Migrate to Oracle Exadata Database Service on Dedicated Infrastructure
This section describes how to migrate your Oracle Exadata workloads to Oracle Exadata Database Service on Dedicated Infrastructure, and migrate your VMware applications to Oracle Cloud VMware Solution.
Architecture
This architecture shows a migration from on-premises Oracle Exadata databases and VMware applications to Oracle Exadata Database Service on Dedicated Infrastructure and Oracle Cloud VMware Solution.
Using Oracle Zero Downtime Migration, automate your database migration while experiencing minimal downtime when migrating your data from on-premises to the cloud.
Migrate your on-premises applications running on VMware to Oracle Cloud VMware Solution using VMware tools such as HCX and vMotion. Oracle Cloud VMware Solution gives you a fully automated implementation of a VMware software-defined data center (SDDC) within your OCI tenancy, running on OCI bare metal instances.
The following diagram illustrates this reference architecture.
migrate-vmware-cloud-solution-exadata-dedicated-architecture.zip
This architecture supports the following components:
- Region
An Oracle Cloud Infrastructure region is a localized geographic area that contains one or more data centers, called availability domains. Regions are independent of other regions, and vast distances can separate them (across countries or even continents).
- Virtual cloud network (VCN) and subnet
A VCN is a customizable, software-defined network that you set up in an Oracle Cloud Infrastructure region. Like traditional data center networks, VCNs give you complete control over your network environment. A VCN can have multiple non-overlapping CIDR blocks that you can change after you create the VCN. You can segment a VCN into subnets, which can be scoped to a region or to an availability domain. Each subnet consists of a contiguous range of addresses that don't overlap with the other subnets in the VCN. You can change the size of a subnet after creation. A subnet can be public or private.
- Oracle Exadata Database Service on Dedicated
Infrastructure
Oracle Exadata Database Service on Dedicated Infrastructure provides Oracle Exadata Database Machine as a service in an OCI data center. The Oracle Exadata Database Service on Dedicated Infrastructure service can host many Oracle databases that run in one or more VM clusters that run on a single Exadata rack in an OCI region. Oracle Exadata Database Service on Dedicated Infrastructure is an ideal platform for database consolidation.
- Oracle Cloud VMware Solution Software-Defined Data Center (SDDC)
Oracle and VMware have partnered to develop a VMware certified Software-Defined Data Center (SDDC) implementation for use within Oracle Cloud Infrastructure. This implementation, called the Oracle Cloud VMware Solution, uses Oracle Cloud Infrastructure to host a highly available VMware SDDC. It also allows seamless migration of all your on-premises VMware SDDC workloads to Oracle Cloud VMware Solution. Oracle Cloud VMware Solution contains the following VMware components:
- VMware vSphere ESXi
- VMware vSAN
- VMware vCenter
- VMware NSX-T
- VMware HCX (optional)
- Bare metal
An Oracle Cloud VMware Solution Software-Defined Data Center (SDDC) contains bare metal servers hosting Oracle Cloud VMware Solution. The bare metal server supports applications that require high core counts, large amounts of memory, and high bandwidth (such as Oracle Cloud VMware Solution). You can deploy Oracle Cloud VMware Solution on bare metal servers, and configure virtual machines with significant performance improvements compared to other public clouds and on-premises data centers.
- Service gateway
The service gateway provides access from a VCN to other services, such as Oracle Cloud Infrastructure Object Storage. The traffic from the VCN to the Oracle service travels over the Oracle network fabric and never traverses the internet.
- Dynamic routing gateway (DRG)
The DRG is a virtual router that provides a path for private network traffic between VCNs in the same region, between a VCN and a network outside the region, such as a VCN in another Oracle Cloud Infrastructure region, an on-premises network, or a network in another cloud provider.
- FastConnect
Oracle Cloud Infrastructure FastConnect provides an easy way to create a dedicated, private connection between your data center and Oracle Cloud Infrastructure. FastConnect provides higher-bandwidth options and a more reliable networking experience when compared with internet-based connections.
- File storage
OCI File Storage is used during logical migration to import the migrated database from a shared file system.
- Object storage
OCI Object Storage is used for logical and physical migration for temporary storage during migration.
Before You Begin
Before you begin, check the versions of major components used in this setup, and review the product documentation for later reference.
Review Requirements
- Ensure the source database is running Oracle Database version 19.18 Enterprise Edition or above.
- The target database must be Oracle Exadata Database Service on Dedicated Infrastructure X8 or newer, on Oracle Database version 19.18 Enterprise Edition or above.
- Oracle Zero Downtime Migration must be version 21.4 or above.
- Intermediate storage must include OCI Object Storage, Oracle ZFS Storage Appliance (NAS), and OCI File Storage.
Review Documentation
This solution playbook describes how to migrate your database workloads. Refer to the solution below to learn how to migrate your VMware workloads. The additional resources are helpful for context, details, and reference for your database migration.
Learn how to migrate the VMware components of your workload to Oracle Cloud VMware Solution.
Review Oracle Zero Downtime Migration resources:
- Oracle Zero Downtime Migration
- Oracle Zero Downtime Migration Video
- Install Oracle Zero Downtime Migration software
Review physical migration resources:
- Oracle Zero Downtime Physical Migration Step-By-Step Guide
- "Zero Downtime Migration Physical Migration Parameters" in Move to Oracle Cloud Using Zero Downtime Migration Guide
Review logical migration resources:
- Step-by-Step Guide – Online Logical Migration and In-Flight Upgrade from On-Premises to Oracle Exadata Database Service on Dedicated Infrastructure
- "Setting Logical Migration Parameters" in Move to Oracle Cloud Using Zero Downtime Migration Guide
Review Oracle Database resources:
About Required Products and Roles
This solution requires the following products:
- Oracle Cloud Infrastructure Identity and Access Management
- OCI Compute
- OCI Object Storage
- OCI File Storage
- Oracle Zero Downtime Migration
- Oracle Exadata
- Oracle Exadata Database Service on Dedicated Infrastructure
These are the roles needed for each product.
Product Name: Role | Required to... |
---|---|
Oracle Cloud Infrastructure Identity
and Access Management: OCI_user |
|
OCI Compute: admin |
Create OCI Compute instance to run Oracle Zero Downtime Migration software |
OCI Object Storage: Storage Admin |
Create OCI Object Storage buckets for logical and physical migration |
OCI File Storage: Storage Admin |
Create OCI File Storage for logical migration |
Oracle Zero Downtime Migration: opc |
Create zdmuser to install and run Oracle Zero Downtime Migration software
|
Oracle Zero Downtime Migration: zdmuser |
|
Oracle Exadata: root/sudoer user |
|
Oracle Exadata Database: sys/system |
|
Oracle Exadata Database Service on Dedicated
Infrastructure: Database Admin |
Create target Oracle Exadata Database Service on Dedicated Infrastructure database |
Oracle Exadata Database Service on Dedicated
Infrastructure VM Cluster Nodes: opc |
|
Oracle Exadata Database Service on Dedicated
Infrastructure Database: sys/system |
|
See Oracle Products, Solutions, and Services to get what you need.
About Logical and Physical Migration
Oracle Zero Downtime Migration supports two types of database migrations from Oracle Exadata to Oracle Exadata Database Service on Dedicated Infrastructure: logical migration and physical migration.
Logical migration uses a combination of Oracle Data Pump and Oracle GoldenGate, while physical migration uses a combination of Oracle Recovery Manager (RMAN) and Oracle Data Guard. The following table explains the scenarios in which a logical or physical migration should be used.
Logical Migration | Physical Migration |
---|---|
Recommended when a few pluggable databases and/or schemas are migrated. | Recommended when full databases are migrated. For example, container databases with all pluggable databases, or lift and shift. |
Selective pluggable databases (PDBs) and/or schemas can be migrated. | Container databases will be migrated to container databases, and non-container databases will be migrated to non-container databases. |
Sys password on the source and target can be different. Database names between the source and target can be different.
|
Sys password and database name on both the source and target should be identical. DB_UNIQUE_NAME on the source and target must be different.
|
Databases can be upgraded during migration. | Databases cannot be upgraded as part of migration. |
Migrate Using Logical Migration
This section describes how to perform an offline logical migration. For online migration, refer to the Review Documentation section.
Before performing your migration, note the following.
- The source database on Oracle Exadata does not have to be encrypted. Oracle Zero Downtime Migration will encrypt the target database during migration.
- The source and target databases do not have to have the same
sys
password, wallet password, database version, database name, and patch level. - Oracle Zero Downtime Migration allows migrating certain pluggable databases (PDBs) and/or schemas to pluggable databases in Oracle Exadata Database Service on Dedicated Infrastructure.
- A shared file system is required for logical migrations. During logical migration, Oracle Zero Downtime Migration will not export the data directly to OCI Object Storage. On the source Exadata database, Oracle Zero Downtime Migration exports data to a shared file system (either network file system or Oracle Advanced Cluster File System). Exported data is then uploaded to OCI Object Storage. Oracle Zero Downtime Migration then moves the data dumps from OCI Object Storage to OCI File Storage. Finally, then Oracle Exadata Database Service on Dedicated Infrastructure can import the data from OCI File Storage via network file system.
- Oracle Exadata on-premises can run both single-instance and RAC databases. Oracle Exadata Database Service on Dedicated Infrastructure runs RAC databases. During database migration, Oracle Zero Downtime Migration converts single-instance to RAC databases when required.
- In on-premises Oracle Exadata, the use of Oracle Transparent Data Encryption to encrypt databases is optional. When migrating databases from Exadata to Oracle Exadata Database Service on Dedicated Infrastructure, the target Oracle Exadata Database Service on Dedicated Infrastructure database will always be encrypted.
- The following steps assume there is direct network connectivity between the Data Center where Oracle Exadata is installed, and the OCI Virtual Cloud Network where the Oracle Exadata Database Service on Dedicated Infrastructure and the Oracle Zero Downtime Migration virtual machine is configured (via FastConnect or IPSec VPN as shown in the architecture diagram).
The following steps describe how to perform an offline logical migration.
Migrate Using Physical Migration
This section describes how to perform an offline physical migration. For online migration, refer to the Review Documentation section.
Before performing your physical migration, note the following.
- There's a new parameter for tablespace encryption management in Oracle Database 19.16. This parameter may cause conflicts for physical migrations. Review Tablespace Encryption Management in the Review Documentation section for more information.
- Oracle Exadata on-premises can run both single-instance and RAC databases. Oracle Exadata Database Service on Dedicated Infrastructure runs RAC databases. During database migration, Oracle Zero Downtime Migration converts single-instance to RAC databases when required.
- A Transparent Data Encryption (TDE) wallet must be defined on the source database before migration, even if the source database is not encrypted.
- In on-premises Oracle Exadata, the use of Oracle Transparent Data Encryption to encrypt databases is optional. When migrating databases from Exadata to Oracle Exadata Database Service on Dedicated Infrastructure, the target Oracle Exadata Database Service on Dedicated Infrastructure database will always be encrypted.
- The following steps assume there is direct network connectivity between the Data Center where Exadata is installed, and the OCI Virtual Cloud Network where the Oracle Exadata Database Service on Dedicated Infrastructure and the Oracle Zero Downtime Migration virtual machine is configured (via FastConnect or IPSec VPN as shown in the architecture diagram).
- The source database on Oracle Exadata does not have to be encrypted. Oracle Zero Downtime Migration will encrypt the target database during migration.
- The
sys
password, wallet password, database version, and patch level on the source and target databases must be the same. - Oracle Zero Downtime Migration will migrate container database (CDB) to CDB and non-CDB to non-CDB.
- Oracle Zero Downtime Migration uses Oracle Database Backup Cloud Service to backup the source Exadata database to OCI Object Storage. Oracle Zero Downtime Migration then restores the target database from this backup.
The following steps describe how to perform an offline physical migration.
Enable Archivelog Mode
Archivelog mode must be enabled on the source database for Oracle Zero Downtime Migration physical migrations. These steps will describe how to configure Archivelog mode on the source database.
Configure a Transparent Data Encryption (TDE) Keystore
Oracle Zero Downtime Migration physical migrations require an auto_login
TDE encryption keystore/wallet (even if the source database is not encrypted). This keystore must be configured with the same password as the target database keystore. These steps describe how to configure a keystore on the source database.