Optimal Flexible Architecture (OFA)

The Optimal Flexible Architecture standard helps you to organize database software and configure databases to allow multiple databases, of different versions, owned by different users to coexist. Optimal Flexible Architecture assists in identification of ORACLE_BASE with its Automatic Diagnostic Repository (ADR) diagnostic data to properly collect incidents.

All Oracle components on the installation media are compliant with Optimal Flexible Architecture. Oracle Universal Installer places Oracle Database components in directory locations, assigning the default permissions that follow Optimal Flexible Architecture guidelines.

Oracle recommends that you use Optimal Flexible Architecture, specially if the database grows in size, or if you plan to have multiple database.

Oracle有灵活的文件目录结构，具体表现在：

　　1， 能将数据文件，二进制文件，日志文件，控制文件写在不同的磁盘上

　　2， 数据库的文件能很容易与平台中的其它文件区别开来。

　　3， 容易确定控制文件，redo日志文件和数据文件

　　4， 能很容易的在同一machine 上管理多个Oracle Homes，通过将它们各自的文件放在不同的disk和directory里面。

　　5， 将文件放在不同的磁盘上，这样加快了执行的效率。