Oracle Tips by Burleson

Oracle 10g Automated Storage Management Configuration

The Database Configuration Assistant (DBCA) is used in Oracle Database 10g to configure the Automated Storage Management (ASM) features for conventional and Real Application Clusters (RAC) environments. ASM is used to automate and simplify the optimal layout of datafiles, control files, and log files. ASM automatically distributes database files across all available disks, and whenever the storage configuration changes, the database storage is rebalanced. ASM can also be used to provide redundancy, through the mirroring of database files.

ASM essentially eliminates the management overhead involved with the use of a conventional file system. There is no need to manually place data on disks when using ASM. Also, by allowing the administrator to manage just a few disk groups, the administrator is relieved from managing hundreds or thousands of files. Using ASM, the DBA will use disk groups for setting up a database. After setup, the DBA need only be concerned with disk groups when monitoring and changing disk allocations within the disk groups.

ASM uses the process of breaking each file into multiple extents and spreading the extents evenly across all of the disks in a disk group. Once ASM disk groups are established, the Oracle database automatically allocates storage space from these disk groups for creating and deleting files.

Unneeded data files are automatically deleted with ASM, rather than requiring a manually issued command, as in previous versions. Automated Storage Management enhances database integrity for databases operating on disks that are not extremely reliable.

ASM doesn't have to be installed in order to install an Oracle database. However, to use ASM files, there must be at least one ASM instance configured and started prior to starting a database instance that uses ASM files.

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