How To Use RAC in Cloud A Support Question Michalewicz

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
Markus.Michalewicz@oracle.com
@OracleRACpm
hTp://www.linkedin.com/in/markusmichalewicz
hTp://www.slideshare.net/MarkusMichalewicz
Copyright 2016, Oracle and/or its aliates. All rights reserved. |
Why I Created this PresentaCon

To help you answer ques0ons like the one below
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 conrm, is HP 3par peer persistence
cer0ed by Oracle on Windows?
Received:
10/12/16, 7:29 AM
The Problem with DocumenCng Supported ConguraCons

Its a mul0-dimensional problem
The soluCon is to break it down
in handle-able chunks.
Program Agenda
1
General Oracle Database Support
General Oracle RAC Support Rules
CerCed, Supported & Recommended
VirtualizaCon Technologies Support
Oracle RAC Support in the Cloud
Program Agenda
1
Terminology for this PresentaCon

Cer%ca%on describes the process of tesCng a given conguraCon for the
purpose of supporCng it.
Cer%ed describes that a given conguraCon has been tested (by Oracle).
Supported means that a given congura%on is eligible to retrieve
technical support provided by Oracle.
Determining Support means to nd out whether a given conguraCon is
supported by Oracle.
Notes:
1. CerCcaCon is not prerequisite for a conguraCon to be supported!
2. A cerCed conguraCon is always supported.
Support Basics for the Oracle Database Part 1
General rules and regulaCons

govern the support for the
Oracle Database.
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
claricaCon via a Service Request.
Support Basics for the Oracle Database Part 2

Tip: Oracle ASM avoids
a lot of cerCcaCon
quesCons therefore.
Note 1: Icon size is random.

Note 2: Not a complete list of supported OS.
General rule:
The Oracle Database is cerCed on
OS-level, not on hardware-level.
General rule:
Storage that represents itself as
block storage to the OS
does not require cerCcaCon.
File System support is subject to

special ruling (see MOS note
Supported and Recommended
File Systems on Linux Doc ID
236826.1) for example.
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)
10
Using CerCfy Part 1

Is the Oracle Database in version 11.2.0.4 supported on Oracle Linux 6.4?
11
Using CerCfy Part 2

Review Cer0ca0on Details for Notes and Support informa0on.
12
Support Basics for the Oracle Database Conclusions

Determining support for a given conguraCon 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 cerCed, but the le system (which
is subject to special ruling) is not, the Oracle Database cannot be supported using
the unsupported le system (FS) for database les.
The FS might sCll be eligible to host the Oracle Home while other FSs can be used for database les.
13
Program Agenda
1
14
Support Basics for Oracle RAC Part 1
Oracle RAC can only be supported

on a system that is supported for
the Oracle Database.
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.
15
RAC Technology CompaCbility Matrix (RTCM)

RTCM for Linux

http://www.oracle.com/
technetwork/database/
clustering/tech-genericlinux-new-086754.html
RTCM for Unix

http://www.oracle.com/
technetwork/database/
clustering/tech-generic-unixnew-166583.html
RTCM for Windows: h^p://www.oracle.com/technetwork/database/clustering/tech-generic-windows-new-166584.html

16
Support Basics for Oracle RAC Part 2

Best PracCces (BP) suggest to avoid
using any third party cluster with RAC.
Cluster
A
Network requirements
(network cards & switches) need to
be considered for Oracle RAC. They
are covered in the RTCMs and the
Oracle DocumentaCon.
Storage requirements
(shared storage & access protocols)
need to be considered for Oracle
RAC. They are covered in the RTCMs
and the Oracle DocumentaCon.
Oracle
Cluster
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 le system.
17
Using CerCfy Part 1

Ques0on: Can I use Oracle RAC 12.1.0.2 with Veritas Cluster on Linux?
18
Using CerCfy Part 2

YES: Can I use Oracle RAC 12.1.0.2 with Veritas Cluster on Linux?
Best PracCces (BP) suggest to avoid

using any third party cluster with RAC.
19
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?
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.
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 ne.
This is an SCSI Drive Case
20
Support Basics for Oracle RAC Conclusions

1.
2.
3.
4.
Support for the Oracle Database

The Oracle RAC Technology CompaCbility Matrixes (RTCM)
Oracle DocumentaCon regarding further requirements
Third party cluster soluCons and third party cluster le 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.
21
Program Agenda
1
22
More Terminology (for this PresentaCon)

Cer%ed describes that a given conguraCon has been tested (by Oracle).
Supported means that a given conguraCon is eligible to retrieve
technical support provided by Oracle.
Recommended means that a given conguraCon is preferred over other
soluCons, although other soluCons may sCll be supported.
RecommendaCons are oten provided as part of Best PracCces (BP)
Notes:
1. CerCcaCon is not prerequisite for a conguraCon to be supported!
2. A cerCed conguraCon is always supported.
23
CerCed, Supported and Recommended ConguraCons

Supported
ConguraCons
Recommended
ConguraCons
Recommended conguraCons
are typically not on the edge.
CerCed
ConguraCons
Recommended
ConguraCons
Graphics do not scale!

24
The Problem with Choices

Network Layer
Server Hardware Layer
VirtualizaCon Layer
Oracle RAC
Oracle RAC
Oracle GI
Oracle GI
Operating System
Operating System
VenusVirtualization
Sotware Layer
OperaCng System Layer
Earth Virtualization
Storage Access Layer
Storage Layer
25
The Problem with Choices A SoluCon

Network Layer
Server Hardware Layer
VirtualizaCon Layer
Oracle RAC
Oracle RAC
Oracle GI
Oracle GI
Operating System
Operating System
VenusVirtualization
Sotware Layer
OperaCng System Layer
Earth Virtualization
Storage Access Layer
Storage Layer
26
For High Availability SoluCons Uniqueness Does Not Pay O

Using a mainstream solu0on usually leads to smoother day-to-day opera0ons
Supported Congura0ons
Recommended Congura0on
27
Program Agenda
1
28
Support Basics for VirtualizaCon Technologies

Best PracCces suggest to avoid using most
virtualizaCon technologies with RAC.
The Virtualiza0on Matrix

General rule:
is Oracles single source of truth for
Oracles DocumentaCon is based
on the idea of a posiCve list!
Supported Virtualiza%on and
I.E. a conguraCon that is not listed
Par%%oning Technologies for Oracle
is if in doubt not supported.
Database and RAC Product Releases
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
claricaCon via a Service Request.
29
The VirtualizaCon Matrix

h^p://www.oracle.com/technetwork/database/virtualiza0onmatrix-172995.html
Covering
posiCve list
for future
versions.
RAC One Node

follows RAC
CerCcaCon
30
Using The VirtualizaCon Matrix

Oracle VM and Vmware are treated as special ruling cases
Oracle VM is the only fully supported and cerCed
VM-based virtualizaCon soluCon for Oracle RAC.
For more informaCon, see:
Oracle Real ApplicaCon Clusters in Oracle VM Environments

MOS note CerCed 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%ed 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.
31
Punng 1+1 Together A MulCdimensional Example
Received:
11/3/16, 4:54 PM
IHAC considering RAC One Node

on Microsot Hyper-V using
Windows server as the OS.
QuesCons:
1) Is RAC cerCed 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?
32
A MulCdimensional Example Determining Support Step 1


Received:
11/3/16, 4:54 PM

on Microsoh Hyper-V using
QuesCons:
2) Is it supported?
The exact OS informaCon is missing!

Consult the Virtualiza0on Matrix
RAC One Node

follows RAC
CerCcaCon
33
Received:
11/3/16, 4:54 PM

Ques0ons:
1) Is RAC cer0ed on Hyper-V?
2) Is it supported?

The VirtualizaCon Matrix says cerCed:
34
Received:
11/3/16, 4:54 PM

Ques0ons:
2) Is it supported?

Any cerCed 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.
35
A MulCdimensional Example The Extra QuesCon 3)
Received:
11/3/16, 4:54 PM

Ques0ons:
2) Is it supported?
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 sucient to set
up an Oracle Database and RAC within it.
Thus, quesCon 3) cannot be answered by

Oracle regarding the generic Hyper-V part.
36
A MulCdimensional Example The Extra QuesCon 4)
Received:
11/3/16, 4:54 PM

Ques0ons:
2) Is it supported?
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 specic
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?
37
Support Basics for VirtualizaCon Technologies - Conclusions

1.
2.
3.
4.
The Virtualiza0on Matrix

The Oracle DocumentaCon, which is based on a posiCve-list idea
Special ruling, which is more common for virtualizaCon soluCons
Common Sense
Support for Oracle RAC is layered and does consider virtualizaCon technologies
There is no implied cerCcaCon for Oracle RAC on virtualizaCon soluCons.
Example: A conguraCon that is cerCed by all measures on a bare metal system is
not automaCcally cerCed in a virtualized environment. A posiCve list entry is needed.
38
Program Agenda
1
39
Support Basics for Oracle RAC in the Common Clouds
Oracle RAC is fully cer0ed in the

Oracle Cloud via the Exadata
Service and as an DBaaS oering.
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.
h^p://www.oracle.com/technetwork/database/op0ons/clustering/overview/rac-cloud-support-2843861.pdf
40
What does ability to run RAC over 3 IaaS instances mean?

What is dierent for Microsohs Azure and Amazons AWS? Part 1
Most clouds do not provide shared storage naCvely.
NaCvely means as part of their standard oer.
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
conguraCon (e.g. Microsot Azure).
41
What does ability to run RAC over 3 IaaS instances mean?

What is dierent for Microsohs Azure and Amazons AWS? Part 2
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)
congura%ons of the Oracle Database are supported
on AWS EC2.
MSFT Azure provides a supportable conguraCon

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.
42
Oracle RAC in the Cloud Where is it Going?
Oracle conCnues to support Oracle

RAC in the Oracle Cloud via
Exadata Service and as an DBaaS
oering, which is planned to scale
beyond the current 2-nodes.
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 oerings are generally subject
to special ruling
43
Support Basics for Oracle RAC in the Cloud Conclusions

1.
2.
3.
4.
General Oracle Database support rules as discussed

Oracle RAC support rules as discussed
Most VirtualizaCon Technology support does not apply
Special ruling, which is more common for the Cloud
Support for Oracle RAC in the Cloud is sCll layered

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.
44
Why I Created this PresentaCon

To help you answer ques0ons like the one below
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 conrm, is HP 3par peer
persistence cer0ed 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.
45

How To Use RAC in Cloud A Support Question Michalewicz

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Copyright 2016, Oracle and/or its aliates. All rights reserved. |

Why I Created this PresentaCon

I have a customer (IHAC) using

The Problem with DocumenCng Supported ConguraCons

Copyright 2016, Oracle and/or its aliates. All rights reserved. |

General Oracle Database Support

General Oracle RAC Support Rules

CerCed, Supported & Recommended

VirtualizaCon Technologies Support

Oracle RAC Support in the Cloud

Copyright 2016, Oracle and/or its aliates. All rights reserved. |

General Oracle Database Support

General Oracle RAC Support Rules

CerCed, Supported & Recommended

VirtualizaCon Technologies Support

Oracle RAC Support in the Cloud

Copyright 2016, Oracle and/or its aliates. All rights reserved. |

Terminology for this PresentaCon

Copyright 2016, Oracle and/or its aliates. All rights reserved. |

Support Basics for the Oracle Database Part 1

General rules and regulaCons

If general rules and regulaCons

If CerCfy does not cover a case,

Copyright 2016, Oracle and/or its aliates. All rights reserved. |

Support Basics for the Oracle Database Part 2

Note 1: Icon size is random.

File System support is subject to

Copyright 2016, Oracle and/or its aliates. All rights reserved. |

Punng 1+1 Together Examples

YES, assuming that the

The storage part is covered

Using CerCfy Part 1

Copyright 2016, Oracle and/or its aliates. All rights reserved. |

Using CerCfy Part 2

Copyright 2016, Oracle and/or its aliates. All rights reserved. |

Support Basics for the Oracle Database Conclusions

Support for the Oracle Database is layered

Copyright 2016, Oracle and/or its aliates. All rights reserved. |

General Oracle Database Support

General Oracle RAC Support Rules

CerCed, Supported & Recommended

VirtualizaCon Technologies Support

Oracle RAC Support in the Cloud

Copyright 2016, Oracle and/or its aliates. All rights reserved. |

Support Basics for Oracle RAC Part 1

Oracle RAC can only be supported

To determine support for Oracle

AddiConally, all requirements

Copyright 2016, Oracle and/or its aliates. All rights reserved. |

RAC Technology CompaCbility Matrix (RTCM)

RTCM for Unix

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

Support Basics for Oracle RAC Part 2

CerCfy must be consulted

Copyright 2016, Oracle and/or its aliates. All rights reserved. |

Using CerCfy Part 1

Copyright 2016, Oracle and/or its aliates. All rights reserved. |

Using CerCfy Part 2

Best PracCces (BP) suggest to avoid

Copyright 2016, Oracle and/or its aliates. All rights reserved. |

Punng 1+1 Together Example

NO, as the storage is a SCSI