11g里出现了一个新角色。
Oracle Grid Infrastructure

http://download.oracle.com/docs/cd/E11882_01/install.112/e10840/oraclerestart.htm#LADBI999

The Oracle grid infrastructure for a standalone server is the Oracle software that provides system support for an Oracle database including volume management, file system, and automatic restart capabilities. If you plan to use Oracle Restart or Automatic Storage Management, you must install the grid infrastructure before installing your database. The grid infrastructure for a standalone server is the software that includes Oracle Restart and Automatic Storage Management. Oracle combined the two infrastructure products into a single set of binaries that is installed as the grid infrastructure home. The grid infrastructure should be installed before installing Oracle Database 11g Release 2.

Automatic Storage Management is a volume manager and a file system for Oracle database files that supports single-instance Oracle Database and Oracle Real Application Clusters (Oracle RAC) configurations. Automatic Storage Management also supports a general purpose file system for your application needs including Oracle Database binaries. Automatic Storage Management is Oracle’s recommended storage management solution that provides an alternative to conventional volume managers, file systems, and raw devices.

Oracle Restart improves the availability of your Oracle database by providing the following:

When there is a hardware or a software failure, Oracle Restart automatically starts all Oracle components, including Oracle database instance, Oracle Net Listener, database services, and Automatic Storage Management.

Oracle Restart starts up components in the proper order when the database host is restarted.

Oracle Restart runs periodic checks to monitor the health of Oracle components. If a check operation fails for a component, then the component is shut down and restarted.

Note:
If you want to use Automatic Storage Management or Oracle Restart, then you must first install Oracle grid infrastructure for a standalone server and then install Oracle Database.

Oracle Restart is used in single-instance (non-clustered) environments only.