Before opting to procure Exadata machines, the first thing you need to check is the readiness of your data center to hold these machines. Exadata’s dimensions are similar to other normal racks i.e a 42U rack. The complete details for X5-2 physical site requirements can be found HERE.
This is very important step as, for some data centers its may take months to complete the site requirements and you do not want to put your Exadata in a store due to issues like space unavailability etc. in data centers. There are three important things that you must consider before buying it:
- There should be enough space in data center to hold this machine.
- The power requirement should be considered carefully as the machine will be customized to client specific requirement i.e single phase or three phase. Oracle will ask you, before you place the order, about your power settings in data center. You have to tell them that you want a machine with single phase or three phase power settings. I think this cannot be changed after machine’s delivery, but not sure.
- The most important one is the network requirements. Setting up Exadata will require some heavy pre-calculation for your network. The IPs, network switches, 10G uplinks, patch panels, Fiber ready modules in core switches. Only the management access is through 1G copper wire, whole client access should be done through 10G fiber connectivity.
Once all these things are ready in your data center, you are ready to deploy Exadata.
Also consider any ramps needed to get the gear in place and the power cord connections. The Oracle deployment team usually provides a pretty extensive document on all this.
You dont want the gear sitting around waiting – since you are paying from the time it drops on your site (or before 🙂 )