Storage Options

Select File System to save and maintain your single-instance database files in a directory in your current file system. By default, Database Configuration Assistant (DBCA) saves the database files using the Optimal Flexible Architecture (OFA), whereby database files and administrative files, including initialization files, follow standard naming and placement practices.

You can modify these defaults later in the database configuration process by using the DBCA Database Storage page.

For Oracle Real Application Clusters (Oracle RAC), this option replaces the File System option.

A cluster file system allows a number of nodes in a cluster to concurrently access a given file system. Every node sees the same files and data. This allows for easy management of data that needs to be shared across nodes.

If you platform supports a cluster file system, then you can use it to store your Real Application Cluster data files and controlfiles. See your platform-specific documentation for more information about cluster file sytem support. Information about Oracle Cluster File Systems is available on the Oracle Technology Network (OTN).

For example, a set of frequently asked questions about Oracle Cluster File Systems for Linux is available at:

http://otn.oracle.com/tech/linux/htdocs/ocfs_faq_031103.html

For more general information about storage options for Real Application Clusters, see Real Application Clusters Installation and Configuration .

ASM is an Oracle Database feature that simplifies the administration of database files. Instead of managing many database files, you manage only a small number of disk groups.

A disk group is a set of disk devices that ASM manages as a single, logical unit. You can define a particular disk group as the default disk group for a database and Oracle automatically allocates storage for and creates or deletes the files associated with the database object. When administering the database, you need only refer to database objects by name rather than by file name.

Use USMCA to configure ASM.

For more information about the benefits and administration of Automatic Storage Management (ASM), see the Oracle Database Storage Administrator's Guide.

Tip: After you set up an ASM instance with USMCA, you can use Oracle Enterprise Manager to manage your ASM instance. For more information, see the Oracle Enterprise Manager online help.