Oracle and Oracle EBS Database Virtualization Update

Windocks recently released updated Oracle database virtualization and subsetting, including:

• Oracle and Oracle EBS database virtualization from release 12 forward
• Automated creation of Oracle and Oracle EBS standby database
• Single server support for standby, images, clones, and Oracle containers (instances), doing away with costly staging servers
• Images are created from the standby with snapshots, creating a database timeline
• Images can also be created using RMAN backups, or physical files
• Virtualized databases are delivered to local Docker Oracle containers, or to fixed Oracle instances
• Data privacy and masking is improved with a new synthetic data generator that masks data with data modeled to look like the source.   In-house and third party masking is also easily supported.
• The same server can also support Postgres, MySQL, and other Linux databases
• And, Windocks now supports Oracle and Oracle EBS database subsetting, with optional bias controls.   Look for a separate article on “Oracle database subsetting”

Oracle and Oracle EBS improvements

The new release features automated creation of Oracle standby databases, using Data Guard, based on RMAN backups or synching with production log files. While Oracle EBS cloning isn’t new, the new release now includes Windocks automated redirection of the EBS app tier to a newly cloned EBS database.

A single server solution

The new release simplifies installation and administration by allowing the Oracle standby to be hosted locally, along with the clonable images, and clones delivered to either local Oracle containers (local instances), or delivered to existing instances.   A single server solution simplifies Oracle support, and avoids costly staging servers.

Oracle plus Postgres, MySQL, and other data

The single server solution goes further by supporting other Linux hosted data, including Postgres, MySQL, and other environments.

Windocks compared to Oracle Cloud volume cloning?

Oracle cloud volume cloning delivers a writable copy of a source Oracle database, with the clone being rehydrated becoming a full byte copy of the source database.   Windocks virtualization is a “thin volume clone” created from a standby database, or a full byte copy created from RMAN backups, or physical files. Each virtualized copy supports read/write operations, but occupies ~100 MB on delivery.   As writes are made to the clone, data is copied from the image to persist the writes on the cloned file system.  

The chief advantage of the Windocks approach is the ability to deliver multiple clones in a short period, and associated storage savings.   In most dev/test uses the clones remain light weight, and storage costs can be cut by 95% or more. A final advantage offered by Windocks is integrated delivery of the clone along with a newly created Docker container.

Proven in action

Windocks launched Oracle database virtualization nearly five years ago, and customers rely on Windocks daily for dev/test as well as production reporting, with databases averaging between 5 and 50 TB. If you’re interested to learn how Windocks provides a better Oracle solution, get in touch!