Front cover

Oracle and Lenovo X6

Validated Configuration
Guide

Read about the validated Take advantage of the bold,

configurations you can use in your cost-effective benefits of scale-up
environment today topology

Understand the significant value of Save energy, time, and more, by

configurations validated by applying these validations in your
industry leaders environment

Randall Lundin
Ajay Dholakia
John Encizo
Karen Lawrence

Click here to check for updates

Abstract

This paper describes a validated reference configuration to successfully implement Oracle

Database 12c running on Oracle Linux 7.2 and Oracle Unbreakable Enterprise Kernel (UEK),
and hosted on a clustered pair of Lenovo System x3950 X6 servers. This configuration is
intended for enterprise-level businesses with scaled-up, converged infrastructures, in which
cost-effectiveness and productivity are a must.

This paper explains the benefits of a scale-up Oracle database solution based on the
8-socket System x3950 X6 servers. It describes the validation process and the exact
configuration used in the testing. The paper also provides additional information on the
testing methodology and the tools used.

This paper and the validated configuration it describes is for enterprise customers looking to
implement a high-performance fault-tolerant Oracle solution.

Contents

Executive summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Key takeaways . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
The cost-effective benefits of scale-up topology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Scope of the Oracle Validated Configuration Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Key configurations, products, and tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Key validation tool: Oracle Linux Test . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Validated configuration. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Additional guidance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Conclusions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
About the authors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Notices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Trademarks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

2 Oracle and Lenovo X6 Validated Configuration Guide

Executive summary
This paper describes a collaboration by subject matter experts from Lenovo® and Oracle. As
leaders and innovators in the IT industry, these organizations have partnered to offer you a
validated reference configuration. The configuration is intended for midsized to
enterprise-level businesses with scaled-up, converged infrastructures, in which
cost-effectiveness, superior performance and productivity are a must.

Scale-up topology is particularly valuable in data centers and private clouds where
mission-critical, workload-intensive processing can exceed IT resources, for example, for
Decision Support System (DSS) and online transaction processing (OLTP) workloads. For
these validated configurations, high-level product overviews follow:
򐂰 Lenovo System x3950 X6 servers: The Lenovo X6 platform delivers high-end, world-class
enterprise computing capability and fast performance for your most critical applications.
The X6 architecture offers flexible, leading-edge benefits in scaled-up environments.
Advanced reliability, availability, and serviceability (RAS) features make it easy to
automate tasks: Many take minutes, rather than days.
򐂰 Oracle Linux 7, Unbreakable Enterprise Kernel (UEK) for Oracle, and Oracle Database
12c: Oracle, known for eliminating complexity and simplifying IT, empowers its customers
to accelerate innovation. Oracle's open architecture and multiple operating system options
provide unmatched benefits from best-of-breed products.

Perhaps the most compelling reasons for implementing the validated configuration are that
the configuration is defined, tested, and validated by industry leaders. This greatly decreases
the lengthy, costly process of validating your environment independently. Our validated
configuration is ready to implement today.

The objectives for this paper are three-fold:

򐂰 To convey the value of scaling up a small cluster of Lenovo X6 servers for performing
workload-intensive operations, rather than scaling out distributed servers.
򐂰 To provide a validated reference configuration for a clustered Oracle database solution.
򐂰 To describe the setup procedures and validation processes, from software and hardware
stack, to servers, storage, and network components.

This paper is for technical sales specialists, technical marketing specialists, solution
architects, those performing database deployment services, systems administrators, and
channel customers.

Key takeaways
Primarily, the validations in this paper show that these products, configured as indicated in
this paper, comprise validated reference architectures. Using validated reference
architectures, you can easily validate your environment, do so much faster, and move your
products to market faster.

Other key takeaways include an understanding of the benefits of scale-up topology:

򐂰 How validated configurations simplify deployment
򐂰 The reference architecture for a validated configuration
򐂰 Interpretation of test results

© Copyright Lenovo 2016. All rights reserved. 3

Ongoing partnerships
Lenovo’s X6 servers deliver large application virtualization and decrease infrastructure costs
and complexity. In conjunction with Oracle’s integrated stack of best-in-class hardware and
products, Oracle offers complete, open, integrated solutions. Lenovo and Oracle Corporation
have partnered on a number of initiatives, combining our talents to produce some of the most
exciting products and technologies worldwide. This paper represents one such partnership.

The strength of our partnership is evidenced by the innovative ideas and technologies that
have come from it. A small sampling follows, showing how we, as industry leaders, can best
address clients’ needs when we work together:
򐂰 Lenovo and Oracle offer joint support for Oracle Linux and Oracle VM on System x®
servers. Lenovo publishes validated configurations on the Oracle Validated Configurations
website, along with Lenovo hardware qualified on Oracle Linux and Oracle VM. The
commitment of this partnership demonstrates the potential opportunities for joint
development between Oracle software and Lenovo X6 solutions.
򐂰 Lenovo and Oracle maintain a strong alliance with more than 20 years of providing
solutions to help businesses improve IT productivity and business value. Lenovo has a
proven track record of customer successes with Oracle and Linux-based solutions running
on System x servers.

The cost-effective benefits of scale-up topology

Scale-up topology provides opportunities to increase the efficiency of your IT processes.
Better still, you can save on your IT investments considerably. Here, we explain a number of
the cost-effective benefits of scale-up topology. Let’s begin with a clear definition of this
technology.

Scale-up topology, defined

Typically, when more computer resources are needed, more servers are added. The addition
of servers and storage is referred to as the scale-out approach. The difficulty is that in a
private cloud virtual servers run out of memory before the other resources do. As a result, the
resources have to wait for memory to become available. The scale-out approach is an
expensive one.

In contrast, validated configurations make use of the scale-up approach, which is the addition
of CPUs, memory, I/O, or storage to existing machines. This provides the flexibility to keep
pace with your needs over time, and simultaneously minimizes ongoing expenses.

Many applications and workloads lend themselves particularly well to scale-up rather than
scale-out deployments. Factors contributing to a decision to scale up rather than scale out
include processing and memory requirements, the number of end users, scalability cost, and
administrative cost.

For large databases, scale-up architectures can provide higher levels of scalability than large
numbers of scale-out distributed databases, and scale-up servers are often easier and less
expensive to manage.

4 Oracle and Lenovo X6 Validated Configuration Guide

Benefits of validated scale-up configurations
The bold cost-effective benefits of this topology include:
򐂰 Reduced software licensing costs: With many software packages licensed on a
per-processor or per-core basis, reducing the number of systems can significantly lower
software support costs.
򐂰 Improved IT staff productivity: Scale-up servers reduce the total number of processors and
servers being managed. With fewer physical servers, and the added automation and
manageability features, administrators’ work is less cumbersome.
򐂰 Reduced end-user productivity losses: Scale-up servers with mission-critical RAS
capabilities (such as the System x3850 X6 and the System x3950 X6) incur less
unplanned downtime than do scale-out servers.
򐂰 Accelerated application deployment: With virtualized scale-up servers, you can accelerate
application deployment. Projects that previously took weeks to size, purchase, install and
configure, can now be ready in hours.
򐂰 Reduced energy consumption: Today’s ever-increasing energy costs are encouraging
companies to reduce their server footprint onto fewer, more modern systems to lower
energy costs. And, reduced energy consumption can lead to extending the life of existing
hardware.
򐂰 Increased resource utilization (CPU, memory, and network): Combining workloads onto
scale-up servers rather than using dedicated hardware improves resource utilization.
򐂰 Reduced server hardware cost: By replacing multiple two-socket servers with much more
powerful eight-socket systems, you can reduce initial hardware costs. Reductions in
server spending can reduce spending in other infrastructure areas, such as networking
infrastructure.
򐂰 Improved performance: Scale-up servers are best suited for highly demanding workloads
because they have faster processors with more cores, so they can run workloads faster
and more efficiently.
򐂰 Extended data center life: Reducing the number of physical servers alleviates the
pressure on data center capacity, enabling organizations to defer new build-outs.

Overall, by scaling workloads onto fewer, more powerful, eight-socket systems, such as the
System x3950 X6, you can reduce operating costs, power and cooling costs, and software
licensing costs, while increasing utilization and application performance.

Benefits of application scale-up

Scaling up enables you to add resources to existing servers without requiring that you rewrite
applications to harness the added power. For large databases, scale-up architectures can
provide higher levels of scalability than large numbers of scale-out distributed databases.

Oracle Database software products support both scale-up and scale-out computing; however,
deploying Oracle Databases on scale-up servers offers a number of benefits, including
reduced server licensing costs. When scaling-up, Oracle Real Application Cluster (RAC) is
not required. Another benefit is that machine resources (especially CPUs) are instantly
available for sharing.

As workload performance increases and as memory and scalability requirements increase,

the need for scale-up systems increases. This drives the need for individual system scalability
and resiliency. Handling your demanding, scale-up, mission-critical workloads is where X6
servers shine.

5
Scope of the Oracle Validated Configuration Program
The scope of this project is identical to validation projects conducted at Oracle as described in
http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/topics/linux/validated-configurations-085828.html
“The goal of this program is to validate hardware with Oracle Linux and Oracle VM, and to
identify issues and configuration details that would impact customer deployments. Oracle
developed the program to go far beyond the standard certification testing normally
performed with operating systems. Hardware vendors participating in this program
perform thorough testing of the hardware in real-world configurations with Oracle Linux
and Oracle VM.
This is not a database certification. Oracle Database is a component of the environment
because it is demanding on hardware resources (processor, memory, cache, storage, and
network) and the operating system, and well suited for this advanced level of testing. The
validation program uses Oracle Database as a tool and hardware is not certified with
Oracle Database as a result of the validation program.”

Key configurations, products, and tools

The following describes the cluster configurations that are validated. Diagrams of the cluster
configurations are included. We also describe the products that are validated and the tools
that are used for each validation.

Configurations
In our configuration, we used a cluster of two x3950 X6 systems, as shown in Figure 1 on
page 11.

The System x3950 X6 server continues to be the leading product for clients with
mission-critical initiatives in which scale-up and customization are critical components. X6
products are widely used for scalable databases, business analytics, virtualization, enterprise
applications, and cloud applications. Additionally:
򐂰 This configuration represents a typical cluster of 8-socket servers with industry-leading
storage
򐂰 The hardware and software components of this validated configuration have been shown
to provide the needed memory and expansion for private clouds
򐂰 The configuration offers the potential for cost savings from scaling-up and using validated
configurations

Products for validation

Key products for these validations are described in this section.

Lenovo System x3950 X6

The System x3950 X6 is the 8-processor 8U server platform in the Lenovo high end portfolio.
These systems are fast, agile and, resilient.

X6 is ideal for mission-critical workloads and virtualized environments, as well as large

databases and analytics. The System x3950 X6 is the sixth generation of servers based on

6 Oracle and Lenovo X6 Validated Configuration Guide

Lenovo’s enterprise X-Architecture. X6 systems support multiple flash technologies for faster
access to storage.

Powered by the Intel Xeon E7-8800 v3 family of processors, this 8-socket platform offers 144
cores of processing power, 192 DIMMs, and support for up to 12 TB of memory. The server is
designed to stay in the rack, providing front and rear access for service and upgrades. The
unique “bookshelf” design includes modules (or books) for each of the major subsystems,
which can be individually slid in and out of the unit like books on a shelf. X6 accommodates
multiple generations of processor and memory technologies.

Advanced RAS features automate tasks that were previously executed manually. Now, many
actions require only minutes rather than days. The X6 self-healing features ensure high
availability by isolating errors before they affect server performance. The System x3950 X6
platform delivers high-end enterprise computing capability and fast performance for your
most critical business applications.

For product specifications, see the Lenovo Press product guide for the server:
https://lenovopress.com/tips1251-system-x3950-x6-6241

Oracle Linux 7
Oracle Linux provides the latest innovations, tools, and features that enable you to innovate,
collaborate, and create solutions across traditional, cloud-based, and virtual environments.
Providing advanced scalability and reliability for enterprise applications and systems, Oracle
Linux delivers truly open cloud with great performance. Oracle Linux is free to use, free to
distribute, free to update, and easy to download.

Oracle Linux 7 offers a number of new features and improvements, most notably a new
version of the Unbreakable Enterprise Kernel.

Oracle Linux customers can access a number of unique and highly useful features, including:
򐂰 The Ksplice offline client is a feature in our Ksplice service. Ksplice provides updates for
your kernel with no downtime. Therefore, this eliminates the requirement for an internet
connection for applying Ksplice patches.
򐂰 Support for the journaling file system (XFS): is now available for customers with Premier
Support subscriptions using Oracle Linux 7.
򐂰 DTrace for Oracle Linux: DTrace for Oracle Linux is a comprehensive dynamic tracing
framework available to Oracle Linux customers. Supported customers can download this
from the Oracle Unbreakable Linux Network (ULN).

For product specifications, visit:

http://www.oracle.com/us/technologies/linux/product/specifications/

Unbreakable Enterprise Kernel Release 3

The Unbreakable Enterprise Kernel (UEK) Release 3 is Oracle's third major release of its
heavily tested and optimized operating system kernel for Oracle Linux 7, x86_64 platforms.

UEK Release 3 is based on the mainline Linux kernel version 3.8.13 and boasts a wide range
of new features and improvements relevant for enterprise workloads.

Testing of the UEK includes both the operating system and the full Oracle application stack
running on top of it, verifying stability and correct behavior in all situations. The test suite
includes installation, functional, stress, and destructive tests, which are executed under
varying workloads (e.g., I/O- or CPU-intensive), and various database sizes. Several

7
 parameters are varied during the full run of the test suites, which also include crash scenarios
in Oracle Real Application Cluster configurations.

For more information, see

http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/server-storage/linux/technologies/uek-overview-2
043074.html

Oracle Database 12c Release 1

As organizations embrace the cloud, they seek technologies that will transform business and
improve their overall operational agility and effectiveness. Oracle Database 12c is a
next-generation database designed to meet these needs, providing a new multitenant
architecture on top of a fast, scalable, reliable, and secure database platform. Oracle
Database 12c also includes in-memory data processing capabilities for breakthrough
analytical performance. By plugging into the cloud with Oracle Database 12c, customers can
improve the quality and performance of applications, save time with maximum availability
architecture and storage management, and simplify database consolidation by managing
hundreds of databases as one.

For more information, see:

http://docs.oracle.com/database/121

IBM Storwize V7000 for Lenovo

The IBM Storwize family of storage products helps organizations achieve better data
economics by supporting these new workloads that are critical to their success. Storwize
family systems can handle the massive volumes of data from mobile and social applications,
enable rapid and flexible cloud services deployments, and deliver the performance and
scalability needed to gain insights from the latest analytics technologies.

IBM Storwize V7000 Unified and IBM Storwize V7000 are virtualized, enterprise-class hybrid
storage systems that provide the foundation for implementing an effective storage
infrastructure and transforming the economics of data storage. Designed to complement
virtual server environments, these modular storage systems deliver the flexibility and
responsiveness required by changing business needs.

In fact, IBM Spectrum Virtualize software for Storwize V7000 Unified and Storwize V7000
provides the latest storage technologies to unlock the business value of stored data, including
virtualization and IBM Real-time Compression. In addition, the systems include a powerful
hardware platform that can support the massive volumes of data created by today’s
demanding cloud and analytics applications. They are designed to deliver outstanding
efficiency, ease of use and dependability for organizations of all sizes.

For product specifications, see the Lenovo Press product guide:

https://lenovopress.com/tips1302-ibm-storwize-v7000-for-lenovo

Lenovo RackSwitch G8124E

The Lenovo RackSwitch™ G8124E is a 10 Gigabit Ethernet (GbE) switch specifically
designed for the data center, providing a virtualized, cooler, and easier network solution. The
G8124E offers twenty-four 10 GbE ports in a high-density, 1U footprint. The G8124E is
designed with ultralow latency and top performance in mind. Redundant power and fans,
along with numerous high-availability features, mean that the G8124E is always available for
business-sensitive traffic.

The G8124E is virtualized, supporting virtual fabric, which allows for the splitting up of a
physical NIC into 2 - 8 vNICs for improved performance, availability, and security, while

8 Oracle and Lenovo X6 Validated Configuration Guide

reducing cost and complexity. The G8124E runs cool, implementing a choice of directional
cooling to maximize data center layout and provisioning. Its superior airflow design
complements the hot-aisle and cold-aisle data center cooling model. The G8124E is easy to
set up and use, too, with server-oriented provisioning. Its industry-standard CLI and easy
interoperability simplifies configurations.

For product specifications, see the Lenovo Press product guide:

https://lenovopress.com/tips1271-lenovo-rackswitch-g8124e

Brocade 16 GB FC SAN Switch 6510

The Brocade 6510 meets the needs of your highly virtualized and private cloud storage
environments. It is a 48-port, high-performance, enterprise-class switch that delivers
market-leading Generation 5 Fibre Channel technology. This switch provides maximum
flexibility, simplicity, and reliability.

The Brocade 6510 supports highly virtualized environments. Designed to enable maximum
flexibility and reliability, the Brocade 6510 is configurable with 24, 36, or 48 ports and
supports 2, 4, 8, 10, or 16 Gbps speeds in an efficiently designed 1U package.

The Brocade6510 offers a simplified deployment process and an easy-to-use user interface.
It offers low-cost access to industry-leading storage area network (SAN) technology, while
providing pay-as-you-grow scalability to meet your evolving storage needs.

For product specifications, see the Lenovo Press product guide:

https://lenovopress.com/lp0081-lenovo-b6505-b6510-fc-san-switches

Emulex VFA5 ML2 Dual Port 10 GbE SFP+ adapter

The Emulex Virtual Fabric Adapter 5 (VFA5) delivers enhancements that improve
performance, reduce complexity, and decrease costs.Ideal environments include virtualized
enterprises and multi- and single-tenant private/hybrid clouds, I/O intensive workloads, and
converged infrastructures.

For product specifications, see the Lenovo Press product guide:

https://lenovopress.com/lp0052-emulex-vfa52-adapters

Intel X540-T2 Dual Port 10GBaseT Adapter

The Intel X540 Dual Port 10 GbE adapter is powered by reliable and proven 10 Gb Ethernet
technology. This adapter offers full line-rate 10 Gbps performance for I/O-intensive
applications, and showcases the next generation in 10 GbE networking features for the
enterprise network and data center. The Intel X540-T2 adapter offers 10GBASE-T
connectivity with RJ-45 ports, compatibility with existing 1000BASE-T networks, and
simplifies the transition to 10 Gb Ethernet technology.

For product specifications, see the Lenovo Press product guide:

https://lenovopress.com/tips0893-intel-x520-and-x540-10gbe

QLogic 16 Gb FC Dual-port HBA

The QLogic dual-port FC HBA offers 16 Gbps line-rate performance and extremely low CPU
utilization with full hardware offloads. These HBAs are highly useful for high-bandwidth,
I/O-intensive applications and server virtualization.

For product specifications, see the Lenovo Press product guide:

https://lenovopress.com/tips0954-qlogic-16gb-fc-hba

9
Key validation tool: Oracle Linux Test
Validations are carried out using the Oracle Linux Test (OLT) kit. OLT is a component of the
Oracle Validated Configurations (OVC) program, which provides pretested, validated
configurations, including software, hardware, storage, network components, and documented
best practices for running Oracle Databases. The OLT home page is:
https://oss.oracle.com/projects/olt/

Oracle describes the value of OLT as “a test designed to verify Linux kernel functionality and
stability essential for the Oracle Database. The OLT toolkit, which is distributed as a set of
RPM files, provides an automated mechanism to define, execute, and analyze tests. The kit
contains tools, such as DBT2 and DBT3 workloads against Oracle single instance or
clustered databases, in addition to specialized workload simulators. OLT can be used for
running tests on Oracle Linux with UEK and Oracle VM, with a variety of topologies (storage
area network, network attached storage).”1

OLT is used to create and run workloads, such as those for a DSS (Decision Support System)
or OLTP (On-Line Transaction Processing) environment, and it performs installation,
functional, stress, regression, and system verification tests. The OLT User Guide describes
how to set up and run the validation tests.

The OLT User’s Guide is available from this link:

https://oss.oracle.com/projects/olt/dist/documentation/OLT_UserGuide.pdf

1 From https://oss.oracle.com/projects/olt/

10 Oracle and Lenovo X6 Validated Configuration Guide

Validated configuration
The configuration is a cluster of two System x3950 X6 systems, as shown in Figure 1.

All setup and testing is performed according to the Oracle Linux Test (OLT) User’s Guide,
available from:
https://oss.oracle.com/projects/olt/dist/documentation/OLT_UserGuide.pdf

Lenovo x3950 X6

Lenovo RackSwitch
G8124E
Brocade 6510

Lenovo x3950 X6

IBM Storwize V7000 for Lenovo

Two x3950 X6 servers Storage
8x- E7-8890 v3 processors 84 drives total
96x 32GB DIMM -69x 900GB 10K 6GB SAS
2x 300GB 10K 6Gbps HDD -10x 600GB 10K 6GB SAS
4x 1400W PSU -5x 200GB SSD 6GB SAS
2x 16G QLogic HBA adapters
2x Emulex VFA5 ML2 Dual Port 10GbE SFP+ adapters 7 mdisks across 5 Disk Pools
1x Intel X540-T2 Dual Port 10GBaseT adapter Disk tiering enabled

Figure 1 Cluster of two System x3950 X6 systems

11
 The disk layout in the V7000 is shown in Figure 2 on page 12. The V7000, with its block, file,
and unified configurations, supports FC, iSCSI, and FCoE connectivity. The disk layout is
shown in Figure 2.

Lenovo x3950 X6
Test Data Test Kit SW
350GB 350GB

ASM_0 ASM_1 ASM_2 ASM_3

Vote

ASM_4 ASM_5 ASM_6 ASM_7

Lenovo x3950 X6 NFS

Shared block storage

Test Data Test Kit SW

350GB 350GB

Figure 2 Disk layout of the V7000

Table 1 lists the details of the validated configuration.

As part of the validation, we confirmed the following:

򐂰 System x and Oracle passed a rigorous validation test suite.
򐂰 The x3950 X6 can withstand hardware faults, such as in HBA, switch, and storage
subsystems.
򐂰 The x3950 X6 can sustain software faults or instance crashes and still maintain a running
Oracle Database

More details about the validated configuration, including the packages used, parameters
used in configuration files, and driver details, are available from:
http://linux.oracle.com/pls/apex/f?p=102:2:272195739983::NO::P2_VC_ID:678

Table 1 Validated configuration details

Specification Information

Summary

Configuration Summary Oracle Linux 7 Update 2 x86_64 on Lenovo System x3950 X6 and IBM Storwize V7000 with
Oracle Database 12c Release 1

Publication Date 01-APR-16

Version 1.0

Server Platform Lenovo System x3950 X6

Storage Model IBM Storwize V7000

12 Oracle and Lenovo X6 Validated Configuration Guide

Specification Information

Oracle Software Oracle Database 12c Release 1 (12.1.0.2.0) for Linux x86-64

Linux Distribution Oracle Linux 7 Update 2 x86_64

Server and Storage Platform Details

Server Model 2x Lenovo System x3950 X6

Processors 8x 18-core Intel Xeon processor E7-8890 v3 2.5GHz

Memory 2TB RAM

Onboard Storage 69x 900GB 10K 6GB SAS HDD

5x 200GB 6GB SAS SSD
10x 600GB 10K 6GB SAS HDD

RAID M5210 – LSI MegaRAID SAS-3 3108 adapter

Network/Interconnect Intel X540-T2 Dual Port 10GBaseT Adapter

2x Emulex VFA ML2 Dual Port 10 GbE SFP+ adapter

HBA 2x QLogic QLE2662 16Gb FC Dual-port HBA for System x.

Multipath Device mapper multipath 0.4.9-77.el7.x86_64

Storage Model IBM Storwize V7000

Switch Details

Switch Model Lenovo RackSwitch G8124E

Switch Type 10GbE Network Switch

Additional Info. Used for private network and storage

Switch Model Brocade 16GB FC SAN Switch 6510

Switch Type FC Switch

Additional Info. None

Linux Distribution Details

OS Oracle Linux 7 Update 2 x86_64

Kernel kernel-uek-3.8.13-98.6.1.el7uek.x86_64.rpm or higher

Additional guidance
This section is comprised of the following topics:
򐂰 “How to prepare the validation environment” on page 14
򐂰 “Processes for configuration and tuning” on page 14
򐂰 “Test methodology” on page 15

13
How to prepare the validation environment
Begin by setting up Oracle OLT. High-level process steps follow:
1. Open the Oracle Linux Test (OLT) User Guide, available at:
https://oss.oracle.com/projects/olt/dist/documentation/OLT_UserGuide.pdf
2. Download and set up the Oracle software for OLT as described in the Oracle Linux Test
(OLT) User Guide
3. Set up Oracle patches (if required)
4. Set up the ORACLE_VERSION and patches that the OLT will use
5. Run the silent install tests to install Oracle

Processes for configuration and tuning

The following describes the hardware and software processes for configuration and tuning.

Hardware configuration overview

Configuration of the hardware is performed in accord with the Oracle Linux Test (OLT) User
Guide, available from:
https://oss.oracle.com/projects/olt/dist/documentation/OLT_UserGuide.pdf

High-level features of the hardware configuration are:

򐂰 Hardware high availability
– No single point of failure
– Redundancy is incorporated into significant components (servers, storage controllers,
networking components, database)
򐂰 Database high availability
– Oracle RAC Database is configured on System x machines
򐂰 SAN high availability
– Controllers enable IPC at the controller level. If one controller were to go down, the
database will continue to access the storage enclosures. As a best practice, the four
Fibre Channel front end ports on each of the controllers are configured as virtual ports.

Software configuration overview

Configuration of the OS, network, and storage requirements is performed in accord with the
Oracle Linux Test (OLT) User Guide, available from:
https://oss.oracle.com/projects/olt/dist/documentation/OLT_UserGuide.pdf

High-level features of the software configuration are:

򐂰 Operating system
– The Oracle database servers are installed with Oracle Linux 7.2 running the
Unbreakable Enterprise Kernel.
򐂰 RPMs
– Oracle users, groups, permissions, and recommended kernel and database
parameters are set in accord with Oracle’s validated pre-install RPM for Oracle
Database 12c.

14 Oracle and Lenovo X6 Validated Configuration Guide

 򐂰 Testing software
– The OLT toolkit is used to stress test and validate the configurations.
– OS configuration, network, and the storage requirements are configured in accord with
the Oracle Linux Test (OLT) User’s Guide.
– The Oracle Grid Infrastructure and RAC Database 12c are installed using the silent
install test from the OLT toolkit.
򐂰 Storage volumes
– Volumes needed for the OLT tests are created as thin provisioned volumes.
– Disks for the Oracle Clusterware and data files are configured as Oracle Automatic
Storage Management (ASM) disks.
– ASMLib is used to configure the ASM disks using the OLT User’s Guide.
򐂰 Multipath configurations
– On the Linux host, the storage volumes are configured using the device-mapper.

Test methodology
The following high-level steps are carried out to install the OLT toolkit. Selected test cases
that are performed using this toolkit are also listed. Processes are performed in accord with
the OLT User Guide, available from:
https://oss.oracle.com/projects/olt/dist/documentation/OLT_UserGuide.pdf

OLT Steps
Perform OLT steps as follows:
򐂰 Verification of hardware requirements for OLT testing
򐂰 OLT preinstallation
򐂰 Operating system configuration
– Storage configuration
– OLT installation and configuration

OLT Test cases

Perform OLT test cases as follows:
򐂰 Stress Tests for RACs
򐂰 RAC Destructive Tests:
򐂰 Multipath tests:
– Host-side testing
– Switch-side testing
– Storage-side testing

15
Conclusions
By applying the guidance from this paper, using the products and technologies discussed and
running the OLT tests successfully, your environment is now validated. This implies that:
򐂰 The configuration is validated as functional as it applies to Lenovo X6 servers and to
Oracle Linux 7 with UEK and Oracle Database 12c Release 1.
򐂰 The configuration is deemed by Oracle as an Oracle Validated Configuration. A link to the
Oracle web site for validated configurations is located at
http://linux.oracle.com/pls/apex/f?p=102:1:14455153592073::NO

Most importantly, this validated configuration, as a result of the collaboration of Lenovo and
Oracle, provides you with the confidence to address your most critical business needs using
these reliable products, technologies, and validated configurations.

Look for new and exciting collaborations between Lenovo and Oracle as we work to provide
you with energy-, time-, and cost-saving products and technologies. We stand behind you in
enabling your staff to address the complex needs of systems integration.

About the authors

Thanks to the following people who helped with this project:
򐂰 Randall Lundin is the Lenovo Mission Critical Product Manager. His responsibilities
include managing and planning Lenovo’s 4-socket and 8-socket servers.
򐂰 Ajay Dholakia is a Master Inventor, Senior Technical Staff Member and Solution Architect
with Lenovo. His current focus is on solution architectures in the areas of big data,
analytics, cloud computing, and health care. In his more than 20 years with Lenovo, and
IBM before that, Ajay has led diverse projects ranging from research and technology to
product development, as well as business and technical strategy.
򐂰 John Encizo is a Senior Technical Sales Engineer on the Brand Technical Sales team for
Lenovo across the Americas region. He is part of the field engineering team responsible
for pre-GA support activities on the System x server portfolio and works closely with
customers and Lenovo development on system design, BIOS tuning, and systems
management toolkits. He has also been the lead field engineer for high-end server product
launches. When not in the field doing technical design and onboarding sessions with
customers or pre-GA support activities, he works in the BTS lab to do remote customer
proof-of-technology engagements, consult on systems performance and develop
documentation for the field technical sellers.
򐂰 Karen Lawrence is a Technical Writer with the Lenovo Enterprise Business Group in
Research Triangle Park, North Carolina. She has 25 years’ experience in IT, with expertise
in application design, change management, and the software development life cycle
(SDLC). She has worked with SMEs on leading technologies in global, regulated
enterprises, in the areas of storage systems, security, and disaster recovery, and the
hardware and software that support these. Karen holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business
Administration from Centenary College in New Jersey.

16 Oracle and Lenovo X6 Validated Configuration Guide

Notices
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18 Oracle and Lenovo X6 Validated Configuration Guide