Speaking from a business perspective, our main problem is that our particular edition of SuperCluster is now at end-of-life status, making it obsolete and impossible to get support for. This presents a challenge for us, as finding a path to our next solution is not easy.

When it comes to features, I know that Oracle has already done a lot on the software side of things, but everyone has their own wish list for their specific environment and in newer editions of SuperCluster I would like to see new EXAchk data in the cloud environment. In fact, I would prefer if SuperCluster could come with more functionality as seen in Oracle Cloud where it is easier to share data and other things across the board. SuperCluster is already a smart machine, so I understand that it might be difficult to implement all those features, but at a minimum I would appreciate Oracle including more cloud infrastructure functionality. 

Oracle's existing cloud machines are already able to provide all these cloud features that I would like, including the use of containers and hardware-sharing, and it would be great to have these on board for their customers and end-users of SuperCluster.

We are not using the latest version. Our version is a bit old. It's not the latest generation.

They may have made some improvements but based on the version that I am using, it is a little complicated because it is based on the Unix Operating system.

My understanding is that now it is on the Linux Operating System because it is simple to use and more user-friendly. 

The SuperCluster is based on Solaris, which is different than Linux.

They should keep using the Linux Operating System. It's better than Unix. It's easier, more flexible, and used in most of the machines in the world.

Unix is not as easy for the users, it needs more maintenance and costs extra.

In my opinion, the next generation will be Linux-based.

We have faced network connectivity issues. 

A major issue for us is that after the most recent update of SuperCluster, they have now stopped all future production of new versions. That is to say, after M7 there was M8, and now there are no future versions planned (e.g. M9) in the market.

As for features, even though they are not planning new releases, I believe SuperCluster could do better with their administration GUI. At the moment, most of our administration takes place on the command-line because the GUI is inadequate, so an improved GUI would suit us well.

There are many areas for improvement. For example, better guidance in terms of troubleshooting issues relating to ZFS, as well as better tools/diagnostics for monitoring that specific component, to better identify potential issues. Hardware monitoring via OEM 13.2 is not 100 percent, as Ops Center is still required in some instances.

One of the limitations we see is its integration with other things, like other brands of storage or networks, or other brands of databases. So if it had capabilities to integrate really well with DB2 or SQL Server or Hitachi SANs, those sort of things, that would be a real benefit. Right now, it's fully supported only under all Oracle infrastructure.

Out of the box, configuration could be made simpler. The new MiniCluster has the virtual assistant that configures the platform, whereas the SuperCluster does not.

• Stability
• Optimization
• Sustainable overall performance
• Storage savings
• Additional M7 (Software in Silicon features)

The solution is not very user friendly and that could be improved. 

We are not able to upgrade our SuperClass to the latest version, because this solution is more compatible with Oracle. We are not able to run any .NET-based applications and they cannot install Windows. 

The Oracle SuperCluster is specific to Oracle products. They can set up a convergence infrastructure so that you can run both applications, such as Java, non-Java, .NET, and Windows.

The features are limited and we are not able to upgrade this solution. We are not able to integrate our current version with the new, upgraded version.

If they had an application that centralized the administration, not about the monitoring, but for the configuration, it would be better.

We have heard that after the M8 was introduced a couple of years ago, there will be no production.

I would like to see control domain and zone management via a management console, similar to that of OVM.