Oracle Exadata Rack Size
| Rack Size | DB Servers | Storage Servers | Typical Use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eighth Rack | 2 | 3 | Dev / Test / DR |
| Quarter Rack | 2 | 5 | Small–Medium Production |
| Half Rack | 4 | 7 | Medium–Large Production |
| Full Rack | 8 | 14 | Large / Mission Critical |
Exadata Interconnect Network / Bond Speed (X5 – X11M)
| Exadata Model | Network Type | Speed Per Port | Bonded Speed |
| X5 | InfiniBand (FDR) | 56 Gbps | 56 Gbps × 2 = 112 Gbps |
| X6 | InfiniBand (FDR) | 56 Gbps | 56 Gbps × 2 = 112 Gbps |
| X7 | InfiniBand (EDR) | 100 Gbps | 100 Gbps × 2 = 200 Gbps |
| X8 | InfiniBand (EDR) | 100 Gbps | 100 Gbps × 2 = 200 Gbps |
| X8M | RoCE (RDMA over Converged Ethernet) | 100 Gbps | 100 Gbps × 2 = 200 Gbps |
| X9M | RoCE | 100 Gbps | 100 Gbps × 2 = 200 Gbps |
| X10M | RoCE | 100 Gbps | 100 Gbps × 2 = 200 Gbps |
| X11M | RoCE | 100 Gbps | 100 Gbps × 2 = 200 Gbps |
Exadata Networking Overview
Oracle Exadata uses a high-speed low-latency internal network connecting
Database Servers, Storage Servers (Cells), and Switches.
This network enables features like Smart Scan, ASM rebalance, RAC cache fusion, and high-speed data transfer.

1. Client Network
| Feature | Description |
|---|---|
| Purpose | Application connections to the database |
| Traffic | SQL queries, application requests |
| Network Type | Standard Ethernet (10Gb / 25Gb / 40Gb / 100Gb) |
| Example Flow | Application → Client Network → SCAN Listener → RAC Node |
2. RAC Private Interconnect
The private interconnect network is used for communication between RAC database nodes.
| Usage | Description |
|---|---|
| Cache Fusion | Transfer blocks between RAC nodes |
| Cluster Heartbeat | Maintains RAC node communication |
| Parallel Query | Data exchange between nodes |
| Exadata Model | Networking Technology |
|---|---|
| X2 – X6 | InfiniBand (40–56 Gb) |
| X7 – X8 | InfiniBand (100 Gb) |
| X8M and Later | RoCE (RDMA over Converged Ethernet) |
3. Storage Network (Database → Storage Cells)
Database nodes communicate with Exadata storage servers using a high-speed RDMA network.
| Feature | Description |
|---|---|
| Smart Scan | Query processing pushed to storage servers |
| Block Reads | Fast data retrieval from storage cells |
| ASM Rebalance | High-speed disk rebalance operations |
| Flash Cache Reads | Access flash storage with very low latency |
Exadata Network Architecture
| Component | Typical Full Rack Count |
|---|---|
| Database Servers | 8 |
| Storage Servers | 12 |
| Network Switches | 2 (Redundant) |
Important Exadata Networking Commands
cat /proc/net/bonding/bondib0 ip addr rdma link ibstat
Key Advantages of Exadata Networking
| Feature | Benefit |
|---|---|
| RDMA | Ultra low latency communication |
| High Bandwidth | Faster query processing |
| Redundant Switches | High availability |
| Bonded Interfaces | Network failover and load balancing |
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Rajasekhar Amudala
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