Cost-Effective DR Solution

Background

The design of our Disaster Recovery (DR) solution is tailored to the customer's Recovery Point Objective (RPO) and Recovery Time Objective (RTO) requirements. In cases where a customer has a more lenient RPO and RTO, opting for a cost-effective DR solution through backup and restore mechanisms becomes a viable strategy. This approach has been successfully implemented for a prominent ASEAN customer.

High Level DC-DR Design with Data and Replication Flows

Background

The design of our Disaster Recovery (DR) solution is tailored to the customer's Recovery Point Objective (RPO) and Recovery Time Objective (RTO) requirements. In cases where a customer has a more lenient RPO and RTO, opting for a cost-effective DR solution through backup and restore mechanisms becomes a viable strategy. This approach has been successfully implemented for a prominent ASEAN customer.

Infrastructure Overview

The Data Center (DC)-DR solution is hosted across Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) in the Singapore and India (Hyderabad) regions. The architecture encompasses various components, including deployment servers, AIS servers, enterprise servers, and databases.

OCI Networking Components Provisioning

To establish the necessary networking foundation, essential OCI components such as Virtual Cloud Network (VCN), Subnets, Security Lists, Route Tables, Network Security Groups (NSG), NAT Gateways, and Service Gateways have been provisioned in both the DC and DR regions. Comprehensive access rules, governing both ingress and egress traffic, have been meticulously configured.

Backup and Restore Mechanism for Servers

Custom Backup Policy Configuration

A tailored backup policy has been created, leveraging the Cross-Region Copy target option, and specifying the required schedule and frequency.

Volume Group Setup

For deployment servers, AIS servers, and enterprise servers, a dedicated volume group has been established. This group incorporates both boot and block volumes for Web and App Virtual Machines (VMs). The custom backup policy is then attached to this volume group.

Backup Execution and Cross-Region Copy

Local backups are generated based on the established policy, and subsequently, they are copied to the subscribed target region. Retention periods defined in the backup policy govern both the source and target backup copies.

Restoration and VM Attachment

Upon completion of the cross-region copy, restoration processes are initiated. The restored data is then attached to the requisite VMs in the target region, ensuring seamless application availability once the database is restored.

Database Backup and Replication

Object Storage Configuration

An Object Storage bucket is created with replication enabled to the target region, establishing a resilient backup repository.

Cloud Backup Module Installation

The cloud backup module is installed to facilitate user-configured Recovery Manager (RMAN) backups, ensuring that database backups are automatically replicated to the target region.

Database Restoration Process

Once the database backup becomes available in the target region, a new database is created via the OCI console. Subsequently, the database is restored, completing the DR process.

Key Advantage

This DC-DR method capitalizes on Oracle's robust backbone network, leveraging it for efficient content replication. Restoration activities are executed on a need basis, optimizing resource utilization and streamlining the recovery process.

In summary, this comprehensive Disaster Recovery solution not only aligns with the customer's specific RPO and RTO requirements but also leverages OCI's advanced features to ensure a resilient and cost-effective approach to safeguarding critical infrastructure.