Oracle Cloud Infrastructure Documentation

Volume Group Replication

You can use the Block Volume service's replication feature for volume groups.

Volume group replicas themselves don't contain the full source data from the volumes in the group. Instead, the volume group replica contains references to individual replicas for each of the volumes in the group. This approach provides a seamless replication experience for volumes whether they remain in the volume group, are removed from the volume group, or if replication is turned off for the volume group itself.

When you activate a volume group replica, a new volume group is created. The activation process is the same as creating a clone of the volume group.

This topic covers information about the replication feature specific to volume groups. For general information about the replication feature and how it works, see Replicating a Volume.

Note

Replication doesn't cause any downtime or impact on source volumes.

Limitations and Considerations

The details specified in Limitations and Considerations apply to volume group replication, in addition to the following:

  • While it is possible to activate individual volume replicas separately from the volume group replica, to ensure consistency, you should activate the volume group replica instead. Activating the volume group replica ensures that all replicas are activated from the same coordinated synchronization point.

  • When you remove a volume from a volume group, the volume is not available to add to another group until removal process is complete.

  • When you add one or more volumes not configured for replication to a volume group that is configured for replication, the Recovery Point Object (RPO) for the volume group replication might degrade while the initial synchronization process runs for the volumes added to the group.

    To prevent this impact to the volume group's RPO, you can enable replication for the volume and wait until the initial synchronization process is complete before you add the volume to the group. To determine when the initial synchronization process is complete, monitor the status of the replica for the volume. After it has changed from Provisioning to Available the process is complete, and you can add the volume to the volume group without degrading the volume group replication's RPO.

  • When you configure replication for a volume group, if the group contains volumes that are already configured for replication, the volume's destination region and availability domain must match the volume group's destination region and availability domain for replication. If they don't match, a Conflicting volumes message occurs while creating the volume group. Remove these volumes from the group to successfully create the volume group.

  • When you turn on replication for a volume group, all volumes in the group are included in the volume group replica in the destination region and availability domain. Volumes are no longer replicated individually, regardless of whether they were configured for replication before they were included in a volume group with replication turned on. You can no longer update the replication settings for an individual volume, the settings must be configured at the volume group level.

  • When you turn off replication for a volume group, by default all volumes continue to replicate, but as separate volume replicas, they are no longer part of a volume group replica. You can turn off individual volume replication for all volumes at this point. Choose this option if you want to stop replication of all volumes. If you want to continue replication of some volumes, but not others, do not select this option. Instead, after replication for the volume group has been turned off, you can turn off replication for individual volumes.

    See the following topics for how to turn off replication for individual volumes:

    From the Console:

    Using the CLI:

Enabling Cross-Region Replication When Creating a Volume Group

Learn how to enable cross-region replication when you create a new boot volume.

    1. Open the navigation menu  and select Storage. Under Block Storage, select Volume Groups.

    2. Select the volume group that you want to enable replication for.

    3. Select Edit.
    4. In the Cross region replication section, select ON.

    5. For cross-region replication, select the region you want to replicate the volume group to, the availability domain to place the volume group replica in, and then specify the name for the volume group replica.

      For cross-availability domain replication, select the same region the volume group is located in, the availability domain to place the volume group replica in, and then specify the name for the volume group replica.

    6. Check Confirm to acknowledge the cost warning.

    7. Optionally, encrypt the volume group replica in the destination region by using your own Vault encryption key. Select Encrypt using customer-managed keys for Cross region replication encryption, and then specify the OCID for a valid encryption key in the region you selected to replicate the volume group to. For more information, see Requirements for Customer-Managed Encryption Keys for Cross-Region Operations.

    8. In the left sidebar, select Summary.

    9. Select Save changes.

  • Use the oci bv volume-group create command and specify the --compartment-id, --volume-group-replicas'[{"displayName":" , "availabilityDomain" and "xrrKmsKeyId" parameters to enable cross-region replication when creating a volume group:

    oci bv volume-group create --compartment-id <compartment_ID> --volume-group-replicas '[{"displayName":"<display_name>","availabilityDomain":"<availability-domain_ID>","xrrKmsKeyId" : "<kms_key_ID>"}]'

    For example:

    oci bv volume-group create --compartment-id ocid1.compartment.oc1.phx.<unique_ID> --volume-group-replicas '[{"displayName":"Sample_Replica","availabilityDomain":"pjBI:US-ASHBURN-AD-1","xrrKmsKeyId" : "ocid1.key.oc1.iad-ad-1.<unique_ID>"}]'

    For a complete list of parameters and values for CLI commands, see the CLI Command Reference.

  • Run the CreateVolumeGroup operation and specify the volumeGroupReplicas attribute in the CreateVolumeGroupDetails resource to enable cross-region replication when creating a new volume group.

Enabling Cross-Region Replication When Updating an Existing Volume Group

Use the steps described in this procedure to enable replication on an existing volume group. You can also enable replication when you create a volume.

For more information, see Creating a Volume Group.

    1. Open the navigation menu  and select Storage. Under Block Storage, select Volume Groups.

    2. Select the volume group that you want to change the replication settings for.

    3. Select Edit.
    4. In the Cross region replication section, select OFF.
    5. Check Confirm to acknowledge the that volume group replica will be deleted.

    6. Select Save changes.

    7. Select Edit.
    8. In the Cross region replication section, select ON.

    9. For cross-region replication, select the region you want to replicate the volume group to, the availability domain to place the volume group replica in, and then specify the name for the volume group replica.

      For cross availability domain replication, select the same region the volume group is located in, the availability domain to place the volume group replica in, and then specify the name for the volume group replica.

    10. Optionally, encrypt the volume group replica in the destination region by using your own Vault encryption key. Select Encrypt using customer-managed keys for Cross region replication encryption, and then specify the OCID for a valid encryption key in the region you selected to replicate the volume group to. For more information, see Requirements for Customer-Managed Encryption Keys for Cross-Region Operations.

    11. Check Confirmto acknowledge the cost warning.

    12. Select Save changes.

  • Use the oci bv volume-group update command and specify the --volume-group-id, --volume-group-replicas '[{"displayName", "availabilityDomain" and "xrrKmsKeyId" parameters to enable cross-region replication for an existing volume group:

    oci bv volume-group update --volume-group-id <volume-group_ID> --volume-group-replicas '[{"displayName":"<display_name>","availabilityDomain":"<availability-domain_ID>","xrrKmsKeyId" : "<kms_key_ID>"}]'

    For example:

    oci bv volume-group update --volume-group-id ocid1.volumegroup.oc1.phx.<unique_ID> --volume-group-replicas '[{"displayName":"Sample_Replica","availabilityDomain":"pjBI:US-ASHBURN-AD-1","xrrKmsKeyId" : "ocid1.key.oc1.iad-ad-1.<unique_ID>"}]'

    For a complete list of parameters and values for CLI commands, see the CLI Command Reference.

  • Run the UpdateVolumeGroup operation and specify the volumeGroupReplicas attribute in the UpdateVolumeGroupDetails resource to enable cross-region replication in an existing volume group.

Updating the Destination Region or Availability Domain Replication Settings for a Volume Group

To change the destination region or availability domain for cross-region replication you need to first turn cross-region replication off for a volume group. Then specify the new region and availability domain selections when you turn cross-region replication on again.

    1. Open the navigation menu  and select Storage. Under Block Storage, select Volume Groups.

    2. Select the volume group that you want to change the replication settings for.

    3. Select Edit.
    4. In the Cross region replication section, select OFF.
    5. Check Confirm to acknowledge the that volume group replica will be deleted.

    6. Select Save changes.

    7. Select Edit.
    8. In the Cross region replication section, select ON.

    9. For cross region replication, select the region you want to replicate the volume group to, the availability domain to place the volume group replica in, and then specify the name for the volume group replica.

      For cross availability domain replication, select the same region the volume group is located in, the availability domain to place the volume group replica in, and then specify the name for the volume group replica.

    10. Optionally, encrypt the volume group replica in the destination region by using your own Vault encryption key. Select Encrypt using customer-managed keys for Cross region replication encryption, and then specify the OCID for a valid encryption key in the region you selected to replicate the volume group to. For more information, see Requirements for Customer-Managed Encryption Keys for Cross-Region Operations.

    11. Check Confirmto acknowledge the cost warning.

    12. Select Save changes.

  • Disable and re-enable cross-region replication for a volume group to change the destination or availability domain replication settings.

    For a complete list of parameters and values for CLI commands, see the CLI Command Reference.

  • Disable and re-enable cross-region replication for a volume group to change the destination or availability domain replication settings.

Disabling Cross-Region Replication for a Volume Group

Learn how to disable cross-region replication for an existing boot volume.

    1. Open the navigation menu  and select Storage. Under Block Storage, select Volume Groups.

    2. Select the volume group that you want to disable replication for.

    3. Select Edit.
    4. In the Cross Region Replication section, select OFF.
    5. Check Confirm to acknowledge the that volume group replica will be deleted.

    6. Select Save changes.

  • Use the oci bv volume-group update command and specify '[]' for the --volume-group-replicas parameter to disable cross-region replication for a volume group:

    oci bv volume-group update --volume-group-id <volume-group_ID> --volume-group-replicas '[]'

    For example:

    oci bv volume-group update --volume-group-id ocid1.volumegroup.oc1.phx.<unique_ID> --volume-group-replicas '[]'

    For a complete list of parameters and values for CLI commands, see the CLI Command Reference.

  • Run the UpdateVolumeGroup operation and specify '[]' for the volumeGroupReplicas attribute in the UpdateVolumeGroupDetails resource to disable cross-region replication for a volume group.

Activating a Volume Group Replica

To create a new volume from a volume replica, you need to activate the replica. The activation process creates a new volume by cloning the replica.

Note

For volumes in a volume group configured for replication, activate the volume group replica instead of individual volume replicas if you want to ensure that all volume replicas are activated from the same coordinated synchronization point. See Limitations and Considerations.
    1. Open the navigation menu  and select Storage. Under Block Storage, select Block Volume Replicas. Ensure that you're in correct destination region and availability domain that contains the volume group replica you want to activate.

    2. Select the replica that you want to activate.

    3. Select Activate to open the Activate Volume Group Replica form.
    4. In the Activate Volume Group Replica form, specify the compartment and the name for the new volume group, and optionally select the cluster placement group.
      Note

      The Cluster Placement Group control only appears in the Console if Cluster Placement Groups are enabled for the tenancy, and you've created and activated a cluster placement group with the capability added for volume resources, see Cluster Placement Groups for Block Volume.
    5. Select Create. The new volume group appears in the volume groups list, in the provisioning state.

  • Use the oci bv volume-group create command and specify the --source-details '{"type": "volumeGroupReplicaId", "volumeGroupReplicaId", --compartment-id and --availability-domain parameters to activate a volume group replica:

    oci bv volume-group create --source-details '{"type": "volumeGroupReplicaId", "volumeGroupReplicaId": "<VOLUME_GROUP_REPLICA_ID>"}' --compartment-id <compartment_ID> --availability-domain <availability_domain>

    For example:

    oci bv volume-group create --source-details '{"type": "volumeGroupReplicaId", "volumeGroupReplicaId": "ocid1.volumegroupreplica.oc1.phx.<unique_ID>"}' --compartment-id ocid1.compartment.oc1.phx.<unique_ID> --availability-domain ABbv:PHX-AD-1

    For a complete list of parameters and values for CLI commands, see the CLI Command Reference.

  • Run the CreateVolumeGroup operation and specify the volumeGroupReplicas attribute in the CreateVolumeGroupDetails resource to activate a volume group replica.

Listing Volume Group Replicas

Learn how to list volume group replicas in a specific compartment and availability domain.

    1. Open the navigation menu  and select Storage.
    2. Under Block Storage, select Volume Group Replicas.

  • Use the oci bv volume-group-replica command and specify the --availability-domain and --compartment-id parameters to list volume group replicas:

    oci bv volume-group-replica list --availability-domain <availability_domain> --compartment-id <compartment_ID>

    For example:

    oci bv volume-group-replica list --availability-domain ABbv:PHX-AD-1 --compartment-id ocid1.compartment.oc1.phx.<unique_ID>

    For a complete list of parameters and values for CLI commands, see the CLI Command Reference.

  • Run the ListVolumeGroupReplicas operation and specify the availabilityDomain and compartmentId attributes to list volume group replicas.

Getting Details for a Volume Group Replica

Learn how to view details for a specific volume group replica.

    1. Open the navigation menu  and select Storage. Under Block Storage, select Volume Group Replicas.
    2. Select the volume group replica you want to view details for.

  • Use the oci bv volume-group-replica get command and specify the --volume-group-replica-id parameter to get details for a volume group replica:

    oci bv volume-group-replica get --volume-group-replica-id <volume-group-replica-ID>

    For example:

    oci bv volume-group-replica get --volume-group-replica-id ocid1.volumegroupreplica.oc1.phx.<unique_ID>

    For a complete list of parameters and values for CLI commands, see the CLI Command Reference.

  • Run the GetVolumeGroupReplica operation and specify the volumeGroupReplicaId attribute to get details for a volume group replica.

Restoring a Volume Group Replica to Its Source Region

To restore a boot volume replica to the source region, you must activate the replica in the destination region with volume replication enabled, and then select the original source region as the target region for replication.

    1. Open the navigation menu  and select Storage. Under Block Storage, select Volume Group Replicas.

    2. Select the replica that you want to activate.

    3. Select Activate to open the Activate volume group replica form.
    4. On the Activate Volume Group Replica form, specify the compartment and the name for the new volume group, and then select Create. The new volume group will appear in the volume groups list, in the provisioning state.

      Ensure that Volume Replication is enabled, and select the original source region.

    5. Once the volume group has been created, turn on replication for the volume group and specify the original source region as the destination region. For more information, see Enabling Cross-Region Replication When Updating an Existing Volume Group. Once the initial synchronization finishes, the failback process is complete, and you can activate the volume group in the original source region.

  • Use the oci bv volume-group create command and specify the --availability_domain, --compartment-id, --display-name, --source-details, and --volume-group-replicas parameters to restore a volume group replica to its source region:

    oci bv volume-group create --availability-domain <volume_group_replica_AD> --compartment-id <compartment_ID> --display-name <new_volume_group_name> --source-details '{"type": "volumeGroupReplicaId", "volumeGroupReplicaId": "<volume_group_replica_ID>"}' --volume-group-replicas '[{"displayName":"<volume_group_replica_name>","availabilityDomain":"<source_availability_domain>"}]'

    For a complete list of parameters and values for CLI commands, see the CLI Command Reference.

  • Run the CreateVolumeGroup operation and specify the compartmentId, bootVolumeReplicas and sourceDetails attributes for the CreateVolumeGroupDetails resource to restore a volume group replica to its source region.