SAS Oracle OPS TruCluster PS DIGITAL UNIX AlphaServer 8x00 DIGITAL HiTest Notes

This document provides a detailed overview of the interoperability test results for the SAS Oracle OPS TruCluster PS DIGITAL UNIX AlphaServer 8x00 HiTest Suite, published in March 1998. It is intended for DIGITAL and Partner sales, technical support, and installation personnel.

The suite integrates key software components: SAS System 6.12, DIGITAL UNIX 4.0B, TruCluster Production Server 1.4A, and Oracle 7 Server 7.3.3, primarily for data warehousing and decision support applications.

The document details the hardware and software configurations, including AlphaServer 8400 systems, HSZ50 storage arrays, and network components, along with their revision levels. It provides comprehensive installation and setup instructions for the operating system (DIGITAL UNIX kernel, TruCluster Production Server, Distributed Raw Disk (DRD), Network File Systems (NFS)), and applications (DIGITAL layered products, tape library, NetWorker Save and Restore, Oracle 7 Server with Parallel Server features, and SAS System). Specific configurations for disk storage (RAID-5, chunk sizes), kernel parameters, Oracle initialization parameters, and SAS memory settings are outlined.

Interoperability tests covered various aspects:

• Oracle Database Tests: Sequential and concurrent queries were run on both single and two-node Oracle Parallel Server (OPS) configurations. Tests assessed performance, scalability, and load balancing, highlighting OPS's benefits under increasing workloads but also noting challenges with the Oracle 7 optimizer in complex partitioned view scenarios.
• Index Creation: Parallel creation of binary and bitmap indexes was tested, including calculations for storage and memory optimization. Challenges were noted when combining binary and bitmap indexes on union all view partitions.
• Database Load: Data loading rates using SQL*Loader were measured for different configurations.
• Backup and Restore: Offline database backups using NetWorker and Oracle Enterprise Backup Utility (OEBU) demonstrated I/O performance, with local DRD access yielding better rates. A restore operation did not complete due to a tape drive hardware error.
• SAS System Tests: Functional scripts for forecasting and statistical modeling were executed against the Oracle data warehouse.

The document also includes a section on problems encountered during testing (e.g., I/O adapter failures, Oracle database issues, NetWorker problems) and their respective resolutions or workarounds. Notably, no system limits were discovered during the integration testing of this HiTest Suite.