1

Exploring the Oracle Database Architecture

Copyright © 2007, Oracle. All rights reserved.

 Objectives

After completing this lesson, you should be able to:

• List the major architectural components of Oracle
Database
• Explain the memory structures
• Describe the background processes
• Correlate the logical and physical storage structures

1-2 Copyright © 2007, Oracle. All rights reserved.

 Oracle Database

The Oracle relational database management system

(RDBMS) provides an open, comprehensive, integrated
approach to information management

1-3 Copyright © 2007, Oracle. All rights reserved.

 Connecting to a Server

Client Middle tier Server

Multitier architecture shown

1-4 Copyright © 2007, Oracle. All rights reserved.

 Notes only

1-5 Copyright © 2007, Oracle. All rights reserved.

 Oracle Database Architecture: Overview
Instance

SMON PMON RECO Others

SGA Shared pool

Library
Database cache
Redo log
buffer
buffer
cache Data dictionary
cache
PGA
Server
DBWn CKPT LGWR ARCn
process

User Archived
process Control Online redo log files
Data files files log files
Database

1-6 Copyright © 2007, Oracle. All rights reserved.

 Connecting to the Database

• Connection: Communication between a user process

and an instance
• Session: Specific connection of a user to an instance
through a user process

User Server
SQL> Select … process process
User
Session

Connection

Session

1-7 Copyright © 2007, Oracle. All rights reserved.

 Interacting with an Oracle Database

Instance
User Server
process process SGA
Shared pool

Library
Database cache
Redo log
buffer
buffer
cache Data dictionary
cache

DBWn CKPT LGWR SMON PMON ARCn RECO Others

User

1-8 Copyright © 2007, Oracle. All rights reserved.

 Notes Only

1-9 Copyright © 2007, Oracle. All rights reserved.

 Oracle Database Server Structures
Instance
Memory structures SGA Shared pool

Library
Database cache
User Server Redo log
buffer
process process buffer
cache Data dictionary
cache

Processes DBWn CKPT LGWR SMON PMON ARCn RECO Others

Database

Storage structures

Control Online redo

Data files files log files

1 - 10 Copyright © 2007, Oracle. All rights reserved.

 Oracle Database DB structures
Memory
Memory Structures - Process
- Storage

Server Server Background

PGA PGA PGA
process 1 process 2 process

Data dictionary SGA

Shared
cache
SQL area

Library Other
cache

Redo log Shared pool

buffer
Free
Database buffer I/O buffer
memory
cache
Response Request
Java Streams queue queue
pool pool Large pool

1 - 11 Copyright © 2007, Oracle. All rights reserved.

 Notes Only

1 - 12 Copyright © 2007, Oracle. All rights reserved.

 Database Buffer Cache

• Is part of the SGA

• Holds copies of data blocks that are read from data files
• Is shared by all concurrent users

Instance

SGA Shared pool

Library
Database cache
Redo log
buffer
buffer
cache Data dictionary
cache

DBWn CKPT LGWR SMON PMON ARCn RECO Others

1 - 13 Copyright © 2007, Oracle. All rights reserved.

 Redo Log Buffer

• Is a circular buffer in the SGA

• Holds information about changes made to the database
• Contains redo entries that have the information to redo
changes made by operations such as DML and DDL

Instance

SGA Shared pool

Library
Database cache
Redo log
buffer
buffer
cache Data dictionary
cache

DBWn CKPT LGWR SMON PMON ARCn RECO Others

1 - 14 Copyright © 2007, Oracle. All rights reserved.

 Shared Pool

• Is a portion of the SGA

• Contains:
– Library cache
—
Shared SQL area
– Data dictionary cache
– Control structures
Instance

SGA Shared
Shared pool
SQL area Data dictionary
Library cache
Database cache
Redo log
buffer
buffer
cache Data dictionary
cache Library Other
cache
DBWn CKPT LGWR SMON PMON ARCn RECO Others

1 - 15 Copyright © 2007, Oracle. All rights reserved.

 Notes Only

1 - 16 Copyright © 2007, Oracle. All rights reserved.

 Allocation and Reuse of Memory
in the Shared Pool
• Server process checks the shared pool to see if a
shared SQL area already exists for an identical
statement.
• Server process allocates a private SQL area on behalf of
the session.

Data dictionary
Shared
cache
Server SQL area
process
Library Other
cache

Shared
pool

1 - 17 Copyright © 2007, Oracle. All rights reserved.

 Notes Only

1 - 18 Copyright © 2007, Oracle. All rights reserved.

 Large Pool

Provides large memory allocations for:

• Session memory for the shared server and the Oracle
XA interface
• I/O server processes
• Oracle Database backup and restore operations

Database
Redo log
buffer Shared pool
buffer
cache

Free
I/O buffer
memory
Response Request
queue queue
Java Streams Large pool
pool pool Large pool

1 - 19 Copyright © 2007, Oracle. All rights reserved.

 Java Pool
and Streams Pool
• Java pool memory is used in server memory for all
session-specific Java code and data in the JVM.
• Streams pool memory is used exclusively by Oracle
Streams to:
– Store buffered queue messages
– Provide memory for Oracle Streams processes

Java pool Streams

pool

1 - 20 Copyright © 2007, Oracle. All rights reserved.

 Process Architecture DB structures
- Memory
 Process
• User process - Storage

– Is started when a database user or a batch process

connects to Oracle Database
• Database processes
– Server process: Connects to the Oracle instance and is
started when a user establishes a session
– Background processes: Are started when an Oracle
instance is started Instance

SGA Shared pool

Library
Database cache
Redo log
buffer
buffer
PGA cache Data dictionary
cache
User Server
process process Background processes
DBWn CKPT LGWR SMON PMON ARCn RECO Others

1 - 21 Copyright © 2007, Oracle. All rights reserved.

 Process Structures

Server Server Server Server Server

Server n
processes
SGA
Shared pool
Library
Database
Redo log cache
buffer
buffer SGA
cache Data dictionary
cache

CKPT RECO PMON SMON DBWn LGWR ARCn Others

Oracle
background
processes

1 - 22 Copyright © 2007, Oracle. All rights reserved.

 Notes Only

1 - 23 Copyright © 2007, Oracle. All rights reserved.

 Database Writer Process (DBWn)

Writes modified (dirty) buffers in the database buffer cache

to disk:
• Asynchronously while performing other processing
• Periodically to advance the checkpoint

DBWn

Database buffer Database writer Data files

cache process

1 - 24 Copyright © 2007, Oracle. All rights reserved.

 Notes Only

1 - 25 Copyright © 2007, Oracle. All rights reserved.

 LogWriter Process (LGWR)

• Writes the redo log buffer to a redo log file on disk

• Writes:
– When a user process commits a transaction
– When the redo log buffer is one-third full
– Before a DBWn process writes modified buffers to disk

LGWR

Redo log buffer LogWriter process Redo log files

1 - 26 Copyright © 2007, Oracle. All rights reserved.

1 - 27 Copyright © 2007, Oracle. All rights reserved.
 Checkpoint Process (CKPT)

• Records checkpoint information in

– Control file
– Each data file header

CKPT Control file

Checkpoint
process

Data files

1 - 28 Copyright © 2007, Oracle. All rights reserved.

 System Monitor Process (SMON)

• Performs recovery at instance startup

• Cleans up unused temporary segments

Instance
SMON

System Monitor
process

Temporary
segment

1 - 29 Copyright © 2007, Oracle. All rights reserved.

 Process Monitor Process (PMON)

• Performs process recovery when a user process fails

– Cleans up the database buffer cache
– Frees resources that are used by the user process
• Monitors sessions for idle session timeout
• Dynamically registers database services with listeners

PMON User
Failed user
process
Process Monitor
process
Database buffer
cache

1 - 30 Copyright © 2007, Oracle. All rights reserved.

 Recoverer Process

• Used with the distributed database configuration

• Automatically connects to other databases involved in
in-doubt distributed transactions
• Automatically resolves all in-doubt transactions
• Removes any rows that correspond to in-doubt
transactions

RECO

Recoverer process In-doubt transaction

in database A in database B

1 - 31 Copyright © 2007, Oracle. All rights reserved.

 Archiver Processes (ARCn)

• Copy redo log files to a designated storage device after

a log switch has occurred
• Can collect transaction redo data and transmit that data
to standby destinations

ARCn

Archiver process Copies of redo log Archive destination

files

1 - 32 Copyright © 2007, Oracle. All rights reserved.

 Other Processes

• MMON: Performs manageability-related background

tasks
• MMNL: Performs frequent and lightweight
manageability-related tasks
• MMAN: Performs automatic memory management tasks
• CJQ0: Runs user jobs used in batch processing
• QMNx: Monitors the Streams Advanced Queuing
message queues

1 - 33 Copyright © 2007, Oracle. All rights reserved.

 Notes Only

1 - 34 Copyright © 2007, Oracle. All rights reserved.

 Server Process and Database
Buffer Cache

Buffers:
SGA
• Pinned
Server
Database • Clean
process
buffer
cache • Free or unused
• Dirty

DBWn

Database
Data files writer
process

1 - 35 Copyright © 2007, Oracle. All rights reserved.

 Database Storage Architecture DB structures
- Memory
- Process
 Storage

Control files Data files Online redo log files

Parameter file Backup files Archived redo log

files

Password file Alert log and trace files

1 - 36 Copyright © 2007, Oracle. All rights reserved.

 Notes Only

1 - 37 Copyright © 2007, Oracle. All rights reserved.

 Logical and Physical Database Structures

Logical Physical

Database

Schema Tablespace Data file

Segment

Extent

Oracle data
OS block
block

1 - 38 Copyright © 2007, Oracle. All rights reserved.

 Notes Only

1 - 39 Copyright © 2007, Oracle. All rights reserved.

 Tablespaces and Data Files

• Tablespaces consist of one or more data files.

• Data files belong to only one tablespace.

Data file 1 Data file 2

USERS tablespace

1 - 40 Copyright © 2007, Oracle. All rights reserved.

 SYSTEM and SYSAUX Tablespaces

• The SYSTEM and SYSAUX tablespaces are mandatory

tablespaces that are created at the time of database
creation. They must be online.
• The SYSTEM tablespace is used for core functionality (for
example, data dictionary tables).
• The auxiliary SYSAUX tablespace is used for additional
database components (such as the Enterprise Manager
Repository).

1 - 41 Copyright © 2007, Oracle. All rights reserved.

 Segments, Extents, and Blocks

• Segments exist in a tablespace.

• Segments are collections of extents.
• Extents are collections of data blocks.
• Data blocks are mapped to disk blocks.

Segment Extents Data Disk

blocks blocks

1 - 42 Copyright © 2007, Oracle. All rights reserved.

 Database Architecture:
Summary of Structural Components
• Memory structures:
– System Global Area (SGA): Database buffer cache, redo
buffer, and various pools
– Program Global Area (PGA)
• Process structures:
– User process and server process
– Background processes: SMON, PMON, DBWn, CKPT,
LGWR, ARCn, and so on
• Storage structures:
– Logical: Database, schema, tablespace, segment, extent,
and Oracle block
– Physical: Data files, control files, and redo log files

1 - 43 Copyright © 2007, Oracle. All rights reserved.

 Summary

In this lesson, you should have learned how to:

• List the major architectural components of Oracle
Database
• Explain the memory structures
• Describe the background processes
• Correlate the logical and physical storage structures

1 - 44 Copyright © 2007, Oracle. All rights reserved.

 Practice 1: Overview

This is a paper practice with questions about:

• Database architecture
• Memory
• Processes
• File structures

1 - 45 Copyright © 2007, Oracle. All rights reserved.

1 - 46 Copyright © 2007, Oracle. All rights reserved.