In this blog, I covered Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) External Database Service and how External DB Service works?
With the use of OCI’s External Database service, you can now manage & monitor Oracle Databases that are located outside of Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI)
Topics that we’ll cover in this blog:
- External Database Service Overview
- Associated Services Available for External Databases
- How the External Database Service Works
- The OCI External Database Handle
- The OCI Database Connection Resource
- Prerequisites for creating an External Database Connection
- Creating an External Database Connection using OCI Console: Step by Step
External Database Service Overview
- You can manage and monitor Oracle Databases that are located outside of Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) using OCI’s External Database service
- External Database allows you to use cloud-based tools such as Database Management with your external databases.
- External Database can be used with both single-instance Oracle Databases and Oracle RAC instances.
- The handle stores a few pieces of metadata that allow you to manage your database instance within OCI.
- You can create an OCI external database handle for the following types of external databases:
- External container databases
- External pluggable databases
- External non-container databases3
Associated Services Available for External Databases
External databases can utilize services including Database Management and Operations Insights for analysis and management of Oracle Databases located outside of Oracle Cloud Infrastructure.
1. Database Management Service
As a database administrator, you can use the Oracle Cloud Infrastructure Database Management service to monitor and manage your Oracle Databases. Database Management supports Oracle Database versions 11.2.0.4 and later.
Using Database Management you can:
- Monitor the key performance and configuration metrics of your fleet of Oracle Databases.
- You can also compare and analyze database metrics over a selected period of time.
- Group your critical Oracle Databases, which reside across compartments into a Database Group, and monitor them.
- Create SQL jobs to perform administrative operations on a single Oracle Database or a Database Group.
2. Operations Insights Service
Operations Insights provides 360-degree insight into the resource utilization and capacity of databases and hosts. You can easily analyze CPU and storage resources, forecast capacity issues, and proactively identify SQL performance issues across your database fleet.
How the External Database Service Works?
To manage an external database using OCI‘s External Database service, you create an OCI resource known as a “handle” that represents the external database within your tenancy.
After creating a handle for your database, you create a second resource called a database connection.
The connection stores the information required for your OCI tenancy to connect to the external database.
After creating the connection resource and connecting the OCI handle to your external database instance, you can enable the Database Management service to monitor the health and performance of your database.
The OCI External Database Handle
You can create an OCI external database handle for the following types of external databases:
- External container databases
- External pluggable databases
- External non-container databases
The handle stores a few pieces of metadata that allow you to manage your database instance within OCI. This metadata includes the following information related to managing the handle in OCI:
- An OCID, which allows the external database instance to be identified and managed within OCI.
- An OCI display name
- Compartment assignment information (optional)
- Tags (optional)
In addition to the OCI-related metadata, the handle stores metadata derived from the database instance. This includes the database’s unique name, the Oracle Database software edition and version, and other details. All of this information stored by the handle can be viewed in the OCI Console or retrieved using the API. Metadata derived from the external database instance (such as database unique name) is only populated in the handle after a database connection is established between the handle and the instance.
The OCI Database Connection Resource
The OCI database connection resource stores details about how a specific handle connects to an external Oracle Database instance. These details include the following:
- Connection strings information, including the following:
- DNS hostname, single-client access name (SCAN), or virtual IP (VIP) address
- Port
- Service name
- Network protocol
- Connection type and OCI agent ID
- User credentials and role
Prerequisites for Creating an External Database Connection
To use the External Database service, you will need the following:
- 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 here.
- You should have one or more external databases located outside of OCI. The External Database service supports container databases, pluggable databases, and non-container databases that use the following Oracle Database software versions: 11gR2, 12cR1, 12cR2, 18c, and 19c.
- you should have a Management Agent Cloud Service agent with source credentials.
- you should have atleast one External Container Database to enable Database Management.
External Database Connection using OCI Console: Step by Step
- Open the navigation menu. Click Oracle Database, then click External Database.
2. Under External Databases, click Pluggable Databases and register an External Pluggable Database.
3. Create External Pluggable Database, and click on Conncet to External Pluggable Database.
4. Create connection to External Database
Add Connector Agent ID
5. Enable Database Management By clicking on External Container Database’s Associate Service.
Reference links
Next Task For You
If you want to upgrade your career from an Oracle DBA to Oracle Cloud DBA, and want to clear Oracle Cloud Database Service Specialist[1Z0-1093-21] 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.
NYGCI says
Good post, I just share the link to a buddy who was doing a little research on this. Thanks again.