CockroachDB deployment on PowerMax

Table of Contents CockroachDB - a brief introductionA few words about node sizing and cachingDeployment stepsHost preparationsStorage configurationPowerMax storage considerationsCockroachDB '--store' parameter, memory disk, and QoSHost multipathing softwareMount the storage device to each cluster nodeDatabase installation and configurationSoftware installationCreate certificates for secure connectionStart the database on all cluster nodesConnect to the CockroachDB User Interface (UI)Configure...

SQL Server 2022 T-SQL Snapshot Backup

Conventional database backups challenges Conventional SQL Server database backups are very flexible, and provide both full and differential backup options. However, they are based on the SQL Server host performing the backup operation by reading the data from the database files in order to write it to the backup location, or during restore, reading the...

Using PowerMax SnapVX with SQL Server 2019 and Windows Server Failover Cluster – Part 3: Using storage snapshots as database copies

In part 1 of the blog I explained some of the concepts such as what is Windows Server Failover Cluster (WSFC), what is Failover Cluster Instance (FCI), and how they operate together. I also discussed the different considerations around using SQL Server database files located in Clustered Shared Volumes (CSV), mount-points, or drive letters. Finally,...

Using PowerMax SnapVX with SQL Server 2019 and Windows Server Failover Cluster – Part 2: HammerDB

In part 1 of the blog I covered some of the background and setup steps of using SQL Server Failover Cluster Instance (FCI) with Windows Server Failover Cluster (WSFC). At the end of part 1 I created two SQL Server instances, one in a vSphere cluster called Boston (simulating my Production environment) and the other...

Using PowerMax SnapVX with SQL Server 2019 and Windows Server Failover Cluster – Part 1

Introduction Running SQL Server in a Windows Server clustered environment is an interesting topic due to the multi-layer clustering design. First is Windows Server Failover Cluster (WSFC) at the operating system level, and above it, Failover Cluster Instance (FCI) at the SQL Server level. In part 1 of the blog I review some of the...

Real-Time Data Integrity Validation for Oracle databases – Part II: Deployment

In Part I of the blog I explained the importance of External T10-DIF and DIX. In Part II I'll focus on how to deploy it. I'll describe how to enable DIF and DIX, with ASM Filter Driver (AFD) and with ASMlib examples. This blog is a bit longer than usual because I'm covering both ASMlib...

Real-Time Data Integrity Validation for Oracle databases – Part I: What is T10-DIF and DIX?

For many DBAs, protecting the integrity of the Oracle database is a key tenant. Database corruption is a huge ordeal, which is why every Production database has backups, local and remote copies, and often at least one standby database. The goal is to keep the business running and to protect from harmful events. What is...

Oracle Standby Database Data Integrity Validation with SnapVX

Disclaimer: this blog post was inspired by a specific customer use case of validating the standby database data integrity. However, the same method can be applied to creating snapshots from a standby database for other purposes, such as test, development, and reporting. The problem with data corruptions in a standby database Physical data corruptions include database...

Shrink Oracle Backup and Recovery Time – Part II (setup and demo)

In Part I of the blog I explained why for large Oracle databases, storage snapshots are the fastest way to create backups and restore/recover the database. In Part II, I'll show an example of setting up rotating hourly snapshots, and how to use one of them to recover the Oracle database. Keep in mind that...

Shrink Oracle Backup and Recovery Time – Part I (Overview)

When considering Business Critical Applications, there are many aspects to business continuity, such as High Availability (HA), Disaster Recovery (DR), Data Integrity (DI), and Backup and Recovery. I previously addressed combining HA and DR with the notion of 'continuous availability' through disasters in my post about SRDF/Metro. There are more updates coming soon in this...