Understanding Exadata System Software Release Numbering, Maintenance, and Network Configuration

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Oracle Exadata System Software is tightly integrated with Oracle Database and Grid Infrastructure. To manage Exadata effectively, administrators should understand how release numbering works, how automated maintenance tasks are handled, and what precautions to take when changing storage server network addresses.

Exadata System Software Release Numbering

Prior to 18c

  • Release numbers matched Oracle Database versions.
  • Example:
    • 12.1 → Compatible with Oracle Database 12c Release 1 (12.1).
    • 12.2 → Compatible with Oracle Database 12c Release 2 (12.2.0.1).
  • Format: major.minor.component-specific.release.

18c and Later

  • New format: Year.Update.Revision.
  • Example:
    • 18.1.0 → First release of 2018.
    • 19.2 → New features or hardware support in 2019.
    • 19.1.3 → Monthly revision with fixes.
  • Benefits: Easier to track annual releases, updates, and revisions.

Automated Maintenance (What Exadata Cleans Up Automatically)

Exadata has a built-in “janitor” called the Management Server (MS). It cleans up old files and metrics so your system doesn’t run out of space.

Routine Tasks (every hour):

Cleans up old alerts (resolved or stateless).

Deletes old metrics (default: older than 7 days).

Deletes old diagnostic logs (default: older than 7 days).

Keeps only the last few segments of big log files (like alert.log).

Space Pressure Tasks (when disk is too full):

  • If a file system (like /var/log) goes above a threshold (e.g., 80%), MS starts deleting old files until usage drops below a safe level (e.g., 75%).
  • It deletes oldest eligible files first, but keeps recent crash logs and important segments.
  • If cleanup fails, Exadata raises an alert.

👉 Tip: You don’t usually need to do this manually — Exadata handles it for you.

Changing Storage Server Network Address (IP/Hostname)

Sometimes you need to change the IP address or hostname of a storage server (like moving it to a new network). This must be done carefully.

Steps:

  1. Before changing:
    • Stop Oracle ASM, RAC, and databases from accessing the server.
    • Deactivate Auto Service Request (ASR) if enabled.

Change one server at a time:

  • Example command to change IP:
$ ip addr add 192.168.10.20/24 dev eth0
$ hostnamectl set-hostname newcell01
  1. After changing:
    • Update ASM/RAC/database configs with the new IP/hostname.
    • Reactivate ASR with the new IP.
    • Verify connectivity.

👉 Tip: Always do this one server at a time to avoid cluster issues.

Example Commands Recap

  • Check Exadata version:
CellCLI> list cell attributes softwareVersion
  • Change retention policy (keep logs longer):
CLI> alter cell metricHistoryDays=14 CellCLI> alter cell diagHistoryDays=14
  • Change IORM objective (optimize workloads):
CLI> alter iormplan objective=auto
  • Change storage server IP:
$ ip addr add 192.168.10.20/24 dev eth0
$ hostnamectl set-hostname newcell01

Conclusion

  • Release Numbers: After 18c, use Year.Update.Revision format (easy to read).
  • Maintenance: Exadata automatically cleans old logs/metrics and manages space.
  • Network Changes: Do carefully, one server at a time, and reconfigure ASM/RAC.

Think of Exadata as a smart storage system: it updates regularly (versions), cleans itself (maintenance), and needs careful handling when changing its “address” (network settings).