Automatic
Storage Management (ASM) is a new feature of Oracle Database 10g which provides a vertical integration of the
file system and volume manager specifically built for the Oracle database
files. ASM distributes I/O load across all available resource to optimize
performance while removing the need for Manual
I/O tuning (spreading out the database files avoids hot spots . ASM helps DBAs
manage a dynamic database environment by allowing them to grow the database
size without having to shut down the database to adjust the storage allocation.
Automatic
Storage Management allows the DBA to define a pool of storage (called a disk
groups) and then the Oracle kernel manages the file naming and placement of the
database files on that pool of storage. The DBA can change the storage
allocation (adding or removing disks) with new SQL commands (create disk group,
alter disk group and drop disk group). One can also manage the disk groups by
using Enterprise Manager (EM) and the Database Configuration Assistant (DBCA).
The
Oracle Database 10g provides DBAs
a simplified management interface for storage resources. Automatic Storage
Management eliminates the need for manual I/O performance tuning. It
virtualizes storage to a set of disk groups and provides redundancy options to
enable a high level of protection. ASM facilitates non-intrusive storage
configuration changes with automatic rebalancing. It spreads database files across
all available storage to optimize performance and resource utilization. It is a
capability that saves DBAs time by automating manual storage and thereby
increasing their ability to manage larger databases and more of them with
increased efficiency.
