Oracle Exadata Frequently Asked Questions
Over 86% of Fortune 100 companies run Oracle Exadata. Many of those organizations turn to CDS to provide support - maintaining SLA requirements, while saving upwards of 50% versus the cost of renewing maintenance with Oracle. CDS offers a number of ways in which to unlock this spend:
Hardware support
Exadata OS support
Software support
Customers are selecting one, all, or a combination of these options depending on their requirements. The questions below should be taken in the context of our current recommendation on what Exadata systems should be moved to third party support, as shown in the table below:
These are the most common questions customers ask before reducing Oracle Exadata maintenance costs.
How can you support Exadata hardware failures and replacements?
CDS has field technicians globally and a global inventory of parts with 80+ warehouse locations as part of our supply chain and logistics capability. There are added advantages for partnering with CDS for maintenance and support of Oracle Exadata systems. As an example, if there is a multi-component failure in an Exadata system, Oracle will only replace one component at a time until the issue is resolved. CDS support is pre-authorized to deliver and replace all failed components in a single support call to rapidly restore an Exadata system and minimize costly downtime.
Won’t we need security updates?
There are two things to keep in mind with regards to Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVEs) for Exadata:
Oracle Linux is free to download and use, including updates. There are no restrictions of use in production environments. A healthy percentage of past CVEs are OS-only.
There is often a time lag between CVEs being identified, resolved in the general repositories, and then resolved and provided in Exadata patching bundles. With most customers extending the life of the Exadata systems for an additional 12 to 24 months, this time lag reduces the likelihood of security updates being available in an Exadata patch bundle within the time period.
But we will miss out on bug patches?
The majority of bug patches apply to newer code and systems – X7 and above – which we do not currently advise putting under third-party support. Many of the documented bugs are triggered when new software or firmware is introduced, which would not be occurring under CDS’ extended maintenance and support. Lastly, there are workarounds available for most bugs, and there are bugs that are actually specific to Oracle Support. As an example, there is a critical Exadata Storage bug that references running diagnostics using sundiag.sh that is used by Oracle Support, which would not apply for customers under CDS support.
Additionally, when a customer partners with CDS and elects not to renew support through Oracle, we advise customers to archive the available patches and firmware prior to ending Oracle support. This provides the customer with access to the latest patches and firmware available at the time should they be required in the future.
What happens if there is an OS crash?
OS crashes can occur for a number of different reasons including hardware failures, configuration changes, or kernel-related modifications due to patch applications. Crashes of this nature are rare and the likelihood of an occurrence is further reduced in older systems that are not undergoing software changes. However, should an issue occur in a supported system, it is possible to revert to the previous stable state through OS backups. If this is not possible, the problematic node can be reimaged and rebuilt using an ISO file.
How will the Exadata system be monitored?
The CDS Raytrix MVS platform provides the monitoring for the Exadata systems. Raytrix integrates into the SMTP capability of Exadata, captures the data, and send the alerts to our 24/7 support team. This enables CDS to proactively report on all items within the ILOM (Integrated Lights Out Manager).