1. Best Practices for Oracle Database 10g RAC on Microsoft 64bit Windows
Anu Chawla
Program Manager – Oracle Alliance
Philip Newlan
Principal Product Manager - RAC

2. <Insert Picture Here>
Microsoft / Oracle
Relationship

3. Commitment to Windows
Oracle7 was the first database to ship on Windows
in 1994
Windows Server is a base development platform for Oracle
Windows Server is Tier 1
fully supported platform for Oracle
Focused Engineering and Product management groups for Windows-specific integration projects
Supported both 32-bit and 64-bit Windows Server 2003 on day of O/S release

4. Partnership Oracle sponsors Microsoft events
(TechEd 2004, 2005, 2006)
Microsoft sponsors Oracle events
OracleWorld, UKOUG 2006,2007
Oracle RAC Training Sessions at MS Redmond campus
Demos in the ETC
Communication channels open at various levels in the organizations
Joint support contacts for customer escalations
How we jointly solve problems
Conference calls, briefings, etc.

5. Register at Microsoft Oracle Customer Information Center: www
Register at Microsoft Oracle Customer Information Center:
Best Practices on running Oracle on Windows Server
Replay and Presentations of Oracle RAC on Windows Server Workshop
Invitations to Global Technical Workshops hosted by Microsoft and Oracle
Certification information for Oracle Applications and technology on Microsoft Platform

6. Oracle on Windows Widely Deployed
Oracle Revenues by OS for new license sales
Other 2%
Unix 49%
Windows 29%
Linux 20%
Source: Gartner Research –
May 2005 ID G

7. State Of The Market? Microsoft Momentum Linux Growth Slows
Windows Growth at x86 Pace
VAP/VAR Preference Improves
Industry Trends
Continuum of non-commercial software to commercial integration
Broad interoperability movement
Competing at the workload level Windows #1 platform for UNIX migrations
44% Windows versus 37% Linux
Virtualization and consolidation

8. State Of The Market? Microsoft Momentum Linux Growth Slows
Windows Growth at x86 Pace
VAP/VAR Preference Improves
Industry Trends
Continuum of non-commercial software to commercial integration
Broad interoperability movement
Competing at the workload level Windows #1 platform for UNIX migrations
44% Windows versus 37% Linux
Virtualization and consolidation

10. Load Test Windows 2003 v Red Hat 4.0 (64 bit)
RAC Stress Test ( users)
Transactions Per Minute were up to 16% higher for MS Windows for users.
The response times for the “Order Products” test component were up to 50% faster for MS Windows than Linux, and the response times for the “Order Products” component increased substantially above 150 users.
At 250 users, Linux performed over 30% of sorts on disk instead of sorts in memory.
For all of these tests, Linux used 17% - 40% more memory than MS Windows Server.
RAC User Load Tests (2500 – 4500 users)
At 3500 users, the Transactions Per Minute for MS Windows were 18% higher than the Linux Transactions Per Minute.
At 4000 users, MS Windows Server TPM continued to increase while the Linux test failed to complete.
At 2500 users, component response times were 9% - 33% faster for MS Windows Server; while at 3500 users Windows was faster by a wide margin.
For all of these tests, Linux used 5% - 25% more memory than MS Windows Server.

11. Supported 32-bit Architectures
For 32-bit x86 systems
Well-suited for mainstream deployments where 64-bit applications or drivers are unavailable
Most common on servers with 1-4 processors

12. Supported 64-bit Architectures
Intended for the most demanding Database and LOB deployments on 8-way+
Designed for pure 64-bit software stacks
Gradually replaces 32-bit Windows as mainstream offering
Suitable for all workloads
Well-suited for combining 32-bit and 64-bit software

13. 32 bit Vs 64bit Memory Limits
General Memory Limits
32-bit
64-bit
Total Virtual Address Space
4 GB
16 TB
Virtual Address Space per 32-bit process
2GB (3 GB if system
is booted with /3gb switch)
4GB if compiled with /LARGEADDRESSAWARE 2GB otherwise
Virtual Address Space per 64-bit process
Not applicable
8 TB
Paged Pool
470 MB
128 GB
Non-Paged Pool
256 MB
System Cache
1 GB
1 TB
Physical Memory and CPU Limits1
Windows XP Professional
4 GB / 1-2 CPUs
32 GB / 1-2 CPUs
Windows Server 2003 Standard Edition
4 GB / 1-4 CPUs
32 GB / 1-4 CPUs
Windows Server 2003 Enterprise Edition
64 GB / 1-8 CPUs
1 TB / 1-8 CPUs
Windows Server 2003 Datacenter Edition
64 GB / 1-32 CPUs
1 TB / 1-64 CPUs
Product names listed are for general reference only and do not reflect actual product names. 64-bit
Windows Server Standard Edition will be available for x64 only.

14. Architecture – Thread and Memory Model 32bit Windows
SGA contains
db buffers,
log buffers
shared pool,
other memory
allocations
Oracle process
SGA
2GB
Each thread
consists of
PGA, stack,
other memory
allocations
Background and foreground threads
Code

15. Architecture – Thread and Memory Model 64bit Windows
SGA contains
db buffers,
log buffers
shared pool,
other memory
allocations
Oracle process
SGA
8TB
Each thread
consists of
PGA, stack,
other memory
allocations
Background and foreground threads
Code

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Oracle Support for MS Windows

17. Windows 32-bit Platform SupportOS
9iR2
10gR1
10gR2
Windows 2000
Yes
Windows XP Professional
Windows Server 2003

18. Windows 64-bit Platform SupportOS
9iR2
10gR1
10gR2
64-bit Windows Server 2003 for Itanium (64-bit DB)
Yes
64-bit Windows XP & Windows Server 2003 on x (64-bit DB) No
Dev Release (May 04)
64-bit Windows XP & Windows Server 2003 on x (32-bit DB)
(client only)
32-bit Windows XP & Windows Server 2003 on x (32-bit DB)

19. Windows Vista Support Next Major Database Release 10gR2 32-bit support
64-bit support ( for x64 systems)
10gR2
Plan to certify and support 32-bit Client and Server
Latest Patchset plus possible patches – exact requirements will be documented when certification is completed and announced

20. <Insert Picture Here>
Oracle Architecture

21. Database Architecture Process and Memory
Thread model, not a straight port of Oracle’s process architecture
3GB (32-bit) or 8TB (64-bit) maximum memory per database instance. VLM support allows >3GB on 32-bit.
Runs as a Windows service process
No limits on memory, connections, resources except those imposed by the operating system
What does 8GB Process Address space give you ?
Connections
Datawarehousing improvements

22. Database Architecture File I/O
Oracle10g supports asynchronous I/O to all types of files
Logical and physical raw files and partitions are fully supported (faster than NTFS)
Full 64-bit file I/O internally
No 2GB or 4GB limitations on database file sizes.
Maximum file size is 64GB
Maximum database size is 4 petabytes

23. Dual Core and Hyperthreadingü
Dual Core support
Supported – Oracle uses the OS scheduler
All versions of Oracle are supported in Hyperthreaded environments.
Hyperthreading
Circuitry added to Intel CPUs resulting in single CPU functioning as 2 CPUs
Customer 10 node RAC
4 Dual cores with hyperthreading turned on
16 CPU’s visible in taskmanager on each of 10 nodes
32GB RAM per node TB database ?
Intel has nice tutorials at

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Best Practices for 64 bit Windows

25. Oracle on 64-bit Windows
Long history of supporting 64-bit databases on other platforms
Interoperability between 32-bit clients and 64-bit servers and vice versa
Improved performance, availability and scalability
Why do customers choose to migrate to 64bit Windows ?

26. 64-Bit Best Practices
Run correct 64-Bit version of Oracle for the architecture
64-Bit Oracle for X64 (AMD or EM64T)
64-Bit Oracle for Itanium.
32-Bit Oracle Server not supported on 64-Bit platforms
Enable Large Pages

27. ü New for Windows Server 2003 SP1 Large Page support
For instances with large memory requirements, large page support can improve performance
32 bit – 4kb default – 2MB max
64 bit – 8kb default – 2MB on x MB on IA64
NUMA support for memory/scheduling
Database intelligently allocates memory and schedules threads based on node configuration
Best Practice: For NUMA on AMD patch to a minimum P5 ü

28. 64-bit: Migration 32-bit to 64-bit upgrade process is simple
32-bit data files are compatible with 64-bit DB
No need to recreate the database
Full export and import not required
Database Upgrade Assistant automates process
Transparent migration for end-user applications
No changes required to existing client applications when running against 64-bit database

29. File System Best Practicesü
Use ASM – whether single-instance or RAC – use or higher
Provisioning storage when you need it… and save money
No need to move datafiles around
No need to take tablespaces offline
Allocate what you need, when you need it
Simple to add or remove
Add disks with no downtime
Save time and money
Check Listener log file: if the number of requests per second exceeds the queue-size values, increasing the queue-size recommended.
ASM Disk Group
% utilization
Ctrl file, redo log, data 1,…data n

30. Where do I locate my datafiles ?
10g Windows RAC tracked customers

31. <Insert Picture Here>
Management & Diagnostics tools

32. Grid Control

33. Out of the Box Database Control
No client install required
Fully functional after database creation
Discovery, Configuration & Monitoring
Listener
ASM
RAC database

34. Diagnostic Tools - Performance Monitor

35. Process Explorer

36. Tools OS Tools Oracle Tools diskpart poolmon memsnap
MS Tools
diskpart
poolmon
memsnap
tasklist, taskkill
tlist (with -c)
Driverquery - with /V
sc (sc query state= all)
Sysinternals
regmon, filemon, procexp, tcpview
Windows Services for Unix
Oracle Tools
srvctl
crsctl
ocrdump
crs_stat
cluvfy

37. CPU Tuning Oracle uses all processors available through the OS
ORACLE_AFFINITY registry value can be set to tell Oracle which threads to run on which processors (same setting for all instances)
Thread priorities can be set in the registry using the ORACLE_PRIORITY variable

38. CPU Tuning – Diagnosing High CPU
Process Explorer
drill down to threads
Get thread id of high CPU thread
Use following to map OS Thread Id to Oracle Background Process
SELECT a.spid, b.username
FROM v$process a, v$session b
WHERE a.addr= b.paddr
AND a.spid = <thread number>

39. Networking Best Practices
The default queue-size for Windows Server is 50 – increase using QUEUESIZE parameter in LISTENER.ORA – prevents errors during login storms
Use multiple listeners for increased throughput
Increase SDU_SIZE in SQLNET.ORA or TNSNAMES.ORA
Controls SQL*Net packet size
Set to larger SDU size for apps with bulk data transfer (LOBS, Dataguard etc). Perhaps 32k
Check Listener log file: if the number of requests per second exceeds the queue-size values, increasing the queue-size recommended.

40. Networking Best Practices
SQLNET.AUTHENTICATION_SERVICES=(NTS) This is a default value in SQLNET.ORA for a reason – it should be left at default. – Required for RAC
In 10.2.x, SQLNET.INBOUND_CONNECT_TIMEOUT defaults to 60 – this may need to be set to 0 in some situations ü
Check Listener log file: if the number of requests per second exceeds the queue-size values, increasing the queue-size recommended.

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Installation and Patching
Best Practices and Support’s Top Issues

42. Installation Pre-reqs
Hardware is set up correctly
Use the Cluster Verification Utility (CVU).
User Accounts
Remote Desktop Client.
Environment Variables
Networking
Disk Layout
Enable Automount
Stop ‘troublesome’ Services.
Time Sync

43. Install - Remote Desktop Client
If you must use the remote desktop client
Invoke the client with the /console command line parameter

44. Cluster Verification Utility - CVU
CVU checks and reports on varies configuration items at various steps during the install
Does not fix anything !
Get the latest version from OTN
- Right Hand Side - CVU
Two steps to run prior to starting install
runcluvfy stage -post hwos -n iwinrca01,iwinrca02
runcluvfy stage -pre crsinst -n iwinrca01,iwinrca02
Other steps as required

45. Cluster Verification Utility
User sets up the
Hardware,
network & storage
Sets up OCFS
( OPT )
Installs
Oracle Clusterware
RAC
Configures
RAC DB
-post hwos
-post cfs
-post crsinst
-pre crsinst
-pre dbinst
-pre dbcfg
-pre cfs
Main RAC install issues:
Configuration prereqs not in place. => CVU
Untested components and configurations => ref “Keep It Simple”
CVU Goals:
To verify if we have a well formed cluster for RAC installation, configuration, and operation
Full stack verification
Non-intrusive verification
Easy to use interface
Supports all RAC platforms / configurations - well-defined, uniform behaviour
CVU non-goals:
Does not perform any cluster or RAC operation
Does not take any corrective action following the failure of a verification task
Does not enter into areas of performance tuning or monitoring
Does not attempt to verify the internals of cluster database
Explain stages and components
BPs for using CVU
Use “stage” checks during installation of CRS and RAC.
To verify a particular component while the stack is running or to isolate a cluster subsystem for diagnosis, use appropriate component checks
The Cluster Verification Utility (CVU) verifies a wide range of cluster and RAC-specific components such as shared storage devices, networking configurations, system requirements, the Oracle Clusterware, groups, and users. You can use CVU for pre-installation checks as well as for post-installation checks of your cluster environment. You can also use CVU to verify your environment when performing administrative operations such as installation, storage management, node addition, and troubleshooting. The OUI runs CVU immediately after you successfully install the Oracle Clusterware.

46. Most Common Support Issues
Oracle can be installed (and patches applied) over a remote connection.
Try installing on the server console directly, to determine if the problem is with the remote connection utility.
Logging into Windows as a user account, with Admin privs, is not identical as to logging in as the Local Administrator account. If there are problems installing, try using the Local Administrator account.

47. Most Common Support Issues
Files in use errors:
Must stop ALL Oracle Services.
Stop the DTC (Distributed Transaction Coordinator) service.
Use Process Explorer to find the process using the Oracle files.
Problems running catpatch.sql or catcpu.sql:
Verify there are NO invalid objects in the Database, prior to applying a patch.
Verify the Shared_Pool_size and Java_Pool_Size are set to a minimum of 150MB each.
Don’t set ORACLE_HOME in environment – Oracle gets its environment via the Registry. Oracle.key file in OH\bin points to correct registry key.

48. Patching Best Practices
For existing installs, make plans to test and apply future patchsets
Don’t wait until you are forced to apply patch on a production system without sufficient testing
Apply patches within 6 months of release
At minimum, CPU (Critical Patch Update) patches are released quarterly
Fifth-digit patches provided on Windows platforms which bundle one-off patches
For fixing new issues, applying latest patchset and fifth-digit patches available will help in eliminating known bugs

49. <Insert Picture Here>
High Availability Solutions on Windows

50. High Availability Solutions
HA becomes essential as databases are critical component of business
HA Goals: Minimize downtime to your company and your customers
Solutions for Windows Environments
Real Application Clusters (RAC)
Oracle Fail Safe
Data Guard (DG)
Maximum Availability Architecture (MAA)
Oracle Clusterware for Single Instance
Provides MSCS – without MSCS
See this Thursday 16th

51. More Information Windows Server Technology Center Oracle RAC
Oracle RAC
Microsoft – Oracle
Oracle RAC SIG
For more questions
KB: You can learn more about the latest pricing and packaging of Oracle Database 10g, including how to buy SE One directly from Dell at For news, events and customer case studies related to Oracle on Windows and .NET, visit
KB: You will also find great technical resources for supporting Oracle in a Windows or .NET environment in the Windows and .NET Technology Centers on Oracle Technology Network a otn.oracle.com/windows and otn.oracle.com/dotnet.
KB: Santanu, thank you for sharing with us today how Oracle supports Windows and .NET.
SD: Thank you Kimberly
KB: And that concludes our iseminar today. Thank you all for joining us.

52. The preceding is intended to outline our general product direction
The preceding is intended to outline our general product direction. It is intended for information purposes only, and may not be incorporated into any contract. It is not a commitment to deliver any material, code, or functionality, and should not be relied upon in making purchasing decisions. The development, release, and timing of any features or functionality described for Oracle’s products remain at the sole discretion of Oracle.

53. Bring up on stage two customers to tell the audience about their experiences.
Manpower Associates is a $14.9B global company with 27,000 employees in the temporary staffing business. Manpower runs a combined PeopleSoft Enterprise and JD Edwards EnterpriseOne shop. These experts in human resources use Enterprise HCM for their own staffing and EnterpriseOne Payroll and Service Billing for handling the large volumes of US-based temporary staff. Manpower is very happy with Oracle’s support since purchasing PeopleSoft and is looking forward to a long relationship with Oracle.
Spokesperson will be Jay Schaudies, Vice President, Global eCommerce.
Welch Foods is the food processing and marketing arm of National Grape Cooperative Association. Organized in 1945, National Grape is a grower-owned agricultural cooperative with 1,461 members. The company, headquartered in Concord, Massachusetts, operates six plants located in Michigan, New York, Pennsylvania and Washington. The company was running a mix of legacy, home grown, and manual systems that failed to provide senior management with accurate and timely cost and production information. Welch’s required a centralized manufacturing and financial information system to improve management decision making. The solution had to be hot-pluggable with existing technologies, for example, Welch’s Plumtree portal.
Welch Foods chose Oracle over SAP for this business-critical application. The key to the customer’s business problem was their ability to manage costs. The company’s costs are driven by fruit solid content in each of their products, and they use a specialized technique called BRIX for measuring and calculating the cost of materials. Welch’s compared SAP and Oracle SAP’s software was too rigid and, therefore, unable to include the BRIX calculation in their manufacturing solution. Only Oracle’s OPM could bind this custom cost method into the Quality Management Process.
Technology customer yet to be determined. Current possibilities include eBay and FTD Florists.

54. Bring up on stage two customers to tell the audience about their experiences.
Manpower Associates is a $14.9B global company with 27,000 employees in the temporary staffing business. Manpower runs a combined PeopleSoft Enterprise and JD Edwards EnterpriseOne shop. These experts in human resources use Enterprise HCM for their own staffing and EnterpriseOne Payroll and Service Billing for handling the large volumes of US-based temporary staff. Manpower is very happy with Oracle’s support since purchasing PeopleSoft and is looking forward to a long relationship with Oracle.
Spokesperson will be Jay Schaudies, Vice President, Global eCommerce.
Welch Foods is the food processing and marketing arm of National Grape Cooperative Association. Organized in 1945, National Grape is a grower-owned agricultural cooperative with 1,461 members. The company, headquartered in Concord, Massachusetts, operates six plants located in Michigan, New York, Pennsylvania and Washington. The company was running a mix of legacy, home grown, and manual systems that failed to provide senior management with accurate and timely cost and production information. Welch’s required a centralized manufacturing and financial information system to improve management decision making. The solution had to be hot-pluggable with existing technologies, for example, Welch’s Plumtree portal.
Welch Foods chose Oracle over SAP for this business-critical application. The key to the customer’s business problem was their ability to manage costs. The company’s costs are driven by fruit solid content in each of their products, and they use a specialized technique called BRIX for measuring and calculating the cost of materials. Welch’s compared SAP and Oracle SAP’s software was too rigid and, therefore, unable to include the BRIX calculation in their manufacturing solution. Only Oracle’s OPM could bind this custom cost method into the Quality Management Process.
Technology customer yet to be determined. Current possibilities include eBay and FTD Florists.