How to Use Oracle RAC in a Cloud? - A Support Question

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How to use Oracle Real ApplicaCon Clusters (RAC) in a Cloud? – A Support QuesCon

Markus Michalewicz Senior Director of Product Management, Oracle RAC Development November 11, 2016

[email protected] @OracleRACpm hTp://www.linkedin.com/in/markusmichalewicz hTp://www.slideshare.net/MarkusMichalewicz

Copyright © 2016, Oracle and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. | 3

To help you answer ques0ons like the one below Why I Created this PresentaCon…

I have a customer (IHAC) using Oracle 12c on Windows 2012 R2 with MSCS and Oracle Failsafe . The underlying storage cluster solu0on is HP 3par peer persistence.

Kindly confirm, is HP 3par peer persistence

cer0fied by Oracle on Windows?

Received: 10/12/16, 7:29 AM


It’s a mul0-‐dimensional problem The Problem with DocumenCng Supported ConfiguraCons

The soluCon is to break it down in handle-‐able chunks.


Program Agenda

General Oracle Database Support

General Oracle RAC Support Rules

CerCfied, Supported & Recommended

VirtualizaCon Technologies Support

Oracle RAC Support in the Cloud

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Program Agenda






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Terminology for this PresentaCon •  “Cer%fica%on” describes the process of tesCng a given configuraCon for the purpose of supporCng it.

•  “Cer%fied” describes that a given configuraCon has been tested (by Oracle). •  “Supported” means that a given configura%on is eligible to retrieve technical support provided by Oracle.

•  “Determining Support” means to find out whether a given configuraCon is “supported” by Oracle.

• Notes: 1.  CerCficaCon is not prerequisite for a configuraCon to be supported! 2.  A cerCfied configuraCon is always supported.

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General rules and regulaCons govern the support for the

Oracle Database.

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If “general rules and regulaCons” (alone) do not cover a given case, CerCfy should be consulted for

details.

If “CerCfy” does not cover a case, check for “excepCons” and “special rulings” in My Oracle

Support (MOS) Notes or request clarificaCon via a Service Request.

Support Basics for the Oracle Database – Part 1


General rule: The Oracle Database is cerCfied on OS-‐level, not on hardware-‐level.

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General rule: Storage that represents itself as

block storage to the OS does not require cerCficaCon.

File System support is subject to “special ruling” (see MOS note “Supported and Recommended File Systems on Linux – Doc ID

236826.1”) for example.

Support Basics for the Oracle Database – Part 2

Note 1: Icon size is random. Note 2: Not a complete list of supported OS.

Tip: Oracle ASM avoids a lot of cerCficaCon quesCons therefore.


Punng “1+1” Together – Examples

Can I use my EMC storage with the Oracle 11.2.0.4?

§ YES, assuming that the storage coming from the EMC storage represents itself as block storage.

Is Oracle 11.2.0.4 with EMC storage

on OL 6.4 supported?

§ The storage part is covered as per the previous quesCon. For the OS support, CerCfy needs

to be checked. (“layered” approach)


Is the Oracle Database in version 11.2.0.4 supported on Oracle Linux 6.4? Using CerCfy – Part 1


Review “Cer0fica0on Details for Notes and Support informa0on.” Using CerCfy – Part 2


Support Basics for the Oracle Database – Conclusions • Determining support for a given configuraCon means considering: 1.  General rules and regulaCons 2.  CerCfy 3.  ExcepCons and special ruling

•  Support for the Oracle Database is “layered” – A system is only supported for the Oracle Database, if all layers are supported. – Example: In a given system, in which the OS is cerCfied, but the file system (which is subject to “special ruling”) is not, the Oracle Database cannot be supported using the unsupported file system (FS) for database files. •  The FS might sCll be eligible to host the Oracle Home while other FSs can be used for database files.

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Program Agenda






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Oracle RAC can only be supported on a system that is supported for

the Oracle Database.

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To determine support for Oracle RAC on a given system, certain

hardware requirements as listed in the “RAC Technology Support Matrixes” need to be met.

AddiConally, all requirements listed in the Oracle DocumentaCon for the Oracle Grid Infrastructure InstallaCon guide need to be met.

Support Basics for Oracle RAC – Part 1


RAC Technology CompaCbility Matrix (RTCM) RTCM for Linux

http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/database/

clustering/tech-generic-linux-new-086754.html

RTCM for Unix

http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/database/

clustering/tech-generic-unix-new-166583.html

RTCM for Windows: h^p://www.oracle.com/technetwork/database/clustering/tech-‐generic-‐windows-‐new-‐166584.html


Network requirements (network cards & switches) need to be considered for Oracle RAC. They are covered in the RTCMs and the

Oracle DocumentaCon.

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Storage requirements (shared storage & access protocols) need to be considered for Oracle

RAC. They are covered in the RTCMs and the Oracle DocumentaCon.

CerCfy must be consulted as soon as Oracle RAC is meant to

be operated together with a third party cluster soluCon or a third party cluster file system.

Support Basics for Oracle RAC – Part 2

Cluster A

Oracle Cluster

Best PracCces (BP) suggest to avoid using any third party cluster with RAC.


Ques0on: Can I use Oracle RAC 12.1.0.2 with Veritas Cluster on Linux? Using CerCfy – Part 1


YES: Can I use Oracle RAC 12.1.0.2 with Veritas Cluster on Linux? Using CerCfy – Part 2

Best PracCces (BP) suggest to avoid using any third party cluster with RAC.


Punng “1+1” Together – Example

Can I build a 4-‐node Oracle RAC 12.1 cluster using Dell PowerEdge R330 Servers and HP MSA2012 storage?

Determining Support: 1.  OS informaCon is missing!

•  AssumpCons need to be made

2.  Dell PowerEdge R330 Servers •  Can run “supportable OS” •  By default come with 2*1GbE cards

•  Good enough for support purposes, but not for BP

3.  HP MSA2012 is an outdated storage, but for support-‐purposes this is fine. •  This is an SCSI Drive Case

NO, as the storage is a SCSI Drive Case. Direct aTached SCSI storage is supported for a maximum of 2 nodes

only as per RTCM.


Support Basics for Oracle RAC – Conclusions •  Determining support for a given configuraCon means considering: 1.  Support for the Oracle Database 2.  The Oracle RAC Technology CompaCbility Matrixes (RTCM) 3.  Oracle DocumentaCon regarding further requirements 4.  Third party cluster soluCons and third party cluster file systems as needed

•  Support for Oracle RAC is “layered” and does consider hardware to some degree – A system is only supported for Oracle RAC, if all layers are supported. – Example: In a given system, in which the Oracle Database is supported, but which fails to meet network or storage requirements for Oracle RAC, cannot be supported for Oracle RAC.

– This means, a system that is supported for Oracle RAC is always supported for the Oracle DB.

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Program Agenda






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More Terminology (for this PresentaCon) •  “Cer%fied” describes that a given configuraCon has been tested (by Oracle). •  “Supported” means that a given configuraCon is eligible to retrieve technical support provided by Oracle.

•  “Recommended” means that a given configuraCon is preferred over other soluCons, although other soluCons may sCll be supported. – RecommendaCons are oten provided as part of Best PracCces (BP)

• Notes: 1.  CerCficaCon is not prerequisite for a configuraCon to be supported! 2.  A cerCfied configuraCon is always supported.

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CerCfied, Supported and Recommended ConfiguraCons Supported

ConfiguraCons

CerCfied ConfiguraCons

Recommended ConfiguraCons

Graphics do not scale!

Recommended configuraCons are typically “not on the edge”.

Recommended ConfiguraCons


The Problem with Choices…

Venus

Oracle GI Oracle RAC

Virtualization Operating System

Earth



Storage Layer

Storage Access Layer

VirtualizaCon Layer

OperaCng System Layer

Sotware Layer

Server Hardware Layer

Network Layer


The Problem with Choices … A SoluCon

Venus



Earth



Storage Layer

Storage Access Layer

VirtualizaCon Layer

OperaCng System Layer

Sotware Layer

Server Hardware Layer

Network Layer


Using a mainstream solu0on usually leads to smoother day-‐to-‐day opera0ons For High Availability SoluCons Uniqueness Does Not Pay Off

Supported Configura0ons

Recommended Configura0on


Program Agenda






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The Virtualiza0on Matrix is Oracle’s single source of truth for

“Supported Virtualiza%on and Par%%oning Technologies for Oracle Database and RAC Product Releases”

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General rule: Oracle’s DocumentaCon is based on the idea of a posiCve list!

I.E. a configuraCon that is not listed is – if in doubt – not supported.

If the “Virtualiza0on Matrix ” does not cover a case (directly or

indirectly), check for “excepCons” and “special rulings” in My Oracle Support (MOS) Notes or request clarificaCon via a Service Request.

Support Basics for VirtualizaCon Technologies Best PracCces suggest to avoid using most

virtualizaCon technologies with RAC.


h^p://www.oracle.com/technetwork/database/virtualiza0onmatrix-‐172995.html The VirtualizaCon Matrix

Covering posiCve list for future versions.

RAC One Node follows RAC CerCficaCon


Oracle VM and Vmware are treated as special ruling cases Using The VirtualizaCon Matrix

•  Oracle VM is the only fully supported and cerCfied VM-‐based virtualizaCon soluCon for Oracle RAC.

•  For more informaCon, see: •  Oracle Real ApplicaCon Clusters in Oracle VM Environments •  MOS note “CerCfied Sotware on Oracle VM (Doc ID 464754.1)”

•  Vmware support is regulated in MOS note: “Support Posi%on for Oracle Products Running on VMWare Virtualized Environments (Doc ID 249212.1)”:

•  Note: Oracle has not cer%fied any of its products on VMware. For Oracle RAC, Oracle will only accept Service Requests as described in this note on Oracle RAC 11.2.0.2 and later releases.


Punng “1+1” Together – A MulCdimensional Example

IHAC considering RAC One Node on Microsot Hyper-‐V using Windows server as the OS.

QuesCons: 1) Is RAC cerCfied on Hyper-‐V?

2) Is it supported? 3) If RAC is supported on Hyper-‐

V, how will it be setup? 4) Can we use the Hyper-‐V

shared disk feature or shall we go for physical LUNs from the

SAN storage instead? Received: 11/3/16, 4:54 PM


A MulCdimensional Example – Determining Support Step 1

IHAC considering RAC One Node on Microsoh Hyper-‐V using Windows server as the OS.

QuesCons: 1) Is RAC cerCfied on Hyper-‐V?





Determining Support:

•  The exact OS informaCon is missing! •  Consult the Virtualiza0on Matrix

RAC One Node follows RAC CerCficaCon




Ques0ons: 1) Is RAC cer0fied on Hyper-‐V?





Determining Support: •  The VirtualizaCon Matrix says “cerCfied”:




Ques0ons: 1) Is RAC cerCfied on Hyper-‐V?




SAN storage instead?

Determining Support: •  Any cerCfied soluCon is supported!

•  The answer therefore is:

YES, Oracle RAC in version 11.2.0.4 and 12.1.0.2 are supported

assuming at least Windows Server 2012

is used with 11.2.0.4 and at least Windows Server 2012 R2 Gen 2

is used for 12.1.0.2. Received: 11/3/16, 4:54 PM


A MulCdimensional Example – The “Extra” QuesCon 3)







•  QuesCons 3) and 4) are not support quesCons; they are BP quesCons.

•  Note: Oracle does not provide best pracCces (BP) for virtualizaCon soluCons that it does not own (here: Hyper-‐V) •  Reason: VirtualizaCon soluCons are meant

to be transparent and hence, standard documentaCon should be sufficient to set up an Oracle Database and RAC within it.

•  Thus, quesCon 3) cannot be answered by Oracle regarding the generic Hyper-‐V part. Received:

11/3/16, 4:54 PM


A MulCdimensional Example – The “Extra” QuesCon 4)







•  QuesCons 3) and 4) are not support quesCons; they are BP quesCons.

•  For quesCon 4), the requirement for Oracle RAC is to have “shared disk storage”.

•  As Oracle does not cerCfy against specific features (unless explicitly stated), the “Hyper-‐V shared disk feature” is unknown.

•  Oracle does know, however, that physical LUNs from the SAN are likely to work and make the stack simpler. Why not use them? Received:

11/3/16, 4:54 PM


Support Basics for VirtualizaCon Technologies -‐ Conclusions •  Determining support for a given configuraCon means considering: 1.  The Virtualiza0on Matrix 2.  The Oracle DocumentaCon, which is based on a posiCve-‐list idea 3.  Special ruling, which is more common for virtualizaCon soluCons 4.  Common Sense

•  Support for Oracle RAC is “layered” and does consider virtualizaCon technologies – A system is only supported for Oracle RAC, if all layers are supported. – There is no implied cerCficaCon for Oracle RAC on virtualizaCon soluCons. – Example: A configuraCon that is cerCfied by all measures on a bare metal system is not automaCcally cerCfied in a virtualized environment. A posiCve list entry is needed.

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Program Agenda






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Oracle RAC is fully cer0fied in the Oracle Cloud via the Exadata

Service and as an DBaaS offering.

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Azure provides an ability to run Oracle RAC over a min. of

three Azure IaaS instances. This setup is “supportable”.

AWS provides an ability to run Oracle RAC over a min. of

three EC2 IaaS instances. AWS is unsupported for RAC.

Support Basics for Oracle RAC “in the Common Clouds”

h^p://www.oracle.com/technetwork/database/op0ons/clustering/overview/rac-‐cloud-‐support-‐2843861.pdf


What is different for Microsoh’s Azure and Amazon’s AWS? – Part 1 What does “ability to run RAC over 3 IaaS instances” mean?

•  Most clouds do not provide shared storage naCvely. •  “NaCvely” means “as part of their standard offer”.

•  RAC requires shared storage. Per RTCM: •  iSCSI and NFS are supported for Oracle RAC •  RestricCon: “The accessed storage must be

supported by the system and storage vendors.”

•  Using one instance as an NFS / iSCSI server, which provides shared storage to “RAC compute nodes” is a “supportable” setup following RTCM regulaCon.

•  As long as the OS, network and other layers are supported, a cloud could be a supported configuraCon (e.g. Microsot Azure).


What is different for Microsoh’s Azure and Amazon’s AWS? – Part 2 What does “ability to run RAC over 3 IaaS instances” mean?

•  Amazon AWS is not supported by “special ruling” •  See MOS Note “Oracle Database Support for

Amazon AWS EC2 (Doc ID 2174134.1)”, which states (amongst staCng other regulaCons):

“Only single instance (non-‐Real Applica%on Clusters) configura%ons of the Oracle Database are supported

on AWS EC2.”

•  MSFT Azure provides a “supportable configuraCon” as described. Using “Common Sense”, however, one should review whether this approach meets the “uniqueness factor”. •  ATempts to cerCfy Microsot Azure for RAC

have been delayed and are presently at a halt.


Oracle conCnues to support Oracle RAC in the Oracle Cloud via

Exadata Service and as an DBaaS offering, which is planned to scale

beyond the current 2-‐nodes.

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General rule: As long as an IaaS Cloud meets

Oracle RAC requirements (e.g. network and storage) it is “supportable” for RAC.

Expect to see “special ruling” for Public Cloud and IaaS soluCons. PaaS offerings are generally subject

to “special ruling”

Oracle RAC in the Cloud – Where is it Going?


Support Basics for Oracle RAC in the Cloud – Conclusions • Determining support for a given configuraCon means considering: 1.  General Oracle Database support rules as discussed 2.  Oracle RAC support rules as discussed 3.  Most VirtualizaCon Technology support does not apply 4.  Special ruling, which is more common for the Cloud

•  Support for Oracle RAC in the Cloud is sCll “layered” – A system is only supported for Oracle RAC, if all layers are supported. – IaaS Cloud soluCons are treated as server and oten subject to special ruling, as the underlying or used technology may not be transparent enough for general rules.

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To help you answer ques0ons like the one below Why I Created this PresentaCon…

I have a customer (IHAC) using Oracle 12c on Windows 2012 R2

with MSCS and Oracle Failsafe . The underlying storage cluster solu0on is

HP 3par peer persistence.

Kindly confirm, is HP 3par peer persistence cer0fied by Oracle on

Windows?

Received: 10/12/16, 7:29 AM

The answer is: YES, they can use this storage with the Oracle

DB. For all other quesCons they should ask the OS &

Cluster vendor.