Introduction AWS Relational Database Service (RDS) provides a managed service for several database engines, including Oracle. It offers automation for administration tasks like provisioning, patching, and backup. Hence, it is often compared to Oracle Autonomous Database on Shared Exadata Infrastructure. However, the differences are tremendous, especially (and not only) regarding database high availability. This is…
Introduction Oracle Databases on Oracle Cloud use the Multitenant Architecture and are encrypted with TDE by default. Creating new PDBs in Data Guard environments while using a local wallet for TDE master encryption keys requires some additional steps to copy the wallet file and recover the PDB on standby. We discussed these approaches in previous…
Introduction Oracle constantly introduces new Exadata Platforms providing higher performance, lower latency, extended storage, and optimized software and networking. The latest Exadata X9M generation is available on-premises, cloud@customer, and public cloud. AND, it comes at the same price as the previous generation!!! It is as simple as this: higher performance + same price = reduced…
Introduction Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) is evolving every day! New features are being released, existing ones are being extended, and new data centers are being launched. More automation, more flexibility, and more capabilities to provide a better user experience, higher availability, and increased security to Oracle’s customers and partners. One frequently asked question is where…
Introduction Oracle Databases in Oracle Cloud use Transparent Data Encryption (TDE) by default to protect data at rest. The default configuration “Oracle-Managed Keys” stores the master encryption keys in a wallet file locally on the database servers. Now, Oracle also supports the integration with the OCI Vault Service for VM DB Systems, where you are able…
Introduction Oracle Data Guard replicates data from the primary to one or multiple standby databases for high availability and disaster recovery. The decision to transfer the redo synchronously or asynchronously depends on your RTO and RPO. Synchronous redo transport provides zero data loss and lower recovery time, but your application needs to wait until the…
Introduction Since day one, I have been involved in discussions about whether Oracle Autonomous Database runs on Oracle RAC and whether the CPUs are distributed on multiple RAC nodes only for 17 OCPUs or more. Does that actually matter? No! But many, including me, always want to know more about what’s happening behind the scene.…
Introduction Oracle Data Guard provides synchronous data replication to standby databases to ensure zero data loss in case of a disaster. In addition, the standby database can be used to offload RMAN backups, serve read-only and read-mostly workloads, and ensure high availability for planned maintenance. This blog post provides the steps needed to patch Data…
Introduction Oracle Data Guard provides high availability and disaster recovery by replicating data from the primary to standby databases. In case of an outage on the primary site or for maintenance operation, a standby database becomes a primary and continues serving application requests. This role switch should be transparent for applications, not requiring any changes…
Introduction Software is usually installed via command-line tools. It can be automated, scheduled, and repeated with minimal effort. However, for quick testing and demo purposing, or when you are new to some products, you might prefer discovering the new options using a graphical interface. For example, when installing Oracle Grid Infrastructure, Oracle Database, or Oracle…
Database Heartbeat 