\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.dbi-services.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/03\/create_vol.png\")
\nConnect the volumes with the hosts.
\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.dbi-services.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/DHE1_connect_vol_to_ESX.png\")
<\/p>\nHave you ever cloned a database using RMAN?
\nHave you ever gotten the advice not to clone during daytime to avoid performance downgrade on the entire storage or network?
\nFor a proof of concept, we wanted to evaluate a Pure Storage array in terms of feasibility and speed of database cloning by using storage-based snapshot technology.
\nFirst, I want to mention that PureStorage produces Storage devices in several sizes, all based on NVMe devices together with a high bandwidth connection and data compression.
\nAll in all a \u201cfast as hell\u201d storage but this is not enough. There is additionally a snapshot technology which enables a snapshot-copy of a volume in no time, regardless of its size.
\nWe wanted to see if it works as well for cloning Oracle databases.<\/p>\n
We set up:
\n\u2022 Two virtual machines on two ESX hosts, running RHEL 7.9
\n\u2022 Two sets of disk-groups to store the database files.
\n\u2022 A source database, running on machine 1, Oracle Release 19.10.
\n\u2022 Prepare machine 2 for a target database to be created by cloning<\/p>\n
We had to install only very few extras on the virtual machines
\n\u2022 Install rpms, required by PureStorage
\n\u2022 Configure multipathing
\n\u2022 Update UDEV rules<\/p>\n
The GUI allows comfortably to create volumes and assign them to groups and \u201cProtection Groups\u201d.
\n
\nConnect the volumes with the hosts.
\n<\/p>\n
In vSphere Client, attach the volumes to the VMs
\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.dbi-services.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/DHE1_attach_Volumes.png\")
<\/p>\n
Configure the volumes on Linux OS<\/strong> configure multipath<\/strong><\/p>\n create filesystems on the volumes<\/strong><\/p>\n
\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.dbi-services.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/DHE1_configure_volume_on_OS.png\")
<\/p>\nvi \/etc\/multipath.conf<\/pre>\n
multipaths {\n multipath { wwid 3624a9370F9C23FA49CFC431C00013CD5\u00a0 alias\u00a0 oradbi1-data }\n multipath { wwid 3624a9370F9C23FA49CFC431C00013CD7\u00a0 alias\u00a0 oradbi1-fra\u00a0 }\n multipath { wwid 3624a9370F9C23FA49CFC431C00013CD6 alias oradbi1-redo\u00a0 }\n}<\/pre>\nmkfs.ext4 \/dev\/mapper\/oradbi2-data\nmkfs.ext4 \/dev\/mapper\/3624a9370f9c23fa49cfc431c00013cda\nmkfs.ext4 \/dev\/mapper\/3624a9370f9c23fa49cfc431c00013cd9\nmkfs.ext4 \/dev\/mapper\/3624a9370f9c23fa49cfc431c00013cd8<\/pre>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.dbi-services.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/DHE1_shutdown.png\")
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.dbi-services.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/DHE1_unmount.png\")
<\/strong><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.dbi-services.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/DHE1_create_snapshot_GUI.png\")
<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.dbi-services.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/DHE1_copy_vol_snap_to_target.png\")
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.dbi-services.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/DHE1_create_snapshot_copy_CLI.png\")
<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.dbi-services.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/DHE_1_mount.png\")
<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.dbi-services.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/DHE_1_startup.png\")
<\/p>\n