2 What’s New in Oracle Exadata Database Service on Cloud@Customer Gen2

Oracle is constantly adding new capabilities to Oracle Exadata Database Service on Cloud@Customer. This section provides a brief overview of new features as they are released.

Note:

For information on new features for Autonomous Database on Oracle Exadata Cloud@Customer see What’s New in ADB-D on Oracle Exadata Cloud@Customer

• Oracle Database 23ai on Oracle Exadata Database Service on Cloud@Customer
  
• Change the Home Region of ExaDB-C@C Infrastructure
  
• Enhancements to Serial Console Functionality
  
• Provision a VM Cluster with Either an OL7 or OL8-Based Image
  
• VM Cluster on a Single VM
  
• Enhancement to Pluggable Database (PDB) Management
  
• Manage Administrator (SYS User) and TDE Wallet Passwords
  
• Update Guest VM (domU) Operating System to Oracle Linux 8
  
• Exadata Fleet Update
  
• Oracle Key Vault (OKV) Integration with ExaDB-C@C to Manage Transparent Data Encryption (TDE) Keys
  
• X10M System Support
  
• Manage Serial Console Access to ExaDB-C@C Systems
  
• Interim Software Updates
  
• Link Aggregation Control Protocol (LACP) Support for Client and Backup Networks
  
• VM Cluster and Database Health and Performance Metrics in the OCI Console
  
• Enable Data Guard with Database Software Image (Custom Image)
  
• Use Identity and Access Management (IAM) Authentication with Oracle Exadata Database Service on Cloud@Customer
  
• Create Data Guard Associations Across Regions
  
• Multi-Rack Elastic Compute and Storage Expansion
  
• Automatic Diagnostic Collection
  
• Elastic Compute Expansion
  
• Oracle Standard Tagging for Resources on Oracle Exadata Database Service on Cloud@Customer
  
• Exadata Infrastructure Maintenance History
  
• Monthly ExaDB-C@C Infrastructure Security Maintenance
  
• Enhanced Control to Rollback or Retry Failed Guest VM Operating System Update
  
• Concurrently Create or Terminate Oracle Databases in a VM Cluster
  
• Support for Rack Serial Number as a System Tag
  
• Support for DB Home Minor Version Selection (N-3)
  
• VM Guest Exadata OS Image Major Version Update
  
• Database Service Events
  
• Control Plane Server (CPS) Offline Diagnostic Report
  
• Enhanced Infrastructure Maintenance Controls
  
• Manage Pluggable Databases on Exadata Cloud@Customer
  
• Allow Customers to Choose Data Guard Type
  
• Specify the Same SID for Primary and Standby Databases in a Data Guard Association
  
• Specify db_unique_name and SID for Primary and Standby Databases in Data Guard Association
  
• VM Cluster Node Subsetting
  
• X9M-2 System Support
  
• Customize SCAN Listener Port
  
• Creating DG Association/Standby Database Using Existing Database Home
  
• Upgrading Oracle Grid Infrastructure on an Exadata Cloud@Customer VM Cluster
  
• Updating Guest VM Operating System
  
• Upgrading Oracle Databases
  
• Download Network Validation Report
  
• Elastic Storage Expansion
  
• Oracle Database Software Images
  
• Exadata Cloud@Customer Infrastructure Patching Automation
  
• Customer Maintenance Contacts
  
• X8M-2 System Support
  
• Enable and Manage Data Guard Associations
  
• Oracle Exadata Cloud@Customer Deployment Assistant
  
• Oracle Grid Infrastructure and Oracle Database Patching
  
• Per-Second Billing for OCPU Usage
  
• Shared Database Home Resource Tags
  
• Create and Manage Multiple Virtual Machines per Exadata System (MultiVM)
  
• Scale OCPUs Without Cloud Connectivity
  
• Configure Oracle Database Character Set and National Character Set
  
• Specify a Time Zone While Provisioning Oracle Exadata Database Service on Cloud@Customer Infrastructure
  
• Shared Database Homes for Oracle Exadata Database Service on Cloud@Customer
  
• X7-2 System Support
  

Oracle Database 23ai on Oracle Exadata Database Service on Cloud@Customer

• Services: Database
• Release Date: May 02, 2024

Oracle Database 23ai is a regular production release available on Oracle Exadata Database Service on Cloud@Customer (ExaDB-C@C). With this release, you can perform all the lifecycle operations on the 23ai databases.

Change the Home Region of ExaDB-C@C Infrastructure

• Services: Database
• Release Date: February 21, 2024

With this enhancement, you can change the home OCI region that your ExaDB-C@C infrastructure connects to. This is a Field Engineer assisted operation and there is no service downtime while the home region change is in progress.

Note:

Changing the home region of your ExaDB-C@C Infrastructure will not affect billing.

Enhancements to Serial Console Functionality

• Services: Database
• Release Date: December 13, 2023

These new features include:

• Serial Console access via OCI Cloud Shell
• Console History

With this new feature, you can now easily connect to the serial console of your virtual machines to perform corrective actions as well as review and audit previous activities performed via the serial console by other users.

Note:

• You cannot concurrently connect to more than one DB node using Cloud Shell. As an example, if you have an open connection to DBnode1 and want to connect to DBnode2, you must first exit the active Cloud Shell from DBnode1 and then establish a connection to DBnode2.
• Cloud Shell access to the serial console require proper IAM permissions for Cloud Shell, see OCI Cloud Shell documentation for details. Also, to access the serial console and to use console history, firewall rules must be configured so that the Control Plane Server (CPS) can access the necessary OCI endpoints. Please review Table 3-2 details for Object Storage and VM console connectivity requirements.

Provision a VM Cluster with Either an OL7 or OL8-Based Image

• Services: Database
• Release Date: December 07, 2023

With this enhancement, you can provision a VM cluster with either an OL7-based image or an OL8-based one if the infrastructure is X9 or prior.

VM Cluster on a Single VM

• Service: Database
• Release Date: October 24, 2023

With this enhancement, you can deploy and run multiple databases in a VM cluster running on a single VM without requiring RAC licenses.

Enhancement to Pluggable Database (PDB) Management

• Service: Database
• Release Date: October 11, 2023

With this enhancement, you can restore, refresh, and relocate a Pluggable Database (PDB).

Manage Administrator (SYS User) and TDE Wallet Passwords

• Service: Database
• Release Date: October 02, 2023

With this enhancement, you can manage the administrator and TDE wallet passwords.

Note:

Changing a TDE wallet password for Oracle Key Vault (OKV) or OCI Vault Key management-enabled databases is currently not supported.

Update Guest VM (domU) Operating System to Oracle Linux 8

• Services: Database
• Release Date: August 03, 2023

Update the Guest VM operating system to Oracle Linus 8 using the Console or API. This enhancement is limited to Exadata X7, X8M, and X9M systems.

Exadata Fleet Update

• Services: Database
• Release Date: August 02, 2023

Exadata Fleet Update simplifies, standardizes, and enhances the Oracle Database and Grid Infrastructure patching experience. Exadata Fleet Update achieves this by grouping components based on the customers' business needs into collections that can be patched as one entity within a given maintenance cycle.

Exadata Fleet Update brings this patching engine to OCI as a native cloud service, accessible from the OCI Console, OCI API, and via the OCI CLI.

Exadata Fleet Update is available free of charge on Oracle’s Exadata Database Service including Cloud@Customer (ExaDB-C@C) and Exadata Database Service on Dedicated Infrastructure (ExaDB-D).

For more information, see:

• Exadata Fleet Update Overview
• Exadata Fleet Update service API

Oracle Key Vault (OKV) Integration with ExaDB-C@C to Manage Transparent Data Encryption (TDE) Keys

• Services: Database
• Release Date: June 28, 2023

Integrate your on-premises Oracle Key Vault (OKV) with Oracle Exadata Database Service on Cloud@Customer to secure your critical data on-premises.

Oracle Key Vault integration enables you to take complete control of your encryption keys and store them securely on an external, centralized key management device.

X10M System Support

• Services: Database
• Release Date: June 21, 2023

Oracle Exadata Cloud@Customer has been extended to support X10M system.

Manage Serial Console Access to ExaDB-C@C Systems

• Services: Database
• Release Date: June 14, 2023

You can create and delete serial console connections to your ExaDB-C@C systems to diagnose and resolve VM guest operating system issues using an SSH connection in case standard SSH access to the VMs is not possible.

Requirements: The use of the serial console feature requires Exadata Infrastructure version 22.1.10 or higher for 22.X users and version 23.1.1 or higher for 23.X users. The serial console feature will be available on any new VM Clusters created immediately but will only be available on previously existing VM Clusters after the next quarterly maintenance cycle. Also, make sure to review all prerequisites stated below, including setting a password for either the opc or the root user. Failure to make necessary changes for meeting these requirements in advance will result in the inability to urgently connect to the serial console when the need arises when the VM is not otherwise accessible.

Note:

The following two endpoints have been added for the Control Plane Server (CPS). Use these URL formats, replacing oci_region with your region.

• console1.exacc.oci_region.oci.oraclecloud.com

• console2.exacc.oci_region.oci.oraclecloud.com

These must be allowed at your firewall in order for serial console connections to function. See Network Requirements for Oracle Exadata Database Service on Cloud@Customer Table 3-2 for further details.

Interim Software Updates

• Services: Database
• Release Date: June 07, 2023

This feature enables cloud-only customers to download one-off patches from the OCI console and API. There is no option to apply the downloaded patch via console and API. To apply these patches, customers must log in to their VM and run the patch apply utility.

Downloading one-off patches does not replace Database Software Image (DSI) creation. Customers must continue to use Database Software Images (DSI) to build and deploy their customized images.

Link Aggregation Control Protocol (LACP) Support for Client and Backup Networks

• Services: Database
• Release Date: May 23, 2023

Oracle Exadata Database Service on Cloud@Customer physical networks (client and backup) are configured to use active-backup by default. This mode is recommended for most customers. However, support for LACP (802.3ad active/active bonding mode) has now been added also for those customers who require it.

You can configure client and backup networks with LACP while provisioning the Exadata Infrastructure. The network bonding mode is set at the infrastructure level and will apply globally to all VM Cluster Networks, future or existing. Since the setting gets applied to each network interface individually, you have the flexibility to configure client and backup network interfaces independently from one another. For example, you can configure the backup network to LACP and the client network to Active-Backup, if desired.

On an existing Exadata Infrastructure that is now in use, you may change the network bonding mode from Active-Backup to LACP (or vice versa). However, note that this is a non-rolling update process and bonding modes are changed simultaneously on all Database Servers. You are required to manage your own switch settings on your network accordingly. You may experience a network outage and should plan for application downtime until your switch settings and ExaDB-C@C settings are made to match.

The use of LACP requires both the server and the switch(es) have compatible settings to allow LACP to work properly. To use LACP for ExaDB-C@C, you must configure your network switches such that they are compatible with the following parameter from the Linux ifcfg-bondethx configuration file:

BONDING_OPTS="mode=802.3ad miimon=100 downdelay=200 updelay=200 lacp_rate=1 xmit_hash_policy=layer3+4"

Note that the BONDING_OPTS line in the host operating system cannot be changed, so customer switch settings must be compatible with the parameters stated above without alteration.

VM Cluster and Database Health and Performance Metrics in the OCI Console

• Services: Database
• Release Date: May 08, 2023

With this release, Oracle will provide health and performance metrics for databases and VM clusters in the Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) console.

Note:

When there is a network problem and Oracle Trace File Analyzer (TFA) is unable to post metrics, TFA will wait for one hour before attempting to retry posting the metrics. This is required to avoid creating a backlog of metrics processing on TFA.

Potentially one hour of metrics will be lost between network restore and the first metric posted.

Enable Data Guard with Database Software Image (Custom Image)

• Services: Database
• Release Date: April 11, 2023

If you have provisioned DB Homes with a Database Software Image (DSI), then enabling Data Guard operations will default to the same DSI as the primary DB Home.

With this enhancement.

• You can change the automatically selected primary DSI to a different DSI for the standby database.
• If the DSI used to create the primary database is not available, then enabling Data Guard will use the latest Oracle-published image. Optionally, you can configure the standby database to have a DSI of your choice.

In both cases, the system will warn you of potential issues with having different images for the primary and standby databases.

Use Identity and Access Management (IAM) Authentication with Oracle Exadata Database Service on Cloud@Customer

• Services: Database
• Release Date: March 28, 2023

You can configure Oracle Database on Oracle Exadata Database Service on Cloud@Customer system to use Oracle Cloud Infrastructure Identity and Access Management (OCI IAM) authentication and authorization to allow IAM users to access the database with IAM credentials.

Note:

Oracle Exadata Database Service on Cloud@Customer integration with OCI IAM is supported in commercial tenancies with identity domains as well as the legacy OCI IAM, which does not include identity domains. OCI IAM with identity domains was introduced with new OCI tenancies created after November 8, 2021. Only default domain OCI IAM users are supported with the new identity domains.

Create Data Guard Associations Across Regions

• Services: Database
• Release Date: February 14, 2023

Create Data Guard associations across regions within your tenancy. This will help you implement an effective disaster recovery plan to protect your data against natural calamities.

Note:

Active Data Guard or Data Guard associations can only be created for Transparent Data Encryption (TDE) enabled databases, not for Oracle Key Vault (OKV) enabled databases.

Multi-Rack Elastic Compute and Storage Expansion

• Services: Database
• Release Date: January 18, 2023

For certain deployments, you may want to expand beyond the maximum number of compute and storage servers supported within a single Exadata Infrastructure rack. With this enhancement to compute and storage expansion, you can now have additional compute and storage spanning multiple racks available for VM Clusters provisioned on the Exadata Infrastructure.

Base systems are not eligible for multirack expansion. Multi-rack applies only to the following shapes:

• X8M-2 standard shapes
• X9M-2 standard shapes

Note: Exadata Infrastructure with more than 8 compute or 12 storage servers requires a multi-rack deployment.

The "multi-rack" selection will drive the maximum number of compute and storage servers you can specify in the server configuration.

• Single Rack:
  • All Systems: 8 compute and 12 storage
• Mulit-rack:
  • X7, X8, and all Base Systems: Not Applicable
  • X8M and X9M Sytems: 32 compute and 64 storage servers

Pre-deployment process:

• If multi-rack is required or desired, the FE will provide the customer with a JSON configuration file.
• The customer uploads the config file when creating or expanding the Exadata Infrastructure.

Deployment process:

• When the customer creates the infrastructure and selects multi-rack, they must upload the JSON so the control plane can correctly generate the config bundle for download. The JSON file will be used to properly configure the additional components. Uploading the JSON will only be mandatory for deployments identified as multi-rack.
• If a customer fails to identify an infrastructure as multi-rack and subsequently they determine it is multi-rack, they will have to delete that infrastructure and recreate it.
• If a customer expands an existing infrastructure and remains within a single rack (only adding servers), then there is no change to the current deployment process.
• When a customer expands an existing infrastructure and adds a new rack, or expands an infrastructure with an existing expansion rack, they will need to choose the multi-rack deployment type and upload a new Multi-Rack Configuration File (JSON).

Automatic Diagnostic Collection

• Services: Database
• Release Date: October 25, 2022

This feature extends the Database Service Events feature implementation that enables you to get notified about health issues with your Oracle Databases or other components on the Guest VM. With this enhancement, you can allow:

• Oracle to proactively collect detailed health metrics for diagnosis and issue resolution
• Oracle to reactively collect Incident logs and trace files on demand for a deeper diagnosis and issue resolution

Collecting Guest VM events, health metrics, incident logs, and trace files, will help Oracle to enhance service operations as well as provide proactive support by early detection and correlation.

Elastic Compute Expansion

• Services: Database
• Release Date: October 08, 2022

Elastic Compute Expansion enables the addition of an arbitrary number of DB Servers to Exadata Cloud@Customer infrastructure. In conjunction with the previously released Elastic Storage Expansion feature, new infrastructure installations can now be better customized by provisioning a discrete number of DB Servers and Storage Servers. Also, compute capacity for the existing infrastructure deployments can now be expanded by adding individual DB Servers in a manner similar to Elastic Storage Expansion.

In addition, significant changes have been made to the VM Cluster Network object to facilitate the ability to subset network resources to certain DB Servers.

Follow the links below for instructions on how to provision infrastructure and activate. Once the DB Servers are activated, they are recognized and available for use immediately, but the additional resources need to be added to your VM Clusters. This is not done automatically. First, add VM Cluster Network resources and then you can add additional VMs to your VM Clusters, following the instructions in the links below.

Oracle Standard Tagging for Resources on Oracle Exadata Database Service on Cloud@Customer

• Services: Database
• Release Date: August 31, 2022

Exadata Database Service on Cloud@Customer resources can now be tagged using Oracle Standard tags according to your organizational scheme. By tagging resources, you can group them, manage costs, and gain insight into how they are being used.

Exadata Infrastructure Maintenance History

• Services: Database
• Release Date: August 02, 2022

From the Maintenance History page, you can now click on a maintenance to view maintenance history details, containing the same maintenance detail information available for a scheduled or in-progress maintenance. Maintenance history is available for both successful and failed maintenance.

Monthly ExaDB-C@C Infrastructure Security Maintenance

• Services: Database
• Release Date: July 27, 2022

Security maintenance, performed alongside the quarterly maintenance, is executed once a month and includes fixes for vulnerabilities with CVSS scores greater than or equal to 7.

Enhanced Control to Rollback or Retry Failed Guest VM Operating System Update

• Services: Database
• Release Date: July 27, 2022

You need not mandatorily roll back if applying the Guest VM operating system update fails. A new option, in addition to the current rollback option, has been added to retry and apply the failed update. If you want to apply a different operating system image update on failure, then you will have to first roll back and then apply.

Concurrently Create or Terminate Oracle Databases in a VM Cluster

• Services: Database
• Release Date: July 20, 2022

With this enhancement, you can now concurrently create or terminate Oracle databases even if the VM cluster is in the Updating state.

• The number of databases that can be created on a cluster depends on the available memory on the VMs. For each database, by default, 12.6 GB (7.6 GB for SGA and 5 GB for PGA) is allocated if the VM has greater than 60 GB of memory. If the VM has less than or equal to 60 GB, then 6.3 GB (3.8 GB for SGA and 2.5 GB for PGA) is allocated. Also, Grid Infrastructure and ASM consume some memory, approximately 2 to 4 GB.
• A database that is being created cannot be terminated. You can, however, terminate other databases in the VM Cluster.

Support for Rack Serial Number as a System Tag

• Services: Database
• Release Date: July 19, 2022

This enhancement is to display the Exadata cloud@Customer rack serial number in the OCI console under the Infrastructure details page in the General Information section. The serial number may be required when creating an SR or during a service call.

Support for DB Home Minor Version Selection (N-3)

• Services: Database
• Release Date: May 23, 2022

Provision a DB Home using a major version and RU version of your choice.

While provisioning, if you opt to use Oracle Provided Database Software Images as the image type, then you can use the Display all available versions switch to choose from all available PSUs and RUs. The most recent release for each major version is indicated with a latest label.

For the Oracle Database major version releases available in Oracle Cloud Infrastructure, images are provided for the current version plus the three most recent older versions (N through N - 3). For example, if an instance is using Oracle Database 19c, and the latest version of 19c offered is 19.8.0.0.0, images available for provisioning are for versions 19.8.0.0.0, 19.7.0.0, 19.6.0.0 and 19.5.0.0.

VM Guest Exadata OS Image Major Version Update

• Services: Database
• Release Date: April 20, 2022

In addition to performing minor version updates to the Exadata VM Cluster images, you can update to a new major version if the currently installed version is 19.2 or higher. For example, if the Exadata Cloud@Customer VM cluster is on version 20, then you can update it to version 21.

Database Service Events

• Services: Database
• Release Date: April 12, 2022

Database Service Events feature implementation enables you to get notified about health issues with your Oracle Databases or other components on the Guest VM.

Control Plane Server (CPS) Offline Diagnostic Report

• Services: Database
• Release Date: March 01, 2022

Control Plane Server (CPS) offline diagnostic report assists you in troubleshooting connectivity issues between the CPS and OCI endpoints.

It is your responsibility to maintain and troubleshoot the network infrastructure of your data center. To connect to OCI Region, Exadata Cloud@Customer Gen2 depends on your infrastructure and reliability. Exadata Cloud@Customer's connectivity from OCI Region to Exadata Cloud@Customer's Control Plane Servers (CPS) may be impacted by any changes you make to your infrastructure. Nevertheless, Oracle does not have any control over your firewall or networking.

In the event that the connection between CPS and OCI is broken, the Control Plane Server (CPS) Offline Diagnostic Report provides information that may help you in diagnosing problems in your network infrastructure.

To view the report, do the following:

1. Find the CPS IP addresses.

   For more information, see Using the Console to View Exadata Infrastructure Network Configuration Details.

2. From your local network, access the report over HTTP.

   To view the report in HTML format, use http://<CPSPublicIP>:18080/report

   To view the report in JSON format, use http://<CPSPublicIP>:18080/report/json

Note:

• You cannot enable or disable Control Plane Server (CPS) Offline Diagnostic Report if the Exadata Infrastructure is in DISCONNECTED mode.
• Every hour, even if no issues are detected on the CPS, the system will still generate and save a diagnostic report in HTML and JSON formats. Whenever a connectivity issue arises between CPS and OCI endpoints, the system generates a report immediately.
• At any given point in time, the report is available only at the primary Control Plane Server. When generating a report, if the first IP address specified for the Control Plane Servers does not work, then you may try the second IP.

For more information, see ExaCC gen2: Troubleshooting VPN/WSS connection from Customer Side (Doc ID 2745571.1).

Enhanced Infrastructure Maintenance Controls

• Services: Database
• Release Date: March 01, 2022

The Exadata Cloud@Customer Oracle-managed infrastructure maintenance now allows greater control and visibility including:

• Choice of rolling and non-rolling maintenance methods.
• Ability to perform custom actions before maintenance on each database server by having the automated maintenance wait before shutting down VMs until the maintenance has been resumed or the configured timeout has reached.
• Visibility into the database server update order.
• Granular tracking of the maintenance progress at a component level.

Manage Pluggable Databases on Exadata Cloud@Customer

• Services: Database
• Release Date: February 16, 2022

Create and manage pluggable databases (PDBs) in Oracle Exadata Cloud@Customer systems using the Console and APIs.

Allow Customers to Choose Data Guard Type

• Services: Database
• Release Date: February 16, 2022

Select a Data Guard type, Active Data Guard or Data Guard, based on the Oracle Database software license type you have deployed.

Specify the Same SID for Primary and Standby Databases in a Data Guard Association

• Services: Database
• Release Date: February 16, 2022

The same SID prefix used for the primary database can now also be used for the standby database when creating a Data Guard Association.

Specify db_unique_name and SID for Primary and Standby Databases in Data Guard Association

• Services: Database
• Release Date: October 20, 2021

Oracle databases are identified by three important names: db_name, db_unique_name, and instance_name (SID). This new feature provides consistent database naming controls across primary and standby databases and allows entering the db_unique_name and the SID prefix on both primary and standby databases. This helps support different naming conventions to manage the Oracle Database fleet.

VM Cluster Node Subsetting

• Services: Database
• Release Date: October 19, 2021

Note:

VM Cluster Node Subsetting feature is now available in all OCI commercial regions.

VM Cluster Node Subsetting enables you to allocate a subset of database servers to new and existing VM clusters to enable maximum flexibility in the allocation of compute (CPU, memory, local storage) resources.

X9M-2 System Support

• Services: Database
• Release Date: September 28, 2021

Oracle Exadata Cloud@Customer comes in different infrastructure shapes to support workloads of different sizes. In this release, the capability of Oracle Exadata Cloud@Customer has been extended to support X9M-2 system.

For more information, see:

• System Configuration Options for Oracle Exadata Cloud@Customer
• Oracle Exadata X9M-2 System Model Specifications
• Estimating How Much Local Storage You Can Provision to Your VMs
• Overview of Elastic Storage Expansion

Customize SCAN Listener Port

• Services: Database
• Release Date: August 27, 2021

You can now specify a SCAN listener port (TCP/IP) within the permissible range while creating a VM cluster network resource. For more information, see:

• Using the Console to Create a VM Cluster Network
• Using the Console to View SCAN Listener Port Configured

Creating DG Association/Standby Database Using Existing Database Home

• Services: Database
• Release Date: August 08, 2021

Select an existing Database Home or create a new one for the standby while enabling Data Guard association. For more information, see Using the Console to Enable Data Guard on an Exadata Cloud@Customer System.

Upgrading Oracle Grid Infrastructure on an Exadata Cloud@Customer VM Cluster

• Services: Database
• Release Date: July 20, 2021

Upgrade Oracle Grid Infrastructure (GI) on an Exadata Cloud@Customer VM cluster using the Oracle Cloud Infrastructure Console or APIs. For more information, see Upgrading Oracle Grid Infrastructure on an Exadata Cloud@Customer VM Cluster.

Updating Guest VM Operating System

• Services: Database
• Release Date: July 20, 2021

Update the operating system image on Exadata Cloud@Customer VM cluster nodes in an automated manner from the OCI console and APIs. For more information, see Updating Guest VM Operating System.

Upgrading Oracle Databases

• Services: Database
• Release Date: July 20, 2021

Upgrade Oracle Database 19c (Long Term Release) using the Console and the APIs. For more information, see Upgrading Oracle Databases.

Download Network Validation Report

• Services: Database
• Release Date: July 20, 2021

Validate and inspect the network validation failure report without active involvement from Oracle Cloud Ops in troubleshooting networking configuration issues. For more information, see Using the Console to Download Network Validation Report.

Elastic Storage Expansion

• Services: Database
• Release Date: June 15, 2021

Expand the storage associated with your Exadata Cloud@Customer infrastructure and make them available for VM cluster allocation, both during and post infrastructure provisioning. For more information, see:

• Overview of Elastic Storage Expansion
• Using the Console to Scale Infrastructure Storage
• Using the Console to Download Scale Infrastructure Storage Configuration File
• Using the Console to Activate New Storage Servers
• Using the Console to Make Storage Capacity from New Server Available for VM Clusters Consumption
• Using the Console to View Details of Exadata Cloud@Customer Infrastructure with Scaled Storage Capacity
• Permissions Required for Each API Operation
• exadata-infrastructures
• Storage Expansion Event Types

Oracle Database Software Images

• Services: Database
• Release Date: April 08, 2021

Use Database Software Image resource type to create databases and Oracle Database Homes, and to patch databases. For more information, see:

• Oracle Database Software Images
• Using the Console to Create Oracle Database Home on Exadata Cloud@Customer
• Using the Console to Perform a Patch Operation on a Database Home

Exadata Cloud@Customer Infrastructure Patching Automation

• Services: Database
• Release Date: December 08, 2020

You can now schedule a maintenance window for Oracle-managed Exadata Cloud@Customer infrastructure patching. For more information, see Using the Console to Configure Oracle-Managed Infrastructure Updates.

Customer Maintenance Contacts

• Services: Database
• Release Date: September 22, 2020
• Release Notes: Exadata Cloud@Customer: Customer Maintenance Contacts

Maintenance contacts are required for service request based communications for hardware replacement and other maintenance events.

Add a primary maintenance contact and optionally add a maximum of nine secondary contacts. Both the primary and secondary contacts receive all notifications about hardware replacement, network issues, and software maintenance runs.

You can promote any secondary contacts as the primary anytime you want. When you promote a secondary contact to primary, the current primary contact will be demoted automatically to secondary.

For more information, see:

• Using the Console to Create Infrastructure
• Managing Infrastructure Maintenance Contacts

X8M-2 System Support

• Services: Database
• Release Date: August 18, 2020
• Release Notes: Exadata Cloud@Customer: X8M-2 System Support

Oracle Exadata Cloud@Customer comes in different infrastructure shapes to support workloads of different sizes. In this release, the capability of Oracle Exadata Cloud@Customer has been extended to support X8M-2 system.

For more information, see:

• System Configuration Options for Oracle Exadata Cloud@Customer
• Oracle Exadata Cloud@Customer X8M-2 System Specifications
• Network Requirements for Oracle Exadata Cloud@Customer

Enable and Manage Data Guard Associations

• Services: Database
• Release Date: August 18, 2020
• Release Notes: Exadata Cloud@Customer: Enable and Manage Data Guard Associations

Oracle Data Guard ensures high availability, data protection, and disaster recovery for enterprise data.

Enable a Data Guard association between databases, change the role of a database in a Data Guard association using either a switchover or a failover operation, and reinstate a failed database.

For more information, see:

• Using Oracle Data Guard with Exadata Cloud@Customer
• Using the API To Manage Data Guard Associations on an Exadata Cloud@Customer System
• Permissions Required for Each API Operation
• Data Guard Event Types

Oracle Exadata Cloud@Customer Deployment Assistant

• Services: Database
• Release Date: August 08, 2020
• Release Notes: Exadata Cloud@Customer: Deployment Assistant

Oracle Exadata Cloud@Customer Deployment Assistant is an automated installation and configuration tool that enables you to set up your Oracle Exadata Cloud@Customer machine and create an Oracle Database instance with minimal effort.

For more information, see Oracle Exadata Cloud@Customer Deployment Assistant

Oracle Grid Infrastructure and Oracle Database Patching

• Services: Database
• Release Date: July 28, 2020
• Release Notes: Exadata Cloud@Customer: Oracle Grid Infrastructure and Oracle Database Patching

You can now view, pre-check, and apply Oracle Grid Infrastructure and Oracle Database patches by using the Oracle Cloud Infrastructure Console, API, or CLI. This functionality includes the ability to easily patch a database by moving it to a different Database Home. Similarly, you can easily roll back the version of the database by moving it back to its original Database Home.

For information and instructions, see:

• Patching and Updating an Exadata Cloud@Customer System
• Troubleshooting Exadata Cloud@Customer Systems
• Database and Grid Infrastructure Patching Event Types

Per-Second Billing for OCPU Usage

• Services: Database
• Release Date: July 14, 2020
• Release Notes: Exadata Cloud@Customer: Per-Second Billing for OCPU Usage

Oracle Exadata Database Service on Cloud@Customer Gen2 uses per-second billing for OCPUs. This means that OCPU usage is billed by the second, with a minimum usage period of 1 minute.

Shared Database Home Resource Tags

• Services: Database
• Release Date: June 23, 2020
• Release Notes: Exadata Cloud@Customer: Shared Database Home Resource Tags

Add, update, and remove tags applied to a shared Database Home resource.

For information and instructions, see:

• Using the Console to Create Oracle Database Home on Exadata Cloud@Customer
• Using the Console to Create a Database

Create and Manage Multiple Virtual Machines per Exadata System (MultiVM)

• Services: Database
• Release Date: June 13, 2020
• Release Notes: Exadata Cloud@Customer: Create and Manage Multiple Virtual Machines per Exadata System (MultiVM)

Slice Exadata resources into multiple virtual machines. Define up to 8 multiple virtual machine (VM) clusters on an Oracle Exadata Database Service on Cloud@Customer, and specify how the overall system resources are allocated to them.

For information and instructions, see:

• Using the Console to Create a VM Cluster
• Using the Console to Scale the Resources on a VM Cluster
• VM Cluster Event Types

Scale OCPUs Without Cloud Connectivity

• Services: Database
• Release Date: June 13, 2020
• Release Notes: Exadata Cloud@Customer: Scale OCPUs Without Cloud Connectivity

Oracle Exadata Database Service on Cloud@Customer is considered to be in a "disconnected" mode when there is a loss of connectivity with the Database service control plane running on Oracle Cloud Infrastructure. Scale the CPU core count up or down for a virtual machine in a VM cluster in disconnected mode.

For information and instructions, see:

• About Using the dbaascli Utility on Exadata Cloud@Customer
• dbaascli cpuscale get_status
• dbaascli cpuscale update
• Exadata Infrastructure Event Types

Configure Oracle Database Character Set and National Character Set

• Services: Database
• Release Date: May 7, 2020
• Release Notes: Exadata Cloud@Customer: Configure Oracle Database Character Set and National Character Set

Before you create the database, decide the character set that you want to use.

After a database is created, changing its character set is usually very expensive in terms of time and resources. Such operations may require converting all character data by exporting the whole database and importing it back. Therefore, it is important that you carefully select the database character set at installation time.

For information and instructions, see Using the Console to Create a Database.

Specify a Time Zone While Provisioning Oracle Exadata Database Service on Cloud@Customer Infrastructure

• Services: Database
• Release Date: May 7, 2020
• Release Notes: Exadata Cloud@Customer: Specify a Time Zone While Provisioning Oracle Exadata Cloud@Customer Infrastructure

The default time zone for the Oracle Exadata Database Service on Cloud@Customer infrastructure is UTC. The time is displayed in the UTC format at the operating system and database level. You can choose a different Time Zone while provisioning your Oracle Exadata Database Service on Cloud@Customer infrastructure. However, Oracle recommends setting the database time zone to UTC (0:00), as no conversion of time zones will be required.

For information and instructions, see Using the Console to Create Infrastructure.

Shared Database Homes for Oracle Exadata Database Service on Cloud@Customer

• Services: Database
• Release Date: March 31, 2020
• Release Notes: Exadata Cloud@Customer: Shared Database Homes

Use a single Oracle Home for multiple databases. Besides saving space, sharing an Oracle Database Home with multiple databases provides the following benefits:

• One-off patches needed for multiple databases only need to be applied to fewer Oracle Homes, reducing patching overhead and administration.
• Space savings, for example, by having only a single Oracle Home per Oracle software version (though multiple are possible).
• Oracle Database patching through moving databases between homes instead of patching the DB Home.
• Fallback to move a database to a lower DB Home version without having to rollback a patch.
• Software installation of new Homes and new versions is not interrupting operation of database.
• Patching time of a database is reduced by not having to additionally lay down Oracle binaries.

Use the Oracle Cloud Infrastructure Console, API, or CLI to create and manage shared Oracle Database Homes for your databases on an Oracle Exadata Database Service on Cloud@Customer.

For information and instructions, see Create Oracle Database Homes on an Exadata Cloud@Customer Systems.

X7-2 System Support

• Services: Database
• Release Date: March 19, 2020
• Release Notes: Exadata Cloud@Customer: X7-2 System Support

Oracle Exadata Database Service on Cloud@Customer comes in different infrastructure shapes to support workloads of different sizes. In this release, the capability of Oracle Exadata Database Service on Cloud@Customer has been extended to support X7-2 system.

For more information, see Oracle Exadata X7-2 System Model Specifications.