Using HP PRM with Oracle Databases
3
Overview
This paper describes two approaches for successfully configuring HP Process Resource Manager
(PRM) to allow multiple instances of an Oracle® database to execute on the same system without any
instance usurping the resources from another instance. The first approach guarantees a user-specified
CPU and memory resource level to an Oracle database instance only when the system is at peak
load. Otherwise, when the system is not at peak load, Oracle can consume additional CPU or
memory resources if available. The second approach gives each Oracle database instance complete
CPU and memory resource isolation. In this case, Oracle is not permitted to consume additional CPU
or memory resources beyond its entitlement even if the system is not at peak load and the resources
are available.
This paper also identifies the appropriate versions of PRM and Oracle and describes certain
restrictions. The example used in this paper applies to a single system running multiple Oracle
database instances. It does not apply to systems running Oracle Parallel Server.
In addition, this document covers issues specific to PRM and Oracle interoperability. It does not
provide details on how to configure and use PRM for general-purpose operations. Also, details on the
configuration and use of Oracle and its Database Resource Manager are not described. See the
“References” section for additional information on using these products.
This document describes the two PRM features that are critical to the successful blending of PRM and
Oracle databases: processor set (pSet) support and Memory Resource Groups (MRGs) for both
private memory and shared memory. In addition, this paper discusses the use of the Oracle Database
Resource Manager that is available starting with Oracle 8i. Next, it describes recommended
configuration procedures. The paper ends with a case study that gives an example of a system
running three Oracle database instances, with each having different CPU and memory resource
requirements.
References
For more details on configuring and using HP PRM, see the HP Process Resource Manager User’s
Guide at http://docs.hp.com/en/ha.html#Process%20Resource%20Manager.
For a good introduction to PRM, see the Process Resource Manager Overview at
http://h20338.www2.hp.com/hpux11i/downloads/prm.overview.pdf.
For more information on configuring and using Oracle’s Database Resource Manager, see
http://www.oracle.com/technology/products/manageability/database/pdf/twp03/twp_oracle%20
database%2010g%20resource%20manager.pdf.
For a benchmark paper showing Oracle with PRM, see “Benchmarking Oracle Database with PRM
shared memory management” at
http://h20338.www2.hp.com/hpux11i/downloads/PRM.Oracle.SharedMemory.pdf