Having supported a customer for several years, Xynomix were engaged by our partner Swisslog; tasked with designing a solution that provided a future-proofed approach for their Oracle estate. Currently running on Oracle standard edition RAC on a stretch ASM cluster, Xynomix were given the challenge of engineering a fault-tolerant system, with zero data loss at the database level and the ability to grow with the needs of the customer.
To achieve this Xynomix recommended a hybrid cloud solution for Oracle Backup, massively reducing the need for onsite tape technology. This was complemented by Oracle Database Appliance (ODA). These options allowed for growth, with tremendous improvements in performance and scalability. The customer also had total control of their Oracle licensing as well as a move to Enterprise Edition Oracle Database. This permits the ability to utilise all the features of the Oracle Enterprise Edition Database, including Oracle Data Guard.
As Oracle Standard Edition, RAC isn’t supporting from 19c. The decision to upgrade the licensing to Enterprise Edition utilising Oracle Data Guard provided the option of configuration for zero data loss. One of the key features of the ODA is Pay-As-You-Grow licensing, and this enabled the client to upgrade; removing Standard Edition limitations whilst gaining better features and database options, with a minimal licensing uplift.
The solution also included the Oracle Backup to the Cloud, where the ODA utilises the cloud as it’s tape (storage) device. This removed the need for additional hardware and ensures in the event of recovery, that the backups are always available. There was also an additional bonus of being able to convert the backups into running “Database As A Service” (DBaaS), this provides further protection in the event of a disaster recovery scenario.
The solution also included the Oracle Backup to the Cloud, where the ODA utilises the cloud as it’s tape (storage) device.
In summary, this is a Highly Available (HA), fault-tolerant and scalable solution. Oracle Data Guard (Maximum Availability feature) provides zero data loss at the Database level, less complicated hardware footprint and back up to the cloud with a DBaaS option in the event of a Disaster Recovery (DR) requirement. This results in a saving of 38% against a traditional x86 hardware solution.
