Oracle Core: Essential Internals for DBAs and Developers

Multiple Data Caches

Oracle allows for a total of eight different data caches: five to allow for different block sizes, three to allow (at least nominally) for variations in behavior. Table 5-1 lists the eight parameters, with comments, that define these caches.

Although it’s not stated explicitly in the manuals, there is a common assumption that the default block size has to be one of the values 2KB, 4KB, 8KB, 16KB, or (when available) 32KB, but technically it is possible to use other sizes. I have created databases with default block sizes of ...