Migrating Oracle Real Application Clusters (RAC) to AWS is often essential for businesses but presents several challenges. This blog addresses key issues related to Oracle RAC migration and provides solutions to overcome these hurdles.
Eliminate Patching and Management Challenges: Reduce risk and manpower required for on-premises management.
Avoid Hardware Refresh Costs: Mitigate high costs and long lead times associated with hardware upgrades.
Mitigate Business Risk: Address end-of-life hardware and unsupported software risks.
Align with Corporate Cloud Strategy: Facilitate an AWS-first approach, enhancing overall IT strategy.
Challenge: Oracle's Cloud Policy does not include Oracle RAC, necessitating traditional core-based licensing.
Solutions: Utilize environments where core counting is possible:
Dedicated Hosts: Entire servers reserved for AWS customers, supporting all AWS services and ensuring compliance with Oracle's licensing.
VMware Cloud on AWS (VMC): Managed service from VMware on AWS dedicated hosts, similar to on-premises setups.
Challenge: Oracle Support does not endorse Oracle RAC on third-party clouds, including AWS.
Solution: Consider third-party support organizations. Oracle patches and support notes remain accessible, although official support requests may not be entertained.
Challenge: Shared storage and multicast networking required for Oracle RAC pose challenges in cloud environments.
Solutions: Utilize environments where core counting is possible:
Shared Storage: Utilize EBS Multi-Attach for easy shared storage configuration or EFS as an alternative.
Networking: Implement FlashGrid for multicast networking or deploy Oracle RAC in a VMC environment for seamless network management.
Dedicated Hosts: Provide a reserved server for full control over EC2 instances and Oracle RAC deployment.
VMware Cloud on AWS: Managed VMware clusters on AWS hosts, offering familiar environments and simplifying RAC implementation.
EBS Multi-Attach: Native AWS tool for shared storage across multiple EC2 instances.
FlashGrid: Recommended solution for multicast networking in cloud environments, ensuring Oracle RAC functionality.
Discovery and Assessment:
Detailed evaluation of current Oracle RAC setup and cloud compatibility.
Architecture Design:
Develop right-sized AWS architecture ensuring high availability and performance.
Licensing and Compliance:
Verify core-based licensing options and ensure Oracle compliance.
Technical Deployment:
Configure shared storage and networking solutions, utilizing EBS, FlashGrid, or VMC as needed.
Risk Management:
Establish contingency plans for support limitations and leverage third-party support if necessary.
We have assessed 5,769 Oracle databases running on 3,163 hosts and 15,629 CPU cores in the last twelve months. The total license value - database and options used - exceeds $690 million, with $150 million in annual support fees (based on list prices).
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