Implementing a Disaster Recovery (DR) strategy for Oracle E-Business Suite (EBS) between on-premises and Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) involves carefully planning data replication, failover, and recovery to ensure business continuity. Below are best practices to help you build a robust, secure, and cost-effective DR architecture.
Oracle E-Business Suite DR Best Practices (On-Prem to OCI)
1. Architect a DR Topology Based on Business Needs
-
Active-Passive (Cold or Warm DR): EBS runs on-prem; OCI is the failover site.
-
Cold Standby: Cost-effective; environment is spun up only during failover.
-
Warm Standby: EBS application tier is always available, but database is synchronized.
2. Use Oracle Data Guard for Database Synchronization
-
Oracle Data Guard (Physical Standby) is the recommended method to replicate the EBS database to OCI.
-
Enables real-time or near-real-time replication of the on-prem DB to OCI.
-
Supports Fast-Start Failover and Snapshot Standby for testing without downtime.
3. Sync Application Tier Components
-
Use rsync, Oracle GoldenGate, or Oracle Cloud Infrastructure File Storage to replicate:
-
APPL_TOP
-
COMMON_TOP
-
INST_TOP
-
-
Automate sync jobs using
cron
or a configuration management tool (e.g., Ansible).
OCI Tip: Consider using Object Storage or Block Volume backups for faster restores and transport.
4. Use Oracle Cloud Infrastructure Features for DR
-
OCI Block Volume Backup: Automate backups for database and app tier disks.
-
OCI Object Storage: Store backups and scripts securely and durably.
-
OCI Vault: Manage and protect sensitive configuration data (e.g., passwords, certificates).
-
OCI DNS and Load Balancing: Enable seamless redirection during failover.
5. Automate Failover and Recovery
-
Use Terraform or OCI Resource Manager for infrastructure automation.
-
Create startup/shutdown scripts for EBS components.
-
Consider using Oracle EBS Cloud Manager for deployments and lifecycle tasks.
6. Test Regularly
-
Perform DR drills every 3–6 months.
-
Automate health checks and alerts.
-
Document and simulate failover and switchover processes.
7. Security and Compliance
-
Ensure data is encrypted in transit and at rest (use Oracle Transparent Data Encryption).
-
Configure IAM policies and VCN Security Lists to restrict access.
-
Comply with business continuity and industry-specific regulatory standards.
8. Cost Management
-
Use OCI’s Flexible Compute and preemptible instances for lower standby costs.
-
Schedule shutdown of DR environments when not needed (cold DR).
-
Use monitoring and auto-scaling policies to optimize DR readiness and cost.
Final Recommendations
-
Use Data Guard for DB, rsync/Object Storage for apps tier, and AutoConfig for configuration regeneration.
-
Ensure multinode consistency in both tiers.
-
Automate as much as possible using Cloud Manager, Terraform, or scripts.
-
Regularly test your DR setup to ensure it's functional when needed.
Comments