Oracle Clusterware uses policy-based management of servers and resources used by Oracle databases or applications.

Oracle Clusterware has server pools, where resources that Oracle Clusterware manages are contained in logical groups of servers called server pools. Resources are hosted on a shared infrastructure and are contained within server pools. Resources are no longer defined as belonging to a specific instance or node. Instead, the priority of resource requirements is defined. In an Oracle Flex Cluster, you can use server pools to run particular types of workloads on cluster member nodes, while providing simplified administration options. You can use a cluster configuration policy set to provide dynamic management of cluster policies across the cluster.

Starting with Oracle Grid Infrastructure 21c, policy-managed databases are deprecated.

You can continue to use existing server pools, and create new pools and policies. Resources using existing server pools can continue to use them transparently.