storage per compute node. It also includes 40 Gb/sec InfiniBand connectivity for high-speed networking.

Each of these configurations can be scaled out by adding more compute nodes, allowing you to increase capacity and performance as your needs grow.

Planning for Migration to Oracle Exalogic

When planning for migration to Oracle Exalogic, it’s important to consider the following steps:

1. Detailed Migration Plans: Create detailed migration plans that outline each step of the migration process. This should include application architecture and configuration, platform migration, and application deployment.
2. Detailed Test Plans: Develop comprehensive test plans to validate the success of your migration. This should include performance testing and tuning.
3. Production Governance and Cut-over Plans: Prepare for the transition to production by creating governance and cut-over plans. This will help ensure a smooth transition and minimize potential issues.
4. Post-Implementation Support: After the production implementation, it’s beneficial to have Oracle experts on-site to address any issues. They can assist your team as they familiarize themselves with changes to system management and operational procedures.

Oracle Exalogic Pricing Guide

The pricing for Oracle Exalogic can vary depending on the specific configuration and options you choose.

Here’s a breakdown of the pricing for some of the key components and services:

Database Machine Base Configurations

• Exalogic Elastic Cloud Software: The software license costs $10,000 per processor or $400 per named user plus. The annual software update license and support fee is $2,200 per processor or $88 per named user plus.

Database Machine Upgrades

• Exalogic System Installation and Software Configuration Services: The pricing for these services can vary.

Exalogic Storage Server Software and Costs

• Exalogic Elastic Cloud Software: The software license costs $10,000 per processor or $400 per named user plus. The annual software update license and support fee is $2,200 per processor or $88 per named user plus.

Please note that these prices are subject to change and may vary depending on your needs and requirements.

Please refer to the Oracle Price List for the most accurate and up-to-date pricing information.

Building Your Exalogic Configuration

When building your Exalogic configuration, there are several factors to consider. These include the specific hardware and software components you need, the size of your workloads, and your performance requirements.

Here’s a step-by-step guide to building your Exalogic configuration:

1. Choose Your Base Configuration: Choose the base configuration that best meets your needs. This will depend on the size and nature of your workload. For example, if you have large, compute-intensive workloads, you might choose the Exalogic Elastic Cloud X6-2 configuration, which includes two 22-core Intel Xeon processors per compute node.
2. Add Additional Components: Once you’ve chosen your base configuration, you can add additional components as needed. This might include additional compute nodes, storage devices, or networking components.
3. Choose Your Software: Next, choose the software you need. This will include the Exalogic Elastic Cloud Software, which provides your system’s operating system, virtualization software, and management software.
4. Calculate Your Costs: Once you’ve chosen your hardware and software, you can calculate your costs. This will include the cost of the hardware and software, as well as any additional services you need, such as installation and configuration services.
5. Consider Ongoing Costs: Finally, don’t forget to consider ongoing costs. This will include an annual software update license, support fees, and any maintenance or support services you need.

Remember, the specific costs will depend on your specific configuration and requirements.

Please refer to the Oracle Price List for the most accurate pricing information.

Best Practices for Implementing Oracle Exalogic

Oracle Exalogic is a robust platform that can significantly enhance your technical infrastructure. However, implementing best practices is crucial to leverage its capabilities fully.

Here are some key points to consider:

1. Pre-installation Planning: Before implementing Oracle Exalogic, it’s essential to have a clear plan. This includes understanding how to consolidate Java applications, optimize performance techniques, and improve your Quality of Service.
2. Knowledge Transfer: Ensure that there is a robust knowledge transfer process from Oracle experts to your team. This will help your team understand how to deploy best and use Oracle Exalogic Elastic Cloud.
3. Best Practice Deployment: Implement Oracle Exalogic using best practice deployment considerations. This will help you realize immediate hardware and software benefits through consolidation, leveraging integrated technologies such as Oracle WebLogic Suite 11g, Oracle Coherence, and JRockit.
4. Application Architecture and Configuration: Your team should be assisted throughout the process, from application architecture, through conversion and migration, to production cut-over. This will ensure a smooth transition while helping your staff become familiar with Oracle Exalogic Elastic Cloud and industry best practices for production activities.
5. Security, Backup, and Recovery: Implement security measures, backup and recovery plans, and monitoring configurations to ensure the safety and reliability of your system.
6. Performance Testing and Tuning: Regularly test and tune your system’s performance to ensure optimal operation.
7. Operational Governance and User Adoption: Prepare for the transition to production by setting up operational governance and facilitating user adoption.

Frequently Asked Questions About Oracle Exalogic

Oracle Exalogic Release History

Oracle Corporation announced Exalogic at the Oracle OpenWorld conference in San Francisco in September 2010. The company presented it as a continuation of the Oracle-engineered systems product-line, which started in 2008 with Exadata (preconfigured database cluster).

Exalogic is a factory-assembled 19-inch rack of 42 rack units, completed with servers and network equipment. There are four configurations, at different prices, depending on what fills the rack. The full rack weighs about 1 ton (more than 2000 lbs), and a quarter rack weighs half as much.

The hardware component of the X2-2 appliance consisted of a group of 1-unit Intel Xeon servers, each equipped with two six-core 2.93 GHz processors and two solid-state drives for the operating system and swap space; a common storage area network; and a set of InfiniBand and Ethernet switches.

An X3-2 model was announced in 2012 with newer processors and more memory. Since late 2013 an X4-2 model has been commercially available; it has yet more processor cores and four times as large a capacity of solid-state drives.

The latest version of Exalogic computes nodes has two Intel E5-2699v3 2.3 GHz Xeon (18-core) processors and eight 32 GB DDR4 2133 MHz RAM for 256 GB per node: two 400 GB SSDs (RAID1) and redundant power supplies.

Use Cases for Oracle Exalogic

Oracle Exalogic is deployed by various organizations across various sectors, demonstrating its versatility and adaptability to workloads and application types.

Here are a few real-life examples:

• University of Melbourne: The University of Melbourne uses Oracle Exalogic to support its various academic and administrative applications. The system’s high performance and scalability make it ideal for the university’s diverse and demanding workloads.
• Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the United States: The FDA uses Oracle Exalogic to manage its vast amounts of data and complex workloads. The system’s high performance and reliability ensure that the FDA can effectively carry out its mission to protect public health.
• Amway: Amway, a global leader in health and beauty products, uses Oracle Exalogic to support its e-commerce platform. The system’s high performance and scalability enable Amway to provide a seamless and responsive shopping experience for its customers worldwide.
• Hyundai Motor Group: Hyundai Motor Group uses Oracle Exalogic to manage its complex and demanding automotive design and manufacturing workloads. The system’s high performance and reliability help Hyundai maintain its position as a global leader in the automotive industry.
• Bank of Chile: The Bank of Chile uses Oracle Exalogic to support its core banking applications. The system’s high performance and reliability ensure that the bank can provide secure and efficient services to its customers.
• Haier: Haier, a global leader in consumer electronics and home appliances, uses Oracle Exalogic to support its e-commerce platform. The system’s high performance and scalability enable Haier to provide a seamless and responsive shopping experience for its customers worldwide.
• Deutsche Post DHL: Deutsche Post DHL, the world’s leading mail and logistics company, uses Oracle Exalogic to manage its complex logistics and delivery workloads. The system’s high performance and reliability ensure that DHL can deliver packages quickly and efficiently to customers worldwide.
• Public Authority of Minors Affairs (PAMA) in Kuwait: PAMA uses Oracle Exalogic to manage its various administrative and service applications. The system’s high performance and reliability ensure that PAMA can effectively carry out its mission to protect and care for minors in Kuwait.

Oracle Exalogic vs PCA (Oracle Private Cloud Appliance): Understanding the Difference

Oracle Exalogic and Oracle Private Cloud Appliance (PCA) are engineered systems offered by Oracle, designed to provide high performance for different workloads. While they share some similarities, they serve other purposes and are optimized for different types of applications.

Oracle Exalogic is an engineered system designed to provide high performance for Oracle middleware using custom Java EE applications, Oracle Applications, and similar enterprise-level applications. It’s a prepackaged hardware plus software solution designed to be managed and monitored as a single stack.

Oracle Private Cloud Appliance (PCA) is an Oracle-engineered system for implementing the application and middleware tiers. It provides the operational benefits of public cloud deployments to customers who prefer or require an on-premises solution. PCA provides a private cloud infrastructure and architecture consistent with Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI). It also offers APIs and SDKs compatible with OCI to an on-premises implementation at rack scale, making workloads, user experience, tool sets, and skills portable between private and public clouds.

Here’s a comparison table to illustrate the differences:

In conclusion, while both Oracle Exalogic and Oracle PCA are engineered systems that provide pretested and preconfigured standardized sets of hardware, smart storage, and network and software components, they are designed for different purposes.

Exalogic is optimized for the high performance of Oracle middleware and similar enterprise-level applications. At the same time, PCA is designed for implementing the application and middleware tiers with the operational benefits of public cloud deployments.

Choosing Between Oracle Exalogic and PCA

Choosing between Oracle Exalogic and Private Cloud Appliance (PCA) depends on your needs and circumstances. Both offer robust solutions for cloud computing, but they have different strengths.

Oracle Exalogic may be the better choice if your primary need is high-performance computing and Java application consolidation.

If you require a more flexible and customizable cloud solution, Oracle PCA might be more suitable. It’s always best to consult with an Oracle expert or representative to determine the best solution for your needs.

Oracle Exadata vs Oracle Exalogic: Understanding the Difference

Oracle Exadata and Oracle Exalogic are engineered systems offered by Oracle, designed to provide high performance for different workloads.

While they share some similarities, they serve other purposes and are optimized for different types of applications.

Oracle Exadata is strictly a data processing solution. Initially conceived and promoted as a solution for mainly extensive data warehouse data load processing.

Oracle now boldly proclaims that Exadata is also suitable for high-concurrency OLTP applications. It comes with its own prepackaged Linux-based Oracle database. Exadata is a prepackaged box consisting of the Oracle Exadata Storage Server software, Oracle Database 11g software, Sun branded hardware (RAM and CPUs), and Infiniband network technology software.

On the other hand, Oracle Exalogic (Oracle Exadata Elastic Cloud) is an engineered system designed to provide high performance for Oracle middleware using custom Java EE applications, Oracle Applications, and similar enterprise-level applications. It’s also a prepackaged hardware plus software solution designed to be managed and monitored as a single stack.

In conclusion, while Oracle Exadata and Oracle Exalogic are engineered systems that provide pretested and preconfigured standardized sets of hardware, smart storage, and network and software components, they are designed for different purposes.

Exadata is optimized for data processing, while Exalogic is designed for the high performance of Oracle middleware and similar enterprise-level applications.