Software Defined Networks (SDN)

One hot topic that I would like to discuss today is that of software defined networks (SDN) in respect to Oracle and other database platforms. Key vendors that provide core technologies around this area are provided by VMware, Redhat, and Oracle. First let us cover the basics of SDN.

VMware Software Defined Network

http://www.vmware.com/solutions/datacenter/software-defined-datacenter/networking.html

From VMware approach, the new vCloud Director suite provides the tools to implement an end to end software defined network and virtualized ecosystem along with robust technologies such as VMware vCenter and VMware vSphere. According to VMware the Software Data Center:

The Software-Defined Data Center: Operating Principles

Rather than mask the inherent rigidity of specialized hardware under a tangle of scripts, the Software-Defined Data center leapfrogs these constraints to change the way all data center services are delivered.

As implemented in VMware’s vCloud Suite, the virtualization principles of abstraction, pooling and automation are applied to compute, storage, networking, security, and availability. This creates the Virtual Data Center, a new construct that aggregates these software-defined services and enables intelligent, policy-based provisioning, automation, and monitoring. APIs and other connectors provide seamless extensibility to third-party platforms and public cloud services.

Below is the architecture for vCloud environment for SDN:

Taken together, these capabilities comprise VMware Cloud Infrastructure, the virtualized infrastructure at the heart of the Software-Defined Data Center. As highly capable as it is, this “engine” is not sufficient on its own. It must be fully managed, which encompasses everything from delivering access to the right services with the right approvals to ensuring the performance, compliance and efficiency of your private cloud.

These management capabilities—delivered via VMware Cloud Management—are specifically designed to provide deep insight into cloud infrastructure performance, while enabling services to be provisioned and accessed in any available cloud.

For many companies, the Software-Defined Data Center will coexist in a heterogeneous environment with multiple hypervisors, hardware from different vendors, and various public cloud services. You can abstract away this complexity by extending VMware Cloud Management beyond your vSphere-enabled Software-Defined Data Center—to impose uniform governance, control, access and self-service over your entire heterogeneous, hybrid cloud environment.

Cloud Service Provisioning: Automate the provisioning of infrastructure and applications within the Software-Defined Data Center, and beyond it across multiple clouds and platforms. Cloud Operations Management: Manage the health, risk, efficiency and compliance of your infrastructure and applications. Cloud Business Management: Govern and manage cloud services as a critical element of running IT like a business.

Oracle Software Defined Network

Oracle has a different approach to software defined networking and virtualized data centers that is more application focused along the core suite of applications that run Oracle database and Oracle systems.

http://www.oracle.com/us/products/networking/virtual-networking/sdn/overview/index.html

Below is an overview of the approach for SDN taken by Oracle:

Last but not least, completely integrated systems that merge SDN with hardware, storage, compute and network converged infrastructure are now on the market and provide turn key solutions to large customers who require a quick time to market data center such as that provided by VCE (http://www.vce.com) via the vBlock platform. A good overview of the vBlock is available below:

http://www.cisco.com/web/GR/connect2013/pdfs/014_emc_vmware_thanos.pdf

Until next time

Oracle 12c New Features and Release

Oracle 12c has been released this month and this is the biggest news since Oracle 11g came out some time back.

Below are some new features:

Oracle cloning

Oracle PDB

Oracle RAC and ASM enhancements

Oracle security enhancements

Oracle 12c New Features

As an Oracle RAC expert, the deployment features for Oracle 12c RAC and ASM are quite exciting and should make highly available scalable clusters with the new Flex cluster more fun and powerful for large enterprise data centers. Per the 12c new features for Flex RAC clusters:

"Oracle Flex Cluster is a new Oracle Clusterware based topology utilizing two types of cluster nodes: Hub Nodes and Leaf Nodes. Hub Nodes represent traditional nodes, tightly coupled using network and storage. Leaf Nodes are a new type of node that runs a lighter weight stack and does not require direct shared storage connectivity."

I also like the new 12c policy based approach to database and RAC deployments:

"Oracle Grid Infrastructure allows running multiple applications in one cluster. Using a policy-based approach, the workload introduced by these applications can be allocated across the cluster using a policy set. In addition, a policy set enables different policies to be applied to the cluster over time as required. Policy sets can be defined using a web-based interface or a command-line interface.

Hosting various workloads in the same cluster helps to consolidate the workloads into a shared infrastructure that provides high availability and scalability. Using a centralized policy-based approach allows for dynamic resource reallocation and prioritization as the demand changes."

Stay tuned for exciting new developments as I test out the many new 12c features from Oracle. Oracle has truly raised the bar once again for enterprise database and application technology! Bravo!

Oracle RAC Timezone woes and solution

Recently had a timezone issue with an Oracle 11gR2 RAC cluster. Even though I had set the host time and date, for some reason it did not get propagated to the Oracle RAC configuration.

There are couple of ways to set timezone for an Oracle 11.2 RAC cluster. First is the easy way by using srvctl commands:

srvctl setenv database -d -T =

srvctl setenv database -d racdb -T TZ=US/Eastern

In the first case, if this did not work, we need to edit a configuration file called s_crsconfig_{racnodename}_env.txt located under the $GRID_HOME/crs/install directory.

Here is my example for the edits performed of the above file on both RAC nodes, using first node as sample:

[root@racnode1$ vi /oracle/11.2.0/grid/crs/install/s_crsconfig_racnode1_env.txt

### This file can be used to modify the NLS_LANG environment variable, which determines the charset to be used for messages.

### For example, a new charset can be configured by setting NLS_LANG=JAPANESE_JAPAN.UTF8

### Do not modify this file except to change NLS_LANG, or under the direction of Oracle Support Services

TZ=US/Pacific

NLS_LANG=AMERICAN_AMERICA.AL32UTF8

TNS_ADMIN=

ORACLE_BASE=

Restart the Oracle 11.2 Clusterware services and database and run srvctl to confirm setting changes.

Migrating single instance Oracle 11g database to Oracle 11gR2 RAC and ASM

Recently over the past few years, I've been involved with customer engagements to migrate legacy single instance environmnents to Oracle 11gR2 RAC and ASM. In this post, I will detail out the high level steps on how to perform this for ERP environments with SAP and Oracle.

I will spend a few blog posts on this topic due to the complex nature of migrating from single instance to Oracle RAC.

1. Migrate single instance Oracle non-ASM to Oracle 11gR2 RAC and ASM

2. Migrate single instance Oracle ASM to Oracle 11gR2 RAC.

SAP ECC 7.x now allows you to directly install Oracle ASM in the new Oracle 11gR2 Grid infrastructure environment. This means that you can build and configure your Oracle 11gR2 ASM disks and provision them without having to first migrate with RMAN from single instance Oracle to ASM.

Case 1: Migrate single instance Oracle non-ASM to Oracle 11gR2 RAC and ASM

The steps to migrate Oracle single instance to Oracle 11gR2 RAC are as follows:

1. Install Oracle 11gR2 Grid infrastructure

2. Provision disks for ASM

3. Configure and create ASM instances

4. Use RMAN to transfer non-ASM Oracle database to ASM configuration

5. Install Oracle 11gR2 RAC database software in new ORACLE_HOME

6. Perform cluster infrastructure configuration for public, private, VIP, and SCAN requirements per Oracle 11gR2 documentation

7. Install Oracle 11gR2 RAC grid infrastructure for a cluster

8. Use rconfig to complete the migration to Oracle 11gR2 RAC

Note: for SAP with Oracle RAC, you MUST use Oracle 11.2.0.2 or later release to obtain support from SAP. ASM must use a ACFS fileystem as well.

Case 2: Migrate single instance Oracle ASM to Oracle 11gR2 RAC

The steps for case 2 are as follows for an environment with Oracle single instance and ASM:

1. Install Oracle 11gR2 RAC database software in new ORACLE_HOME

2. Run the rootcrs.pl -deconfig -force script for single instance GRID_HOME with Oracle ASM

3. Install Oracle 11gR2 RAC Grid infrastructure for new GRID_HOME on cluster node hosts

4. Add ASM disks from single instance to cluster services with ASMCA utility

5. Migrate single instance with rconfig scripts

I will add details in future posts as the tasks are very complex and involved. For now, I wanted to give a high level summary since this is not well documented.

First solo flight and my quest to become a private pilot for fun!

This year I started my journey to accomplish a childhood dream of earning my private pilot license to have the freedom and skill to fly aircraft in my free time. This past week I completed my first solo flight successfully at KPAO airport in Palo Alto! It was exciting when my instructor, Gordon Reade at Sundance Flying Club stepped out after signing my logbook to solo and wished me luck before I taxi and took off from Runway 31. After the tower granted me clearance to take off, I lined up and used full throttle to rotate (Vr) at about 55kts in the Cessna 172SP aircraft (837SP) to complete my first solo flight of three takeoffs and landings in the traffic pattern over the bay at KPAO airport. It was fun and best of all I was relaxed and confident in my newly acquired skills. All three landings were smooth on touchdown and my instructor congratulated me on a solo flight well done. Now I look forward to completing my cross country flights and passing my checkride to receive my private pilot license!

NoCOUG Events for April and May 2013

As the new conference director for the Northern California Oracle User Group (NoCOUG), we have many exciting events planned for the Oracle user community. Next week, on April 16th we have a meetup for cloud computing with Oracle technology at the Hacker Dojo in Mountain View, CA: http://www.meetup.com/Northern-California-Oracle-Users-Group/events/112651522/?a=me1_grp&rv=me1&_af_eid=112651522&_af=event In May, we have the NoCOUG spring/summer conference planned with events for Big Data and Oracle technology. http://www.technicalconferencesolutions.com/pls/caat/caat_abstract_reports.schedule?conference_id=124 To attend this exciting conference you may sign up below and RSVP: http://www.nocoug.org/rsvp.html So if you are in northern California please come learn the latest greatest things about all things Oracle.

End of 2012

Year in review As we end 2012, in closing I have not posted much due to work and many activities wrapping up the year. My new Oracle R12 EBS book is available and ready for folks to learn the tips and tricks for Oracle R12 Financials from Oracle Press. Each year I pursue a new goal and try to master or improve a skill or ability. This keeps me sharp and motivated and happy. Last year, I learned to scuba dive. Right now, I am learning to fly! My goal by 2013 is to pass my checkride and obtain my private pilot license. I have always had a passion for aviation and aeronautics. I am doing this purely as a hobby and do not want to be a professional pilot. For one, the pay is quite low until one has a decade of experience and two, I like working in technology as a job better than to fly planes for a living. I also will be focused on bring new events to the NoCOUG Oracle User Group in the bay area and northern California for Oracle users who want to learn new developments in database technology from Oracle. Happy Holidays and best wishes to all for a safe, peaceful and prosperous 2013! Cheers, Ben