Creating a Database Deployment

However, before using the Create Instance wizard, you need to make sure that you have all of the necessary information, as described in Before You Begin. Additionally, after your database deployment is created you need to perform a few follow-on tasks to make sure your deployment is accessible and up-to-date, as described in After Your Database Deployment Is Created.

Before You Begin

Before you create a database deployment, ensure you have created or acquired information about the following:

An active Exadata Cloud Service instance

Before you can create a database deployment, you must have an active Exadata Cloud Service instance in place.

If you do not have an active service instance in place, then the Create Instance wizard will not show the options required to create a database deployment on Exadata Cloud Service.

See Creating an Exadata Cloud Service Instance.
An SSH public/private key pair (Optional)

An SSH public key is used for authentication when you use an SSH client to connect to a compute node associated with the deployment. When you connect, you must provide the private key that matches the public key.

You can have the wizard create a public/private key pair for you, or you can create one beforehand and upload or paste its private key value. If you want to create a key pair beforehand, you can use a standard SSH key generation tool. See Generate a Secure Shell (SSH) Public/Private Key Pair.

When creating a database deployment on Exadata Cloud Service, the Create Instance wizard checks if an SSH public key is already registered on the Exadata system. If no key exists, you will be prompted for a new public key during the creation process. Otherwise, the existing key is used.
A cloud storage backup location (Optional)

If you want to automatically back up your database to cloud storage, you must associate an Oracle Cloud Infrastructure Object Storage Classic container with the database deployment. You can create the container beforehand and provide the wizard with information about it, or you can have the wizard create the container for you. If you want to create the container beforehand, see Creating Containers in Using Oracle Cloud Infrastructure Object Storage Classic for instructions.

Whether you create the container beforehand or have the wizard do it for you, you are prompted for the following information about the container:
- The name of the container.
- The user name and password of a user who has read/write access to the container.
Note:
To eliminate possible confusion or contention, do not use a single cloud storage container as a backup destination for multiple database deployments.
An existing cloud backup of an Oracle database created using Oracle Database Backup Cloud Service, which meets the criteria for instantiation from backup (Optional)

When you create a database deployment, you can have the database populated, or instantiated, from the data stored in a Database Backup Cloud Service backup. To use this approach the following criteria must be met:
- The backed-up database must be version 18, 12.2.0.1, 12.1.0.2 or 11.2.0.4 with the latest patch set update (PSU) applied.
- If the backed-up database uses Oracle Database version 12.1.0.2, or later, it must be a multitenant container database (CDB). Exadata Cloud Service does not support non-CDB databases for Oracle Database 12c, or later.
- The backed-up database must use File System or ASM as its storage method for data files.
If you wish to instantiate your database using a backup from another Exadata Cloud Service database deployment in the same identity domain, then you must specify the source database deployment by selecting from a list of the available deployments.

If you wish to instantiate your database using any other Database Backup Cloud Service backup, you are prompted for the following information:
- The database ID of the backed-up database.
- The decryption method for the backup, which is the password associated with the backup for backups that use password encryption, or a zip file containing the source database’s wallet directory and contents for backups that use Transparent Data Encryption (TDE).
- The name of the Oracle Cloud Infrastructure Object Storage Classic container where the backup is stored.
- The user name and password of an Oracle Cloud user who has read access to the container.
If you intend to create a database deployment with an Oracle Data Guard configuration, ensure that you have the required network configuration in place to support Oracle Data Guard.

See Using Oracle Data Guard in Exadata Cloud Service.
If you intend for the database deployment to use an existing set of Oracle binaries in an existing Oracle Home directory location, ensure that you know the Oracle Home name.

See Viewing Information About Oracle Homes.
If you intend for the database deployment to use an existing set of Oracle binaries in an existing Oracle Home directory location, ensure that the software version in the existing Oracle Home directory location is not older than the current default software image. If the current default software image is newer than the software version in the existing Oracle Home directory location, then the database creation may fail or experience problems.

To avoid this situation, you can use any of the following approaches:
- Before you create the new database deployment, patch the existing Oracle Home directory location to bring it up to the release level of the default software image.
- Before you create the new database deployment, activate the software image that matches the release level of the software in the existing Oracle Home directory location. Then, after creating the database deployment, re-activate the newer software image, if required.
- Create the new database deployment in a new Oracle Home directory location, which will use the default software image.
See Administering Software Images.

Procedure

To create a database deployment on Exadata Cloud Service:

Open the Oracle Database Cloud Service console.

For detailed instructions, see Accessing the My Services Dashboard and the Oracle Database Cloud Service Console.
Click Create Instance.

The Create Instance wizard starts.
On the Instance page, specify basic attributes for your database deployment. Then, click Next.
- Instance Name — enter a name for your database deployment.
- Description — enter a description for your database deployment. (Optional)
- Notification Email — enter an email address that receives notifications from the database deployment creation operation. (Optional)
- Exadata System — select an available Oracle Exadata Database Machine configuration to host the database deployment. The list contains the Oracle Exadata Database Machines that are associated with your active Exadata Cloud Service instances.
  
  If you later select Database Clustering with RAC and Data Guard Standby as the Database Type, the Exadata System specifies the system hosting the primary database.
- Hostnames — specify one or more compute nodes that you want to host the database instances for this database deployment.
  
  If you previously selected Database Clustering with RAC and Data Guard Standby as the Database Type, then this selection applies to the primary database.
- Tags — specifies tags for the database deployment. (Optional)
  
  Tagging enables you to group database deployments that share similar characteristics or are used for a similar purpose. Click the plus icon to create a new tag.
- Service Level — select Oracle Database Exadata Cloud Service from the list.
  
  Ignore other service level options, as these relate to Oracle Database Cloud Services that are implemented on non-Exadata systems.
  
  Note:
  If Oracle Database Exadata Cloud Service is not available in the list of service level choices, you do not have active Exadata Cloud Service instance. You need to obtain a subscription and create an Exadata Cloud Service instance before you can create a database deployment.
- Software Release — select the Oracle Database software release that you want to run in your database deployment.
  
  Your choices for software release are:
  - Oracle Database 11g Release 2
  - Oracle Database 12c Release 1
  - Oracle Database 12c Release 2
  - Oracle Database 18c
  Note:
  - The Oracle Database software release version that you select for the starter database deployment determines the Oracle Grid Infrastructure software release version that is configured on your Exadata Cloud Service instance. The starter database is the very first database deployment that you create after the creation of your Exadata Cloud Service instance.
  - For non-starter database deployments, your software release options may be limited by the Oracle Grid Infrastructure software release version that is configured on your Exadata Cloud Service instance. If you select an option that is incompatible with your Oracle Grid Infrastructure software installation, then the deployment will fail and an error message will be returned.
  See Oracle Grid Infrastructure Software Release.
- Software Edition — the only valid option for use with Exadata Cloud Service is Enterprise Edition — Extreme Performance.
- Database Type — select one of the following options:
  - Database Clustering with RAC — creates a clustered database that uses Oracle Real Application Clusters. You can specify to run the clustered database instances on one or more compute nodes (database servers) in the Exadata Cloud Service environment.
  - Database Clustering with RAC and Data Guard Standby — creates two clustered databases with one acting as the primary database and one acting as the standby database in an Oracle Data Guard configuration. Each database uses Oracle Real Application Clusters, with clustered database instances on one or more compute nodes (database servers).
On the Instance Details page, configure details for your database deployment. Then, click Next.
1. In the Database Configuration section, set the database name, administrator password, and other database configuration options.
  - DB Name — enter a name for the database instances.
  - PDB Name — enter a name for the default pluggable database (PDB).
    
    This setting is available only for databases that use Oracle Database 12c, or later.
    
    Note:
    This setting is ignored if you select the "Create Instance from Existing Backup" option. In this case, the new database contains the PDBs contained in the backup.
  - Administration Password and Confirm Password — enter and then re-enter an administration password.
    
    The administration password is used to configure administration accounts and functions in the database deployment, including the password for the Oracle Database SYS and SYSTEM users.
    
    Note:
    Ensure that you remember the administration password associated with your database deployment.
  - Oracle Homes — specify the option to create a new Oracle Home directory location, or select an existing Oracle Home location from the list.
  - Oracle Home Name — if you previously selected the option to create a new Oracle Home directory location, you can optionally specify a name prefix for the new Oracle Home location. If specified, the value becomes the first part of the full Oracle Home name, which also includes a string identifying the Oracle Database release and latest applied bundle patch, along with numeric identifiers that are used to uniquely identify the Oracle Home location. If you do not specify a value, then the new Oracle Home location is given a system-generated name.
  - SSH Public Key — provide the SSH public key to be used for authentication when using an SSH client to connect to a compute node that is associated with your database deployment.
    
    Click Edit to specify the key by using one of the following options:
    - Upload a file containing the public key value.
    - Input, or paste in a public key value. Ensure that the value you input does not contain line breaks or end with a line break.
    - Create a new system-generated key pair. If you select this option, you will be prompted to download a file containing the system-generated keys. Ensure that you keep the generated private key in a secure location.
    Note:
    The SSH Public Key field is not displayed if the selected Exadata Cloud Service environment already contains a previously specified SSH key.
  - Optionally, expand Advanced Settings and set the following:
    - Application Type — select the application type that best suits your application:
      - Transactional (OLTP) — configures the database for a transactional workload, with a bias towards high volumes of random data access.
      - Decision Support or Data Warehouse — configures the database for a decision support or data warehouse workload, with a bias towards large data scanning operations.
      Note:
      The Application Type setting is only displayed when you create the starter database, which is the very first database deployment that you create after the creation of your Exadata Cloud Service instance. Subsequent database deployments are created with a standardized database configuration.
    - Character Set — specify the database character set for the database. The database character set is used for:
      - Data stored in SQL CHAR data types (CHAR, VARCHAR2, CLOB, and LONG).
      - Identifiers such as table names, column names, and PL/SQL variables.
      - Entering and storing SQL and PL/SQL source code.
      Note:
      The Character Set setting is ignored if you select the "Create Instance from Existing Backup" option. In this case, the new database inherits the character set from the backup.
    - National Character Set — specify the national character set for the database. The national character set is used for data stored in SQL NCHAR data types (NCHAR, NCLOB, and NVARCHAR2).
      
      Note:
      The National Character Set setting is ignored if you select the "Create Instance from Existing Backup" option. In this case, the new database inherits the national character set from the backup.
    - Enable Oracle GoldenGate — configures the database for use as the replication database of an Oracle GoldenGate Cloud Service instance. See Using Oracle GoldenGate Cloud Service with Exadata Cloud Service.
2. In the Backup and Recovery Configuration section, choose an automatic backup option and associated backup settings for your database deployment.
  
  Backup Destination — select how automatic backups are to be configured:
  - Both Cloud Storage and Exadata Storage — enables two separate backup sets containing periodic full (RMAN level 0) backups and daily incremental backups. The backup to cloud storage uses an Oracle Storage Cloud container, with a seven day cycle between full backups and an overall retention period of 30 days. The backup to Exadata storage uses space in the RECO disk group, with a seven day cycle between full backups and a seven day retention period.
    
    Note:
    This option is only available if you provisioned for database backups on Exadata storage. See Exadata Storage Configuration.
  - Cloud Storage Only — uses an Oracle Storage Cloud container to store periodic full (RMAN level 0) backups and daily incremental backups, with a seven day cycle between full backups and an overall retention period of 30 days.
    
    Note:
    To eliminate possible confusion or contention, do not use a single cloud storage container as a backup destination for multiple database deployments.
  - None — no automatic backups are configured.
  If you select Both Cloud Storage and Exadata Storage or Cloud Storage Only, the following fields and options are displayed:
  - Cloud Storage Container — enter the URL of an Oracle Cloud Infrastructure Object Storage Classic container. To eliminate possible confusion or contention, a separate cloud storage container is recommended for each database deployment.
    
    The URL has the general form:
```
storage-instance-endpoint/container
```
    where storage-instance-endpoint is the REST endpoint URL for the storage service instance, and container is the name of the storage container.
    
    To determine the storage-instance-endpoint value, see Finding the REST Endpoint URL for Your Service Instance in Using Oracle Cloud Infrastructure Object Storage Classic.
  - Username — enter the user name of a user who has read/write access to the container specified in Cloud Storage Container.
  - Password — enter the password of the user specified in Username.
  - Create Cloud Storage Container — select this option to create a new storage container. To use this option you must specify a new Cloud Storage container using the previously specified format. You must also provide the Cloud Storage user name and password in the preceding fields, and the specified user must have the Service Administrator role for the specified Oracle Storage Cloud Service instance.
    
    Note:
    If you select this option, the new storage container is created as soon as you click Next on the Instance Details page, and the storage container remains even if you cancel out of the wizard without creating a new database deployment. If this occurs, you can use the storage container for a future database deployment or you can manually delete the container. If you want to delete the container, see Deleting Containers in Using Oracle Cloud Infrastructure Object Storage Classic for instructions.
3. Complete the Initialize Data From Backup section if you are having the new database populated, or instantiated, from the data stored in a Database Backup Cloud Service backup.
  - Create Instance from Existing Backup — select Yes to populate the new database with data stored in an existing Database Backup Cloud Service backup.
  - On-Premises Backup? — use this option to indicate the origin of the source database backup. The origin of the backup may be another Exadata Cloud Service database deployment in the same identity domain or another database that was backed up to cloud storage using Database Backup Cloud Service.
    
    If you select this option you are indicating that the source database backup is not from another currently operational Exadata Cloud Service database deployment in the same identity domain. In this case, the following fields and options are displayed:
    - Database ID — enter the database id of the database from which the existing backup was created. You can get this value by querying the backup source database as follows:
```
SQL> SELECT dbid FROM v$database;
```
    - Decryption Method — click Edit and provide the information necessary to decrypt the existing backup:
      - For a backup that uses Transparent Data Encryption (TDE), select Upload Wallet File then click Browse and specify a zip file containing the source database’s TDE wallet directory, and the contents of that directory.
        
        Note:
        If the source database is from another Exadata Cloud Service database deployment, its TDE wallet directory is /u02/app/oracle/admin/dbname/tde_wallet or /var/opt/oracle/dbaas_acfs/dbname/tde_wallet.
      - For a backup that uses password encryption, select Paste RMAN Key Value and paste the password (key value) used to encrypt the backup.
      Note:
      For database deployments using Oracle Database 12.2, or later, only backups using TDE are supported.
    - Cloud Storage Container — enter the name of the Oracle Cloud Infrastructure Object Storage Classic container where the existing backup is stored; use this format:
```
instance-id_domain/container
```
      where instance is the name of the Oracle Cloud Infrastructure Object Storage Classic instance, id_domain is the id of the identity domain, and container is the name of the container.
    - Username — enter the user name of an Oracle Cloud user who has read access to the container specified in Cloud Storage Container.
    - Password — enter the password of the user specified in Username.
    If you deselect On-Premises Backup? you are indicating that the source database backup is from another currently operational Exadata Cloud Service database deployment in the same identity domain. In this case, the following field is displayed:
    - Source Instance Name — specify the database deployment that is associated with the source database backup that you want to use.
    - Backup Tag — specify the backup tag that identifies the specific source database backup that you want to use.
4. Complete the Standby Database section if you previously selected Database Clustering with RAC and Data Guard Standby as the Database Type.
  - Standby Database Configuration — influences the location of the Oracle Data Guard standby database. Select from the following options:
    - High Availability — indicates that the standby database is placed on a different Exadata system in the same region (data center) as the primary database, thus providing isolation at the Exadata system infrastructure level.
    - Disaster Recovery — indicates that the standby database is placed in a different region (data center) from the primary database, thus providing isolation at the Exadata system infrastructure level and geographical separation to protect against catastrophic data center failure.
  - Exadata System — select an available Oracle Exadata Database Machine configuration to host the standby database. The list contains the Oracle Exadata Database Machines that are associated with your active Exadata Cloud Service instances.
    
    Your selection is validated when you leave the Instance Details page, and you will be notified if the selection is not consistent with your Standby Database Configuration specification.
    
    Note:
    The Exadata System used to host the standby database must exist in the same identity domain as the Exadata System previously specified on the Instance page that is used to host the primary database.
  - Hostnames — specify one or more compute nodes that you want to host the database instances for the standby database.
    
    Note:
    The number of compute nodes that you specify here must match the number of compute nodes that you specified for the primary database.
On the Confirmation page, review the configuration settings. If you are satisfied, click Create.

If you need to change a setting, use the navigation bar or Back button at the top of the wizard to step back through the pages in the wizard. Click Cancel to cancel out of the wizard without creating a new database deployment.

Clicking Create starts the process to create the database deployment. This process is fully automated and takes some time to complete. You should not access or manipulate the database deployment until the creation process is completed and the deployment is listed in the Oracle Database Cloud Service console.

After Your Database Deployment Is Created

After your database deployment is created, you should perform the following actions:

Enable network access to the deployment

By default, strict security restrictions limit network access to database deployments. To open access to applications and management tools, you need to create and enable your own network security rules. See Enabling Network Access to a Compute Node.
Update cloud tooling

While the base images used to create Exadata Cloud Service database deployments are updated regularly, it is possible that even more recent updates to the cloud tooling are available. Therefore, you should check for and apply any updates to the cloud tooling. See Updating the Cloud Tooling on Exadata Cloud Service.
Apply database patches

While the base images used to create Exadata Cloud Service database deployments are updated regularly, it is possible that a newer patch set update (PSU) or bundle patch (BP) is available. Therefore, you should check for and apply any database patches that are available. See Applying a Patch.