Reference Architecture: Consolidating Oracle Databases with Secure Resource Partitions in a Serviceguard Cluster Whitepaper

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Executive summary
The HP Virtual Server Environment Reference Architecture represents a simple solution for database
consolidation using HP Secure Resource Partitions version 2 (SRPv2). This Reference Architecture is a
blueprint for database consolidation solutions that can help achieve:
 Granular resource sharing and database isolation
 Increased access control among multiple databases
 Lower total cost of ownership
HP VSE Reference Architecture presents a solution based on HP SRPv2, a partitioning component
within HP VSE that provides the highest degree of resource sharing and lowest number of operating
system images to manage. You can use HP SRPv2 to create an environment for database
consolidation that provides maximum resource sharing and application isolation at the same time.
This Reference Architecture provides step-by-step instructions for:
 Configuring the system for HP SRPv2
 Creating an SRP that will host an Oracle Database Server
 Installing and configuring an Oracle Database Server to run within HP SRPv2
 Configuring HP SRPv2 as a Serviceguard package
 Replicating the SRP configuration on additional Serviceguard nodes (not required)
This white paper outlines how to deploy a single SRP with an Oracle Database Server. You can use
the same procedures to deploy multiple SRPs with Oracle Database or other applications on the same
operating system.
Benefits of database consolidation
Consolidating multiple instances of database servers running on systems throughout the enterprise
enables you to:
 Use resources more efficiently.
 Increase the overall utilization of existing compute resources.
 Lower overall operation costs by reducing the number of managed operating systems
In addition to increasing resource utilization when consolidating using HP SRPv2, database
consolidation can reduce software license and support costs when pricing is calculated on a per
processor core, or per processor (CPU), basis. For example, consider three Oracle databases
deployed on three dedicated 4-core servers (before consolidation). The software costs are based on
12 cores. After the consolidation, if you stack the three databases on one 6-core server, then your
software license costs are based on only six cores. This consolidation immediately reduces the
software licensing cost by 50%. You can gain additional savings by capping the CPU limits for an
SRP using Process Resource Manager (PRM). Using the previous example, you can cap one SRP to a
single core and cap the remaining two SRPs to two cores each. This capping reduces the number of
cores required to five cores, leaving one core available for other processes.
This consolidated infrastructure can also significantly reduce the database deployment time and
decrease the time to market for your business applications. Instead of taking three to six months to
plan, purchase, and configure a new environment for a new application, you can create a new SRP
for the new application on an existing infrastructure in a matter of hours.