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