To do so, it provides tools to manage file systems and volumes directly inside the database, allowing database administrators (DBAs) to control volumes and disks with familiar SQL statements in standard Oracle environments.
In addition to the existing Oracle background processes, ASM introduces two new ones - OSMB and RBAL.
ASM extends the Oracle Managed Files (OMF) functionality[1] that also includes striping and mirroring to provide balanced and secure storage.
The locations and names for the files are controlled by ASM, but user-friendly aliases and directory structures can be defined by the DBA for ease of reference.
In the case of normal and high mirrors, good practice suggests having fail groups that talk to different controllers for performance and fail-safe reasons.