Configuring Snapshots for Oracle RAC on AWS: Best Methods for Backup Durability

Best Methods for Configuring Snapshots for Oracle RAC on AWS

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Question

BCJC is running Oracle DB workloads on AWS.

Currently, they are running the Oracle RAC (Real Application Cluster) configuration on the AWS public cloud.

You've been tasked with configuring snapshots on the RAC cluster to enable durability.

What is the best method for configuring snapshots to become backups eventually?

Answers

A. Create manual snapshots of the RDS backup and write a script that runs the manual snapshot.

B. Enable Multi-AZ failover on the RDS RAC cluster to reduce the RPO and RTO in the event of disaster or failure.

C. Create a script that runs snapshots against the EBS volumes to create backups.

D. Enable automated backups on the RDS RAC cluster; enable auto snapshot copy to a backup region to reduce RPO and RTO.

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Explanations

Click on the arrows to vote for the correct answer

A. B. C. D.

Answer - C.

Currently, Oracle Real Application Cluster (RAC) is not supported as per the AWS documentation.

However, you can deploy scalable RAC on Amazon EC2 using the recently-published tutorial and Amazon Machine Images (AMI)

So, to create the snapshots (for an eventual backup), you need to save a point-in-time view of the EC2 that is deployed for RAC in the form of a snapshot and create a script that runs snapshots against the EBS volumes, and run it against the snapshot.

Options A, B, and D are all incorrect because RDS does not support Oracle RAC.Option C is CORRECT because Oracle RAC is supported via the deployment using Amazon EC2

Hence, for the data backup, you can create a script that takes the snapshots of the EBS volumes.

For more information on Oracle RAC on AWS, please visit the below URLs-

https://aws.amazon.com/about-aws/whats-new/2015/11/self-managed-oracle-rac-on-ec2/ https://aws.amazon.com/articles/oracle-rac-on-amazon-ec2/ https://aws.amazon.com/blogs/database/amazon-aurora-as-an-alternative-to-oracle-rac/

Option D is the correct answer for configuring snapshots on the RAC cluster to enable durability.

Explanation:

Oracle RAC (Real Application Cluster) is a popular database clustering technology used to improve scalability, availability, and performance. It is a complex technology that involves multiple nodes and shared storage. To configure snapshots on the RAC cluster, we need to consider the following:

Data Durability: We need to ensure that the data is safe and can be recovered in the event of failure or disaster.
RPO (Recovery Point Objective): It is the maximum acceptable data loss in the event of a failure. The lower the RPO, the better.
RTO (Recovery Time Objective): It is the maximum acceptable downtime in the event of a failure. The lower the RTO, the better.

Option A is not a recommended method for configuring snapshots. Manual snapshots require human intervention and are prone to errors. We need an automated method to ensure data durability and reduce RPO and RTO.

Option B is not relevant to configuring snapshots. Multi-AZ failover is a feature of Amazon RDS that provides high availability and automatic failover capability. It does not address the snapshot configuration.

Option C is not a recommended method for configuring snapshots. Creating snapshots against EBS volumes is a possible method for backing up data, but it does not take into account the complexities of the RAC cluster, such as shared storage.

Option D is the recommended method for configuring snapshots on the RAC cluster. Enabling automated backups on the RDS RAC cluster provides a consistent and reliable backup mechanism. It also enables the auto snapshot copy feature to copy backups to a backup region, reducing RPO and RTO. With this configuration, backups are taken automatically at a defined interval, ensuring data durability and reducing the risk of data loss in the event of a failure or disaster.

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