Automatic Storage Management in Oracle Database 11g Release 2 extends ASM functionality to become a general purpose files system. ASM simplifies, automates, and reduces cost and overhead by providing a unified and integrated solution for all your file management needs. It also eliminates the need for third-party volume managers, filesystems, and clusterware storage management, thereby providing value for Oracle customers. ASM 11g Release 2 introduces the following key enhancements:
General purpose ASM Cluster File System (ACFS)
ASM Dynamic Volume Manager (ADVM)
Snapshot data service for ACFS
Oracle Clusterware OCR and Voting File Support
Extensions for system and database administrators
Functional enhancements
Tunable performance
ASM architecture is an overall end-to-end integrated solution fulfilling the client's requirements for Oracle databases and RAC natively, providing a platform for all other third-party applications and filesystems...