One of the great advantages of the Oracle database Appliance HA is the possibility of Virtualization through OracleVM. This virtualization wasn’t possible for the other members of the Oracle Database Appliance. Until now.
In the patch 12.1.2.11.0 which has been released recently for the ODA S,M and L, virtualization is possible… through KVM. Is this a shocking change? No, KVM is part of Linux for more than 10 years now. Desirable? Yes, I think so, and worthwhile for give it a bit of attention in this blogpost.
You can read a very, very short announcement in the documentation of the Oracle Database Appliance.
Oracle has promised more information (including step-by-step guide) will be released very soon.
When installing the patch, the Oracle Linux KVM will be installed, and there’s no need for re-imaging your system like the Oracle Database Appliance HA. When using KVM it’s possible to run applications on the ODA S,M and L , and in that way isolate the databases from the application in matter of life cycle management.
In my opinion this could be a great solution for some customers for consolidating their software and for ISV’s for creating a solution in a box.
But… ( there’s always a but) as I understand – haven’t tested it yet – there are a few limitations:
– You may only use the Linux O.S. on the guest VM
– There’s no support for installing an Oracle database on the guest VM
– Related to that, there’s no capacity-on-demand for databases or applications in the guestVM
So the usability of this new feature may seem limited for now, but testing and using the feature has just begun!
The next big release will be in Feb/March 2018:
- Databases in the VM’s
- Each database will be running in its own VM
- VM hard-partitioning support for licensing
- Windows support
I’m very curious how Oracle will handle the standardization in the Oracle Database Appliance family in the future:
– ODACLI versus OAKCLI
– OracleVM versus KVM
– Web console user interface vs command-line
Will it merge and if it will, in what direction. Or will a new rising technology take the lead.
Regardz.
Resources:
Oracle Database Appliance Documentation: https://docs.oracle.com/cd/E86648_01/doc.121/e85591/managing-database-appliance-virtualized-platform.htm#GUID-971B6555-B1A6-4500-8187-C085989F25A9
