In this blog, I have covered an Overview of Exadata Cloud@Customer(ExaCC)
Oracle Exadata is highly available and highly performant; it’s the most secure architecture for running Oracle Database.
Topics we’ll cover in this blog:
- About Exadata
- Why Exadata
- What is Exadata Cloud@Customer?
- Why choose Exadata Cloud@Customer?
- Common Tasks for DBAs
- Preparation for Exadata Cloud@Customer
- Create ExaCC Using Console
- ExaCC Create DB Homes
About Exadata
Exadata is a database appliance designed by Oracle that has the competency to provide support to a combination of database systems such as OLTP (On-line Transaction Processing) and OLAP (Online Analytical Processing), the transactional and analytical database systems respectively.
Exadata offers its users an enhanced functionality relating to enterprise-class databases and their associated workloads. Exadata can reduce your data center footprint and accelerate time to market for mission-critical workloads.
Why Exadata?
The Oracle Exadata Database Machine is the World’s most secure database machine. It is engineered to be the top-performing and best available platform for running the Oracle Database. This simple and fast to implement machine protects and powers your most important database and is the perfect foundation for a consolidated database cloud.
The best place to consolidate databases in the cloud.
- Multi-version support simplifies consolidation (11.2.04 – 19c)
- Scalable resources enable greater consolidation
- Storage capacity increases efficiency
- Resource management increases predictability
- Redundancy increases uptimeConsolidation increases performance and lowers costs
Check/read more about Exadata overview & architecture
What is Exadata Cloud@Customer?
- Exadata Cloud@Customer uniquely combines the world’s #1 database technology and Exadata, the most powerful database platform, with the simplicity, agility, and elasticity of a cloud-based deployment.
- It runs the same Oracle Exadata Database Service as in the public cloud but is located in customers’ own data centers and it is managed by Oracle Cloud. It enables a consistent Exadata cloud experience for customers – whether on-premises or in Oracle Cloud Infrastructure data centers.
- Oracle Exadata Database Service on Exadata Cloud@Customer delivers the world’s most advanced database cloud to customers who require their databases to be located on-premises.
- Exadata Cloud at Customer also comes with cloud-specific software tools that assist with administration tasks, such as backup, recovery, and patching.
- Exadata Cloud at Customer uses virtual machine (VM) technology to separate the customer-managed and Oracle-managed components on each compute node. You have root privilege for the Exadata compute node VMs, so you can manage the Oracle Database, Oracle Grid Infrastructure, and Exadata system software.
- Databases deployed on Exadata Cloud@Customer are 100% compatible with both existing on-premises databases and databases that are deployed in Oracle Cloud Infrastructure.
Image Source: Oracle
Check Out: Our blog post on Oracle PAYG Model.
Why choose Exadata Cloud@Customer?
1. Optimized Oracle Database Performance: Eliminate virtually all of the complexity associated with managing and securing databases on-premises. Oracle manages the hardware and automates provisioning, configuring, tuning, scaling, securing, backing up, and repairing databases.
2. Oracle Cloud Automation: Simply managing database throughout their lifecycle which includes creation, regular usage, and protection using oracle cloud automation with Exadata Cloud@Customer.
Image Source: Oracle
3. Rapid Provisioning: Easily provision a database with just a few clicks.
4.Simple Management: Support for Disaster Recovery through Data Guard. Use a Wizard to quickly configure and deploy high availability and disaster recovery capabilities.
5. Elastic Scaling Benefits: Scale active OCPUs and down without interrupting database operations using the Oracle Cloud Infrastructure portal. command-line interface, Rest APIs, SDKs, or Terraform, or let Autonomous Database do it for you.
User-controlled or on-demand scaling allows enterprises to meet peak daily, monthly, or seasonal demand and reduce costs at other times.
Image Source: Oracle
6. VM Cluster Scaling: Get full visibility into the progress of the scaling operation.
7. Patching Automation: Patch sets are pre-tested across the entire stack. A simplified patch application accelerates deployment and removes many potential sources of human error.
8. License Flexibility with BYOL (Bring Your Own License): Consumption-based pricing with a choice of an all-inclusive software subscription or bring-your-own-license(BYOL) pricing model helps customers leverage existing software investments.
A single click in the OCI interface allows users to switch between pricing models without impacting database operations.
Image Source: Oracle
9. Strong Security: Robust database capabilities and operational practices help protect data against unauthorized access or loss. Exadata Cloud@Customer comes with maximum security enabled.
Common Tasks for DBAs
You as a DBA would face some database administration tasks such as creating tablespaces and managing database users, Patching, Backup & restore, Upgrade etc. You can also customize the default automated maintenance setup, and you control the recovery process in response to a database failure.
There is some more task for DBAs:
Components managed
- Exadata storage servers and physical database servers
- Power distribution units (PDUs)
- RoCE network and switches
- Management switch
- Control plane servers
- Oracle KVM (hypervisor)
- Exadata system software and all firmware
Monitoring activities
- Exadata Cloud@Customer infrastructure layer incident monitoring, management, and root cause analysis
Threshold performance analysis
Maintenance Activities
- Bug and security fixes inside the hypervisor
- Exadata System Software updates and upgrades
- Firmware updates and upgrades to any of the hardware components including networking components and RoCE switches
- Proactive infrastructure upgrades to update software and firmware as required
Preparation for Exadata Cloud@Customer
If you prepare to create Exadata Cloud@Customer. There are some points that you should know before creation.
1. Review Site Requirements: First you should check your Site Requirements. like, Space Requirements, Weight of Oracle Exadata Cloud X8 Racks, Receiving, Unpacking, and Access, Flooring, Electrical Power, Cooling, and temperature controls.
2. Network Requirements
- Client network: Used for client access to the database servers. The client access network uses a pair of network interfaces on each database server, which is connected to the customer network.
- Backup network: Similar to the client access network used specifically backups and bulk data transfer. Oracle recommends that you use channel bonding for the backup network.
- Control plane network: This virtual private network (VPN) connects the two control plane servers that are located in the Exadata Cloud at Customer rack to Oracle Cloud Infrastructure. Facilitates secure monitoring and administration of the Oracle-managed infrastructure components in Exadata Cloud at Customer.
- Administration network: This network connects Exadata Cloud at Customer servers and switches to the two control plane servers..Each Oracle Database server and Exadata Storage Server has two network interfaces connected to the administration network.
- InfiniBand network: Connects the database servers, Exadata Storage Servers, and control plane servers using the InfiniBand switches on the rack. Oracle Database uses this network for Oracle RAC cluster interconnect traffic, and for accessing data on Exadata Storage Servers. .IP addresses that are allocated to the InfiniBand network must not exist elsewhere in the corporate network.
3. IP Addresses and Subnets
The precise number of IP addresses depends on the Exadata system shape. These network configuration details, including hostnames and IP addresses, are specified when you create a VM cluster network.
4. Uplinks for Exadata Cloud at Customer
- Control Plane Servers: Four uplinks (2 per server) are required to connect the control plane servers to your corporate network and the control plane virtual private network (VPN).
- Compute Node Connections: Typically, four uplinks are required for each compute node to connect to your corporate network. Two uplinks support the client network and the other two uplinks support the backup network. Oracle recommends that you do not use shared network interfaces because sharing networks compromise the bandwidth and availability of both networks.
5. Provisioning an Oracle Exadata Cloud at Customer system is a collaborative process
- You create the Oracle Exadata Cloud at Customer infrastructure.
- You generate a file containing the infrastructure configuration details and provide it to Oracle.
- The Oracle Exadata Cloud at Customer system is physically installed in your data center.
- Oracle uses the infrastructure configuration file to perform the initial system configuration. At the end of this task, Oracle supplies you with an activation file.
- You activate the Exadata Cloud at Customer infrastructure by using the supplied activation file.
Note: After these steps, your Oracle Exadata Cloud at Customer system is ready for you to use and now you can create a virtual machine (VM) cluster, and later create some databases.
Create ExaCC Using Console
1) Register & Log in to the Oracle free Cloud account.
Note: First, you should have an Oracle Free Cloud Account and if you don’t have one, then you can register FREE using my step-by-step video & guide that I covered in episode 30. You can get it by visiting Free Guide
2) To Create Exadata Infrastructure :
Open the navigation menu and select Exadata Cloud@Customer . Under Oracle Databases.
and under Exadata Cloud@Customer, click on Exadata Infrastructure, createExadata Infrastructure.
3) Fill in all the details and click on Create Exadata Infrastructure.
4) After completing these above steps your ExaCC Infrastructure will be in creating state.
5) The last step in the continuation of creating ExaCC is, Activate the ExaCC Infrastructure instance by uploading the activation file. The activation file is provided to you by oracle and is generated as a part of provisioning the ExaCC System.
ExaCC Create DB Homes
You can add Oracle Database homes to an existing VM cluster by using the Oracle Cloud Infrastructure Console, the API, or the CLI.
- Open the navigation menu. Under Database, click Exadata Cloud at Customer.VM Clusters is selected by default.
- Choose your Compartment. A list of VM Clusters is displayed for the chosen Compartment.
- In the list of VM clusters, click the VM cluster on which you want to create the Database Home
- Under Resources, click Database Homes
- Click Create Database Home
- Click Create
When the Database Home creation is complete, the status changes from Provisioning to Available.
Note:- After Home install, patch to the latest if the latest patch is available.
References
- [Video] Exadata Deployment Options: Cloud Service (ExaCS) vs Cloud at Customer (ExaCC) vs Exadata Machine
- Oracle OCI vs OCI – C (Gen 1 vs Gen 2)
- Exadata Overview & Architecture
- Oracle Cloud Database Deployment Options
- Exadata X8M On Oracle Cloud (OCI)
Next Task For You
If you want to upgrade your career from an Oracle DBA to Oracle Cloud DBA, and wants to clear Oracle Cloud Database Service Specialist[1Z0-1093-21] & Oracle Cloud Autonomous Database Certification[1Z0-931-21] with 18 Hands-On labs, then register for a FREE class, and don’t miss an opportunity to gain a plethora of insights on becoming a certified Oracle Cloud DBA.
KRISHNAKANT NIRALA says
Dear Atul,
I am grateful for your insightful explanation of Exadata Cloud at Customer (CC) and Cloud Service (CS). Your explanation regarding public and private subnets was constructive.
Thank you once again!
Rahul Dangayach says
Hi Krishnakant,
We are glad that you liked our blog and that this blog helped you.
Please stay tuned for more informative blogs.
Thanks & Regards
Rahul Dangayach
Team K21 Academy