Creating a Globally Distributed Autonomous AI Database Resource

A Globally Distributed Autonomous AI Database resource contains the configuration details of the distributed database, including nodes (shards), catalog, data distribution method, replication method, connection details, backup configuration, and more.

You create the resource in the Globally Distributed Autonomous AI Database home page.

1. Log in to the Console as a user with permissions to create Globally Distributed Autonomous AI Database resources, and navigate to the Globally Distributed Autonomous AI Database home page.

   See Interfaces to Globally Distributed Autonomous AI Database for details.

2. Select Create database.

Provide configuration details in each section of the Create Globally Distributed Autonomous AI Database page.

• Provide basic information

• Tags

• Configure database information

• Node configuration

• Catalog configuration

• Create administrator credentials

• Encryption key

• Select private endpoint

• Select character sets

• Select ports

• Advanced options: Backups configuration

• Advanced options: GSM networking details

• Validate

• Create

Provide basic information

Provide the following information:

Setting	Description and Notes
Display name	Enter a user-friendly description or other information that helps you easily identify the distributed database. Avoid entering confidential information. You can modify this name after resource creation.
Database name prefix	This prefix is appended to all of the database names in the configuration for ease of use.
Compartment	Select a compartment to host the Globally Distributed Autonomous AI Database resource

Tags

You can add tags to the Globally Distributed Autonomous AI Database resource. These can also be added after creation.

Configure database information

Provide the following information:

Setting	Description and Notes
Deployment type	This setting is not configurable. Only Dedicated Infrastructure is supported.
Workload type	This setting is not configurable. Only Transaction Processing is supported.
Database version	You can select release 19c or 26ai

Node configuration

Select a data distribution method and replication method, then configure the nodes required for your topology.

Data distribution:

• Automated: Data is automatically distributed across nodes using partitioning by consistent hash. The partitioning algorithm evenly and randomly distributes data across nodes.

• User managed: Lets you explicitly specify the mapping of data to individual nodes. It is used when, because of performance, regulatory, or other reasons, certain data needs to be stored on a particular node, and the administrator needs to have full control over moving data between nodes.

  Note: When Raft is selected in Replication type the User managed option is not available.

• Multi-Level: Allows you to create multiple data spaces for different subsets of data in a table partitioned by consistent hash. A data space is set of nodes that store data that corresponds to a range or list of key values. This method provides better load balancing compared to User managed distribution that uses partitioning by range or list.

Replication type:

• Raft replication creates replication units consisting of sets of chunks and distributes them automatically among the nodes to handle chunk assignment, chunk movement, workload distribution, and balancing upon scaling. Note that when Raft replication is selected the User managed data distribution option is not available.

• Data Guard is a node-level replication solution which instantiates Oracle Data Guard standby databases for each node. Note that when Data Guard is selected you do not configure Data Guard in the initial deployment. Data Guard replicas are configured after deployment.

Depending on the Data distribution and Replication type selected, you are presented with different Node configuration options. See the following topics for information specific to your selection:

• Automated Data Distribution with Raft Replication

• Multi-Level Data Distribution with Raft Replication

• Automated Data Distribution with Data Guard Replication

• User Managed Data Distribution with Data Guard Replication

• Multi-Level Data Distribution with Data Guard Replication

Note: Replication type can only be configured during this initial setup. You cannot change it later.

Catalog configuration

The catalog configuration is preconfigured in the table. To change the configuration select Edit in the Actions menu (three dots).

Data protection for the catalog is configured after the Globally Distributed Database is created. See Adding Catalog Data Guard Replication.

Note that Raft replication type does not apply to the catalog.

Create administrator credentials

Set the ADMIN password for the user that will be able to access all of the databases in the configuration, including the catalog.

Encryption key

The encryption key settings you configure depend on the data distribution type you chose previously, and the encryption key type you select here.

Automated data distribution

• OCI Vault Service: All nodes have the same encryption vault and encryption key and is mandatory.

• Oracle Key Vault: All nodes have the same OKV endpoint group name.

User managed data distribution

• OCI Vault Service: Each node can have the same or different encryption key details and is optional.

• Oracle Key Vault: Each node can have the same or different OKV endpoint group details and is optional.

Multi-Level data distribution

• OCI Vault Service: All nodes in a data space have the same encryption vault and encryption key and is mandatory.

• Oracle Key Vault: All nodes in a data space have the same OKV endpoint group name.

For all cases

• Based on the region that you selected for the first node, you select a key type (OCI Vault service or Oracle Key Vault), and the vaults/keystores and encryption key/OKV endpoint group available in that region and selected compartment.

• If you plan to configure Data Guard, and if the standby region is not the same as the primary region, you can:

  • OCI Vault Service: Select virtual private vaults that are replicated in the standby region.

  • Oracle Key Vault: The keystore and OKV endpoint group of the primary region are used by default.

• If you use Oracle Key Vault, ensure that the OKV endpoint group is valid and preconfigured according to the system requirements.

Notes:

• OCI Vault Service (KMS) should be used if you will have nodes in less than 3 regions.

• If you will have nodes in 3 or more regions, Oracle Key Vault should be used for encryption.

• After the distributed database is created with an encryption key type, you cannot change to a different type, for example, you cannot change a node from using OCI Vault Service (KMS) to Oracle Key Vault, or the reverse.

Select private endpoint

This is the private endpoint that was configured in Configure Network Resources.

Select character sets

Select the Character sets and National character sets that will be used in all of the nodes and catalog databases. The AL32UTF8 character set is recommended by default for character sets and the AL16UTF16 character set is recommended by default for National character sets.

Select ports

Enter the Listener port, ONS port (local), and ONS port (remote).

Note: The ONS port (remote) number must be unique to each Globally Distributed Autonomous AI Database. Do not reuse a port number used in another Globally Distributed Autonomous AI Database unless a delete operation is fully processed on the original.

• TLS port: TLS port number

Note: The TLS port number must be unique to each Globally Distributed Autonomous AI Database. Do not reuse a port number used in another Globally Distributed Autonomous AI Database until a delete operation is fully processed on the original.

Advanced options: Backups configuration

You can use the settings here to pass information to Autonomous AI Database to enable and configure automatic backups to Object Store.

See Backup and Restore Autonomous AI Database on Dedicated Exadata Infrastructure for more details.

Advanced options: GSM networking details

These settings allow you to assign a network security group (NSG) to a virtual cloud network (VCN) that hosts the GSMs.

The NSGs need to have already been configured. See Creating an NSG.

• Virtual cloud network region: Select the region with the VCN you want to assign to the GSM host.

• GSM virtual cloud network compartment: Select the compartment that contains the VCN you want to assign.

• GSM virtual cloud network: Select the VCN you want to assign.

• GSM network security group compartment: Select the compartment that contains the NSG you want to assign.

• GSM network security group IDs: Select the NSG you want to assign.

Validate

Select Validate to run validation checks against the configuration.

Create

Once any validation errors are addressed and validation is successful, select Create.

After you select Create, the Globally Distributed Autonomous AI Database display name appears in the list while the creation operation runs.

The creation operation can take a while, because several tasks are performed as part of the create operation, including host procurement, installing software, and generating certificates for the GSMs.

You can monitor the operation status in the State column and track progress in the Work request tab. When the node status is Available, Globally Distributed Autonomous AI Database creation is complete and successful.

Caution: After a user creates a Globally Distributed Autonomous AI Database, do not move vaults and keys or the Globally Distributed Autonomous AI Database will not work.