Cloud Classic FAQ

FAQ topics

Compute Classic - General Questions

What is Oracle Cloud Infrastructure Compute Classic?

Compute Classic is an Infrastructure-as-a-Service solution that provides on-demand, scalable compute resources—virtual machines with the required networking and storage resources—in the public cloud.

What subscription options does Compute Classic offer?

You can subscribe to the following Compute Classic offerings:

  • Dedicated Compute Classic: With this offering, you get a compute environment (called a site) that’s isolated at the hardware level. Your virtual machines (called instances) run on hardware that’s dedicated to you. You enjoy complete network isolation from other tenants. You can choose Oracle's enterprise grade x86 servers.
  • Compute Classic: In this offering, which is priced lower than Dedicated Compute Classic, your instances run on hardware that’s shared with other tenants.

What is the cost of each offering?

See the price list here.

Where can I find the Billing and pricing information for Oracle Cloud Infrastructure?

For information on the billing of Oracle Cloud Infrastructure, see the Billing Guide.

What are the differences between the Compute Classic and Dedicated Compute Classic offerings?

The following table summarizes the feature differences between the Compute Classic and Dedicated Compute Classic offerings:

An OCPU is defined as the CPU capacity equivalent of one physical core of an Intel Xeon processor with hyper threading enabled. For Intel Xeon processor each OCPU corresponds to two hardware execution threads, known as vCPUs.

Where can I find more information about Oracle Cloud Infrastructure Compute Classic?

Which operating systems is Compute Classic compatible with?

Compute Classic is compatible with several operating systems. Some images are provided by Oracle, and some are provided by Oracle partners.

You can, of course, build your own image from scratch.

Compute Classic - Windows Licensing Information

Who is responsible for the Windows license? Does Oracle provide it, or should I bring my own?

Oracle provides licenses for Windows instances on Compute Classic deployed from the Oracle Cloud Marketplace. When you use a Windows image from Oracle Cloud Marketplace, the terms and conditions for using the image are displayed. You must read and accept those terms before you can create a Windows instance.

What about licenses for other Microsoft products? Can I use my own licenses to install Microsoft products on Compute Classic Windows instances?

Yes, you can use License Mobility through Software Assurance to use licenses for other Microsoft products on your Windows instances. See https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/licensing/licensing-programs/software-assurance-license-mobility

Compute Classic allows me to create custom images and use them to create instances. Using the same process, can I create a Windows image and use it to create Windows instances in Compute Classic?

You may bring a custom Windows image to the Compute Classic when you use your own license, as described below. You may not use a Compute Classic provided license in your custom Windows image at this time.

What support, if any, does Oracle provide for Windows instances?

Oracle provides support for the operating system on Windows instances. Oracle doesn't provide support for any other Microsoft products or any third-party or open-source applications that you deploy on your Windows instances.

What service allows me to bring my own Microsoft Windows Server license to Oracle Cloud Infrastructure Compute Classic?

Review the table below to determine which offering best meets your licensing requirements.

*Subject to Microsoft's Terms and Conditions.
**Application licenses may require License Mobility through Software Assurance when running on Oracle Cloud Infrastructure Classic Windows Server Instances. Questions about your licensing rights should be directed to Microsoft or your Microsoft reseller.

Note that when bringing your license to Compute Classic you are solely liable for meeting your licensing obligations with Microsoft.

Database Backup - General Questions

What is Oracle Database Backup Service?

Oracle Database Backup Service is a secure, scalable, on-demand solution for storing Oracle Database backups in Oracle Cloud.

How does Oracle Database Backup Service work?

Oracle databases are backed up to Oracle Database Backup Service using the Oracle Database Cloud Backup Module. The module is available from Oracle Technology Network (OTN) and is tightly integrated with Recovery Manager (RMAN), so you can continue to use familiar RMAN commands for backup and restore operations.

Which database versions and operating systems are supported?

Oracle Database 10g Release 2 (10.2) and later can be backed up to Oracle Database Backup Service. The Oracle Database Cloud Backup Module can be installed on 64-bit Linux, Solaris, SPARC, HP-UX, AIX, zLinux, and Windows operating systems.

How do I get the Oracle Database Cloud Backup Module?

Download the module from OTN: https://www.oracle.com/database/technologies/oracle-cloud-backup-downloads.html

How does Oracle Database Backup Service protect my data?

Data stored using Oracle Database Backup Service is automatically replicated to three separate physical machines in the same data center. This triple mirroring prevents data loss in the event of hardware failure.

How can I encrypt my data when I use Oracle Database Backup Service?

Use RMAN to encrypt your backup before it’s sent to Oracle Cloud. Keys are kept locally at your site, not in the cloud. Encrypted backups are securely transferred and stored in the cloud.

How much backup data can I store?

When you subscribe to Oracle Database Backup Service, you’ll purchase the amount of storage capacity that you want. This storage capacity limit cannot be exceeded, but you can quickly increase the limit by purchasing more capacity on demand.

How do I know how much capacity I've used?

You can access detailed metrics from the My Services dashboard. Click the service name to display the details page for the service, and then click the Metrics tile to see usage data.

How do I maintain or delete old backups from the cloud?

RMAN is the primary interface for this. You can specify retention policies, perform cross-checks, and delete backups using standard RMAN commands.

Does Oracle Database Backup Service support Hybrid Columnar Compression (HCC) backups?

Yes, HCC backups are supported and the backups remain compressed at rest in Oracle Cloud.

Networking Classic - VPN for Compute Classic via Corente Services Gateway

What is Corente Services Gateway?

Oracle’s Corente Cloud Services Exchange (Corente CSX) is a cloud-based software- defined networking (SDN) service that enables distributed enterprises to deliver trusted connectivity services to and from any location with less complexity, in significantly less time, and at a greatly reduced cost, when compared to more traditional approaches. The Corente Services Gateway (CSG) is a distributed virtual appliance located at the network edge that provides secure endpoints for virtual private networks over any IP networks with zero-touch installation. A Corente Services Gateway is installed at each branch or partner location, and creates a secure end-to-end connection for application traffic. The Corente Services Gateway also maintains separate out-of-band connections with the Service Control Point (SCP) centralized service management platform that provides secure policy-based service brokering, mediation, virtual network orchestration, monitoring, administration, and logging.

When do I need VPN for Compute Classic?

If you are concerned about the security of your data that is traversing over the public internet all the way from your Data Center to Oracle Cloud Infrastructure, you must use VPN for Compute Classic. It is available for Oracle Cloud Infrastructure Compute Classic, DBCS and JCS services.

How do I get an account Corente VPN?

A Corente account will be created and emailed to you once you purchased Oracle Cloud Infrastructure Compute Classic, DBCS or JCS services.

Can I install multiple gateways in the same environment?

Yes, multiple gateways can be configured to interconnect with multiple other gateway locations.

Is it IPSec compliant?

Yes, it uses standard IPSec.

What is the difference between VPN for Dedicated Compute Classic and VPN for Compute Classic?

VPN for Dedicated Compute Classic is hardware VPN solution for the Dedicated Compute Classic only. VPN for Compute Classic is a VM based VPN solution for general purpose compute, DBCS, JCS etc.

What is the hardware requirement Corente VPN host?

  • Processor: 1.5 GHz Intel-based x86 compatible server (such as Pentium, Celeron, or Core i7)
  • Memory: 1GB RAM
  • Hard Drive: 40 GB IDE/SATA
  • Network Interface: Integrated 10/100/1000M Ethernet Interfaces
  • The number of Ethernet interfaces depends on your Corente Services Gateway configuration, as follows:
    • One for peer configurations
    • Two for inline configurations
    • Three for DMZ or Dual WAN configurations
    • One dedicated interface for the back-channel failover configuration, if you plan to set up a redundant hardware

You can install Corente Services Gateways on the following virtualization platforms:

  • Oracle VM Server for x86 Release 3.4.1 or later
  • Xen 4.4
  • VMware ESX 5.5
  • Citrix XenServer 6.2
  • Microsoft Windows Server 2012 R2 Hyper-V

I have hardware VPN appliance in my datacenter. Will Corente VPN work with my existing appliance?

Currently, third-party VPN appliances will not work with the Corente service. VPN endpoint locations will need to install a Corente Services Gateway.

Do I need separate Corente Gateway for my DbaaS and Compute Classic instances in the same Identity Domain?

You can use the same Corente Services Gateway for multiple IaaS and PaaS services as long as it is in the same compute zone say us2-z23. It is highly recommended that you use different Corente Services Gateways for each services.

Networking Classic - FastConnect

What is Oracle Cloud Infrastructure FastConnect Classic?

FastConnect Classic provides you access to your Oracle Cloud IaaS and PaaS services over a direct connection from your premises or colocation facilities. This service provides a direct and deterministic path from your network to Oracle Cloud services, so your data is not transported over the public Internet. This delivers consistent performance, dedicated bandwidth, and controlled or reduced latency. Oracle Cloud Infrastructure FastConnect Classic is offered in two variations to suit the needs of every enterprise and provide the optimal solution for different use cases:

  • FastConnect Classic with Standard Edition service model
  • FastConnect Classic with Partner Edition service model

Contact your Oracle Sales representative to identify the solution that suits your requirement.

What is FastConnect Classic with Standard Edition service model?

FastConnect Classic with Standard Edition service model provides you access to your Oracle Cloud IaaS and PaaS services using a direct connection from your premises or colocation facilities. With this service, you can connect your network edge routers directly to the Oracle edge routers and route traffic to and from Oracle Cloud using the BGP protocol. This service provides a direct and deterministic path from your network to the Oracle Cloud IaaS and PaaS services, so your data is not transported over the public Internet. This service delivers consistent performance, provides dedicated bandwidth, and renders controlled or reduced latency.

What is FastConnect Classic with Partner Edition service model?

FastConnect Classic with Partner Edition service model is offered through a partner, such as an IP VPN, MPLS VPN network service provider, or data center exchange provider. This provides you a simple and standard method of connecting with Oracle. It uses the Border Gateway Protocol (BGP) to exchange routing information with your network through the partner. This enables you to access your Oracle Cloud IaaS and PaaS services over a more direct path as an alternative to using the public Internet. See About the Service in FastConnect Classic Partner Edition.

What are the benefits of using FastConnect Classic with Standard Edition service model?

Establishing a direct connection from your premises to Oracle Cloud services helps in the following ways:

  • You can access your Oracle Cloud services over a direct and dedicated connection, without having to traverse the public Internet. Transferring data over a direct connection provides better privacy than transferring data over the public Internet.
  • You can transfer large volumes of data using high WAN bandwidth. Migrating your Internet traffic to a dedicated path improves the overall performance, significantly reduces the time taken to complete data transfers, and reduces the latency if you are colocated with an Oracle data center.

What is the difference between FastConnect Classic with Standard Edition service model and FastConnect Classic Partner Edition?

Using FastConnect Classic with Standard Edition service model, you can connect your edge routers directly to the Oracle edge routers in a specific data center location and establish a BGP peering session directly with Oracle. FastConnect Classic Partner Edition, your connectivity to Oracle Cloud services is provisioned through a partner, such as Equinix Cloud Exchange or MPLS VPN providers.

For which Oracle Cloud services can I use FastConnect Classic with Standard Edition service model?

FastConnect Classic supports access to Oracle Cloud IaaS and PaaS services. Not all listed Oracle Cloud services are supported in each city. Contact your Oracle Sales representative for information about the Oracle Cloud services that you can access in your city. For the complete list of Oracle Cloud IaaS and PaaS services, see https://www.oracle.com/cloud/.

Where is this service available?

For the most up-to-date listing of where this service is available, contact your Oracle Sales representative.

Is it required to colocate within an Oracle data center to use FastConnect Classic with Standard Edition service model?

It is not mandatory for your data center to be colocated with an Oracle data center. However, you must connect to the Oracle data center in the city where your Oracle Cloud Service is provisioned. This is achieved using fiber cross connects when you are colocated with the Oracle data center.

Can I use FastConnect Classic with Standard Edition service model if my network equipment is not colocated with an Oracle data center?

Yes. You can still use the service by using a regional carrier or network service provider to extend your network from your premises or datacenter to the Oracle data center. Contact your network service provider to order an Ethernet private line in the appropriate city where your Oracle Cloud service is provisioned.

Will Oracle provide the network link from the Oracle edge routers to my premises if I decide to use FastConnect Classic with Standard Edition service model?

No. You must work with your network service provider to order the necessary private line from your premises to the Oracle facilities. 

What equipment do I need to use to connect to FastConnect Classic with Standard Edition service model?

You require network equipment capable of supporting layer-3 routing using the Border Gateway Protocol and VLAN tagging using 802.1Q.

Are the connections to FastConnect Classic with Standard Edition service model redundant?

FastConnect Classic with Standard Edition service model is set up to ensure high availability. When you order this service, Oracle provisions two redundant ports for you to connect to. To achieve end-to-end redundancy from your network edge and to obtain the service level agreement (SLA) of 99.9%, you must order redundant circuits or lines from your network service provider along with separate physical cross connects to the Oracle edge routers from redundant routers in your network. You must also establish two redundant BGP peers. It is not mandated to set up two physical cross connects, but you forfeit the SLA of 99.9% if you only have one physical cross connect and one BGP peer.

What are the required network configurations to use FastConnect Classic with Standard Edition service model?

After receiving the configuration information from Oracle, establish logical connectivity and set up BGP routing configurations on your edge routers. Complete any additional configurations within your environment to manage the traffic flow across FastConnect Classic with Standard Edition service model. Oracle advertises its IPv4 prefixes over the BGP peer with your routers and you’ll need to accept those prefixes and configure the required priority for the traffic to specific end points for your services over the FastConnect Classic peer with Oracle.

Is my BGP session with Oracle secure?

Yes. You can use a pre-shared key for the BGP session while setting up the connection.

Can I advertise private IP addresses to Oracle using OFastConnect Classic with Standard Edition service model?

No. You must advertise publicly routable IP addresses over your peering session with Oracle.

I don’t have public IP prefixes registered with IRR or RIR under my organization name. Can I still advertise these?

This is reviewed and approved by Oracle on a case-by-case basis. You must submit the request through the Oracle Account team. While submitting the request, provide information about who owns the public prefixes and the business reason for using them.

What are the limitations on the number of routes that I can advertise using FastConnect Classic with Standard Edition service model?

You can advertise a maximum of 200 IPv4 prefixes over the BGP peering for FastConnect Classic with Standard Edition service model. 

Will my connectivity fail if my link to Oracle data center fails?

If you have configured redundant connections from your network edge to the Oracle data center and only one of your links fails, you won’t lose connectivity. If both your links to the Oracle data center fail, you won’t be able to use FastConnect Classic with Standard Edition service model till the connectivity is restored.

You’ll need to establish and test the appropriate configurations on your routers to ensure that you will not lose connectivity if a link fails.

Even if both your links to FastConnect Classic with Standard Edition service model fail, you won’t lose access to Oracle Cloud services as they’ll still be available through the public Internet. You can reconfigure your routers to route traffic related to your Oracle Cloud IaaS and PaaS services through the public Internet.

You’ll need to establish and test the appropriate configurations and procedures to ensure uninterrupted access to your Oracle Cloud IaaS and PaaS services over the public Internet even when both your links to FastConnect Classic fail.

When I connect to FastConnect Classic with Standard Edition service model using redundant cross connects or private lines, are both the lines active for exchange of traffic?

Yes. FastConnect Classic with Standard Edition service model is configured as active-active for the two links. Both BGP sessions on the two links are up and active and can pass traffic at any time to provide high availability. You must configure your BGP routing to pass traffic through only one link at a time. You should also set your BGP local preference so traffic back to FastConnect Classic is routed to the primary link. The secondary link is used only if the connection through the primary link or router fails.

If I order a redundant connection, will the FastConnect ID for the redundant connection be different?

No. The FastConnect ID that you receive when FastConnect Classic is provisioned is valid for a redundant pair of connections at a location.

Can I extend a VLAN from my network using FastConnect Classic?

No. Layer-2 connectivity into FastConnect Classic is not supported.

What is an Autonomous System number (ASN)?

An Autonomous System Number or ASN is used in the Internet to identify either a single network or a group of networks managed and controlled by a common network administrative entity (which could be an Internet Service Provider, a business enterprise, an institute for example). An autonomous system is a routing domain that is managed by the network administrator of that domain. The autonomous system is assigned a globally unique number that is referred to as the Autonomous System Number (ASN). See http://www.iana.org/assignments/as-numbers/as-numbers.xhtml.

What is the ASN for Oracle Cloud Infrastructure?

The ASN for Oracle Cloud Infrastructure is currently AS7160.

I have forgotten my FastConnect ID. Where can I find it?

The FastConnect ID is created when your FastConnect Classic service is ordered. Contact your Oracle Sales representative to get your FastConnect ID.

I am connected with the Oracle data center at a different city than where my Oracle services are provisioned. Can I use that same connection to access FastConnect Classic?

No. You must order FastConnect Classic with Standard Edition service model at the location where your Oracle services are provisioned and connect through the Oracle data center at that location.

I have Oracle Cloud services provisioned at multiple locations and I want to access all the services using FastConnect Classic. How can I achieve this?

If you have Oracle Cloud IaaS and PaaS services provisioned in multiple locations, you’ll need to establish FastConnect Classic connection at each of the locations where your services are provisioned. For example, if you have services at both Chicago and Ashburn, you must order and provision FastConnect Classic connections at both locations. Contact your Oracle Sales representative for information about the Oracle Cloud services that you can access in your city.

What are the connection speeds available for connecting through FastConnect Classic with Standard Edition service model?

The connections speeds available on the Oracle routers are 1 Gbps and 10 Gbps. However, the service features and connectivity options are constantly upgraded. Contact your Oracle Account team to obtain more information and updates.

If I am ordering FastConnect Classic Edition at two locations, do they have to be the same speed or can they be different speeds?

You can select different speeds for FastConnect Classic with Standard Edition service model connections that are provisioned in different cities or locations. For example, if you provision an FastConnect Classic with Standard Edition service model connection at Chicago and another at Ashburn, you can pick 10 Gbps for one location and 1 Gbps for the other location based on your requirements.

Can I use FastConnect Classic with Standard Edition service model in one location and FastConnect Classic - Partner Edition at a different location?

Yes. You can provision FastConnect Classic with Standard Edition service model at one location and provision FastConnect Classic Partner Edition at a different location based on your requirements. Contact your Oracle Sales representative for information about the Oracle Cloud services that you can access in your city and which service you can use in each city.

Is FastConnect Classic with Standard Edition service model the same as an IPSec VPN tunnel?

No. FastConnect Classic with Standard Edition service model provides the ability to route your traffic to and from Oracle without having to traverse the public Internet but it is not an IPSec VPN tunnel.

Can I establish an IPSec VPN tunnel to Oracle if I am using FastConnect Classic with Standard Edition service model?

Yes. You can establish an IPSec VPN tunnel to Oracle after you establish direct connectivity using FastConnect Classic with Standard Edition service model. For more information about establishing an IPSec VPN channel from your data center, see Connecting to Instances in a Dedicated Site Using VPN in Using Oracle Compute Classic.

Is it mandatory to establish an IPSec VPN tunnel over this service?

No. You can establish an IPsec VPN tunnel to provide an extra layer of security and is not a mandatory requirement. If you are accessing Dedicated Compute Classic services through FastConnect Classic Partner Edition, you must use IPsec VPN tunneling to extend your on premise private network.

Storage Classic - General Questions

What is Oracle Cloud Infrastructure Object Storage Classic?

It is an object storage solution that enables businesses to securely and reliably store files and unstructured data in the cloud. Data can be stored or retrieved, at any time, from any device connected to the Internet.

What is Oracle Cloud Infrastructure Archive Storage Classic?

Oracle Cloud Infrastructure Archive Storage Classic is part of metered Object Storage Classic. It provides storage for applications and workloads that require long-term retention at the lowest price in the industry today.

When would I want to use Oracle Cloud Infrastructure Archive Storage Classic?

As a “deep cloud” archive, the Archive Storage Classic is ideally suited for infrequently accessed large-scale data sets such as corporate financial records, medical and pharmaceutical archives, cultural preservation content, insurance records and digital film masters.

How can I use Oracle Cloud Infrastructure Object Storage Classic?

Data can be stored and retrieved to and from Object Storage Classic through both a RESTful web service and a Java library.

Can I use third party backup applications?

Both Oracle and third party backup applications can be used to access and manage stored data.

How does Oracle Cloud Infrastructure Object Storage Classic protect my data?

As soon as data is stored in the Object Storage Classic, it is automatically replicated 3 times to separate machines within the same data center. This automatic mirroring prevents data loss caused by hardware failures.

How can I control access to my data on Oracle Cloud Infrastructure Object Storage Classic?

Access to data is based on user roles. Account administrators can create custom user roles in their Identity Domain and those roles can be used to assign read-only or read/write privileges to containers. Service administrators can also set containers to be publicly readable if required.

How can I encrypt my data on Oracle Cloud Infrastructure Object Storage Classic?

Users may encrypt their data before storing it as an object on the Object Storage Classic by using the Java library. Object data can be encrypted with a 2048-bit RSA key pair provided and managed by the customer.

How much data can I store in Oracle Cloud Infrastructure Object Storage Classic?

For non-metered Object Storage Classic accounts the buyer must specify how much storage capacity is required. Users of the Service Instance cannot store more data than originally purchased. At any time, the buyer can increase a service instance's storage capacity.

For metered Object Storage Classic accounts (which are part of Oracle Cloud Infrastructure) users of the Service Instance can store as much data as they wish as long as the account is in good standing. Buyers will be charged for usage on a regular basis.

How large can my objects be in Oracle Cloud Infrastructure Object Storage Classic?

Files of any size can be uploaded to the Object Storage Classic. A single object in Object Storage Classic can be as large as 5GB. To store files larger than 5GB, simply segment the original file into sizes of 5GB or less and upload the segments following a defined naming convention. Then create a new manifest object to represent all of the pieces of the original file. The resulting file can then be downloaded as a single file and is identical to the original file.

Can I automatically delete my objects at a scheduled time?

Yes. Individual objects can be scheduled for deletion. See the documentation for more details.

Why is my non-metered subscription being charged overages at the end of each month?

Non-metered subscriptions have resource quotas limits for each month. When resource usage during a given month exceeds the resource quota limits, the subscription is billed in arrears at the end of the month. To understand your non-metered subscription's resource quota limits and usage please log in to MyServices.

How do I prevent my non-metered subscription from being charged overages?

To prevent your non-metered subscription from being charged overages reduce the monthly resource usage to stay within the bounds of your subscription's resource quota limits.

Can I set a georeplication policy for my non-metered subscription?

Non-metered subscriptions may select a replication policy which replicates data to a georeplication data center. Depending on your non-metered subscription's resource quota limits additional charges may apply. To understand your non-metered subscription's resource quota limits and usage please log in to MyServices.

How are non-metered subscriptions billed for georeplication?

The non-metered subscription will be billed for the sum of the capacities used in both data centers. For example, if you purchase 4TB of storage capacity and you select a replication policy which replicates data to a georeplication data center then you will have 2TB of usable storage capacity across both data centers (2TB + 2TB = 4TB). The non-metered subscription will also be billed for the data transfer from the primary to the georeplication DC. For example, if you select a replication policy which replicates data to a georeplication data center and you upload 300GB to your account then you will be billed for 300GB of Outbound Data Transfer to another DC.

Storage Software Appliance - General Questions

What is Oracle Cloud Infrastructure Storage Software Appliance?

Oracle Cloud Infrastructure Storage Software Appliance is a cloud storage gateway that helps you bridge your on-premises environment with Oracle Cloud Infrastructure. Using Storage Software Appliance, any applications that can store data on an NFS target can easily and seamlessly move data to Oracle Cloud Infrastructure Object Storage without having to first modify the application to uptake the REST APIs. Storage Software Appliance exposes an NFS mount point, which can be mounted to any host that supports NFS v4 client. Storage Software Appliance performs the NFS to REST API translations for you. A local configurable cache enables asynchronous and optimized movement of data to the cloud to work around poor and/or flaky internet connectivity issues. Local cache also improves latency when reading data from the cloud, since frequently accessed data is cached locally. Each Storage Software Appliance NFS mount point maps to an object storage container/bucket. The NFS interface lets you use the traditional file system commands to interact with cloud storage. Since Storage Software Appliance keeps track of object metadata, data written to object storage using the Storage Software Appliance must always be read back using Storage Software Appliance.

What are the benefits of using Storage Software Appliance?

Using Storage Software Appliance you can easily move data generated by traditional applications (that work with file system protocols like NFS) to object storage without first having to modify the application to integrate with the REST APIs. Storage Software Appliance helps open up bottomless cloud storage to traditional on-premises applications, which previously could not take advantage of the seamless scalability, durability and cost efficiency of cloud storage.

Can I use Storage Software Appliance as a general purpose Network Attached Storage server?

No, Storage Software Appliance must not be used as a general-purpose network attached storage. Though Storage Software Appliance is in many ways a virtual file system, its primary function is data movement to the cloud. It's not built to handle transactional workloads that a full-featured file system would be expected to handle.

What use cases does Storage Software Appliance support?

Storage Software Appliance is an efficient tool to move data from your on-premises datacenter to the cloud. You can effectively use Storage Software Appliance to copy backup/archive data to the cloud, especially when the backup/archive application does not integrate natively with the Oracle Object Storage. Storage Software Appliance can also be used to move data from on-premises filers to object storage, leveraging the ‘rsync’ utility.

Which use cases are NOT supported using Storage Software Appliance?

General purpose network storage - Storage Software Appliance isn't a general purpose storage filer, it must not be used as a replacement for traditional network storage appliances.

File sync and share – Though Storage Software Appliance is an effective data mover, it’s not a replacement for file sync and share services. You must evaluate Oracle services like Oracle Document Cloud service if you wish to use a file sync and share functionality.

Content collaboration - Storage Software Appliance does not support multiple appliance instances simultaneously reading from and writing to a single object storage container/bucket. It must not be used as a tool for distributed teams to collaborate on creating and managing content.

Frequently modified files – If you expect your data to be modified very frequently, you must not use the storage software appliance. This is because when data is modified the content is first read from object storage (if not present in storage appliance cache). The modified data is then uploaded as a new object. Thus data that is frequently modified result in substantial inefficiency, both in terms of consuming upload/download bandwidth and capacity utilization.

How much does Storage Software Appliance cost?

Storage Software Appliance is free for use. Anyone with access to Oracle Cloud Infrastructure Object Storage or Object Storage Classic can freely use the service to move data to the cloud.

How can I start using Storage Software Appliance?

You can download Storage Software Appliance from here. To install Storage Software Appliance you’ll need to provision a server with the following minimum hardware/software:

  • Two dual-core CPUs (4-core CPUs recommended)
  • Minimum memory requirements (based on the maximum number of files that can be uploaded to the appliance filesystem):
    • 16 GB for filesystems up to 1 million files
    • 32 GB for filesystems up to 5 million files
    • 64 GB for filesystems up to 10 million files
  • Minimum disk size required to install Docker: 10 GB

Software Requirements:

  • Oracle Linux 7 with UEK Release 4 or later
  • Docker 1.12.6

Follow the installation guide to install Storage Software Appliance. Once installed, you can start configuring the Storage Software Appliance filesystem using the configuration guide and then mount the filesystem. You can now start using Storage Software Appliance to move data seamlessly to the cloud.

Which protocols does Storage Software Appliance support?

Storage Software Appliance supports NFS v4.

Does Storage Software Appliance support a windows operating environment?

No, Storage Software Appliance currently does not support a windows operating environment.

Can I use Storage Software Appliance to move data to the cloud from 3rd party storage arrays?

Storage Software Appliance can be used to replicate data from any storage as long as the NFS client that is performing the data copy can facilitate it.

How does Storage Software Appliance leverage Object Storage?

When you create a filesystem on Storage Software Appliance, an object storage container/bucket with the same name as your filesystem is created on the object storage target, in the region of your choice. Once a file system is created, Storage Software Appliance completely manages your data in the object storage container/bucket for you. You only need to directly interact with the local file system using normal file system commands.

Do I need to use object storage REST APIs to use Storage Software Appliance?

No, you do not need to use any Object Storage APIs to use Storage Software Appliance. Storage Software Appliance performs the NFS- REST API translation for you.

Which cloud storage platforms does Storage Software Appliance support?

Storage Software Appliance supports the following platforms:

  • Oracle Cloud Infrastructure Object Storage
  • Oracle Cloud Infrastructure Archive Storage
  • Oracle Cloud Infrastructure Classic Object Storage
  • Oracle Cloud Infrastructure Classic Archive Storage

Can I run Storage Software Appliance on an Oracle Cloud Infrastructure Compute instance?

Yes, you can run Storage Software Appliance in an Oracle Cloud Infrastructure compute instance, using the same instructions as you would if were installing the product on premises.

Can I run Storage Software Appliance on a Oracle Cloud Infrastructure Compute Classic instance?

Yes, you can install Storage Software Appliance with the following Storage Software Appliance-Cloud Distribution instructions.

Which Oracle Cloud regions does Storage Software Appliance support?

Storage Software Appliance is supported in all available Oracle Cloud Infrastructure and Oracle Cloud Infrastructure Classic regions.

Does Storage Software Appliance support compression and/or de-duplication?

No, Storage Software Appliance does not support compression and de-duplication.

Storage Software Appliance - Installation and Configuration

How do I create and configure a file share?

Follow the documentation instructions to configure a file system. Before you create a filesystem, be sure to first create a cloud tenancy because you’ll need to supply the object storage endpoint and user credentials to create the filesystem.

How can I create an Object Storage account to use with Storage Software Appliance?

You can sign up for Oracle Cloud Infrastructure or Oracle Cloud Infrastructure Classic Object Storage in the following ways:

  • Go to the Oracle Store. Visit shop.oracle.com and sign up for Oracle Cloud Infrastructure.
  • Contact your Oracle sales representative.

Your Oracle sales representative can provide you information about the pricing options available to your company. Your sales representative will collect some information from you and initiate the registration process.

Can I create more than one filesystem per Storage Software Appliance?

Yes, you can create multiple file shares per Storage Software Appliance instance. The available host resources dictate the upper limit on the max number of shares that can be supported by an Storage Software Appliance instance.

However It is recommended to have no more than four active file systems since they compete for resources.

Can I create multiple Storage Software Appliance instance?

There is no limit to the number of appliances can be used with a storage account or tenancy, however only one appliance instance can be created on a given host.

What are the software requirements to run Storage Software Appliance?

  • Oracle Linux 7 with UEK Release 4 or later
  • Docker 1.12.6

Can Storage Software Appliance be installed behind a Proxy server?

Yes, Storage Software Appliance can be installed behind a proxy server. To set the proxy server use the following command:

oscsa configure proxy https://:<proxy_ip>:<port>

Restart OSCSA: oscsa down; oscsa up. You can find more details in product documentation.

How can I specify the Oracle Cloud Infrastructure compartment while creating a file system?

When you create a file system, unless you specify a compartment where you would like to create it, by default the container/bucket backing up the file system is created in the default 'root' compartment.

How can I optimally size Storage Software Appliance cache?

Storage Software Appliance uses local storage attached to the server (or virtual server) for hosting the filesystems and cache. Files written to a filesystem in the appliance are uploaded to the Object Storage container/bucket, with a portion of the file set maintained locally in the filesystem as a warm cache. The local cache of Storage Software Appliance serves two roles: ingest cache (upload/write buffer) and read cache. You can specify the maximum size for the read cache. The write buffer will use any remaining available space on the local storage volume and does not have a cache size setting. For optimal performance, reliability, and fault tolerance, consider the following guidelines when configuring the local appliance storage:

  • Allocate a dedicated volume for the appliance filesystem and metadata.
  • Multiple disks (hard disk drives or solid state drives) in a RAID10 set provide an optimal balance of performance, reliability, and fault tolerance. Alternatively, RAID6 may be used. Avoid RAID0 or single disk (no RAID) due to the potential for data loss due to disk failure.
  • A general guideline is to use a volume that is at least 1.5 times the size of the data set that you want to hold in the local cache. For example, if the expected size of the entire file set is 50 TB and if 10% (5 TB) of that file set will be accessed frequently, then the cache storage volume should have at least 7.5 TB of usable capacity.
  • The general strategy is to set the read cache size to equal the amount of data that you anticipate to be accessed frequently while leaving enough capacity on the volume for the ingest cache (write buffer).
  • Do not set the read cache maximum to the size of the local storage volume. Doing so would allocate 100% of the volume for read cache and would not leave available capacity for ingest. If there is no available space for new file ingest, then the appliance may throttle the ingest rate and begin evicting files from the read cache to create space. This severely degrades ingest performance.
  • Start with a read cache setting that is 50% of the size of the local storage volume (leaving 50% for ingest). Monitor the available capacity on the local storage volume over time, especially after periods of very high or sustained ingest activity. If the available capacity remains above 30% consistently, consider increasing the read cache size. If the available capacity is consistently below 20%, then consider decreasing the read cache size.

Can I reuse an existing object storage container/bucket with an Storage Software Appliance file system?

When a file system is created, a corresponding object storage bucket/container of the same name is created. When a file system name is specified which matches an existing container/bucket, the appliance will prompt the user to confirm that the file system (that might have been created by a different appliance instance) should be transferred to this appliance instance.

Storage Software Appliance - Security

How does Storage Software Appliance manage data security?

Data stored in the Oracle Cloud Infrastructure Object Storage is encrypted by default. Data is uploaded and downloaded from Oracle Object Storage over SSL endpoints using the HTTPS protocol. For Oracle Cloud Infrastructure - Classic, you have the option of encrypting the data on the client side. You can provide your own RSA asymmetric keys if you’ve enabled encryption for a filesystem. The symmetric key converts the data to a readable form called cleartext. If you lose the keys, you lose the data.

Asymmetric keys: There’s a single key pair for every instance of the appliance. The same key pair is used to encrypt information related to local configuration. If you provide an asymmetric key pair, then the key pair is used to encrypt or decrypt the specified filesystem database configuration items. Ensure that the asymmetric keys are backed up.

Symmetric keys: The symmetric key is stored within the local filesystem database. Each filesystem can have its own unique symmetric encryption key. The symmetric key is encrypted using the asymmetric key that’s stored locally on the disk.

At any time, you can download a tar.gz file containing the details of all the keys stored on the disk. Key rotation enables data recovery if the appliance fails at any time.

Rotating Keys in the Appliance

  • Log in to the management console and select the filesystem.
  • Provide your asymmetric key pair. The appliance ensures that the keys are valid by encrypting and decrypting randomly generated sample data.
  • If the keys are valid, then they are saved in a temporary location on the disk. The old keys are moved to a backup location on the disk.
  • The database’s encrypted configuration items are encrypted again in the filesystem by using the asymmetric key pair.
  • The new keys are saved to a permanent location on the disk.
  • Download the compressed key archive of the encryption keys. The compressed archive includes the new key details as well as the backup keys.

Does Storage Software Appliance support encryption using user managed keys?

Yes, Storage Software Appliance supports user managed keys for client-side data encryption for Oracle Cloud Infrastructure-Classic. This feature is not currently supported on Oracle Cloud Infrastructure.

Storage Software Appliance - Scalability

What are the Storage Software Appliance scalability limits?

  • Ensure that the number of objects stored in an appliance filesystem doesn’t exceed 10 million (10,000,000). For data sets that consist of more than 10 million objects, ensure that the objects are distributed across multiple filesystems.
  • The minimum amount of memory required for any appliance filesystem is 16 GB.
    • For filesystems with the number of files up to 5 million, the required amount of memory is 32 GB.
    • For large filesystems with the number of files up to 10 million, the required amount of memory is 64 GB
  • To improve the efficiency of file ingest and cloud upload operations, and to reduce the number of objects in the namespace, bin-pack or zip small files before writing them to the appliance.
  • Multiple filesystems can be created on a single appliance. However, for optimal performance, ensure that each filesystem is hosted on a dedicated appliance.

What is the maximum file size that can be uploaded using Storage Software Appliance?

The file size is dictated by the maximum object size supported by Object Storage. For Oracle Cloud Infrastructure Object Storage limits, see Object Storage Limits.

How much data can I upload to the Object Storage using Storage Software Appliance?

As long as the local cache is sized accurately, there is no upper bound on the amount of data that can be uploaded to object storage. However as a best practice file systems should not exceed 10M files.

Storage Software Appliance - Operability

Can I access my data uploaded to object storage using Storage Software Appliance via alternate object storage tools like the CLI / UI etc?

No, data uploaded leveraging Storage Software Appliance must always be read using an Storage Software Appliance instance. This is because Storage Software Appliance maintains metadata about the uploaded data, which is a necessary to reconstruct the uploaded file from its constituent parts, stored in object storage.

Can multiple Oracle Cloud Infrastructure users write data to Storage Software Appliance file system backed by a common object storage container/bucket?

No, Storage Software Appliance does not support multi-writer collaboration. Multiple Storage Software Appliance filesystems cannot map to a single object storage container/bucket.

Can I use Storage Software Appliance with multiple cloud accounts?

Yes, you can use multiple cloud accounts to create multiple file system in any given instance of Storage Software Appliance.

Can I have multiple Storage Software Appliance instances reading data from the same object storage container/bucket ?

No, we do not support multiple Storage Software Appliance instances mounting file systems that are backed by a common object storage container/bucket. We also do not support Storage Software Appliance in a 'Read-Only' mode.

How can I change the filesystem cache size after it’s been created?

To change the properties of a filesystem, log in to the management console, and click the name of the filesystem in the Dashboard pane:

  • You can edit the filesystem properties and advanced settings (such as the cache limits) of the service instance specified for the filesystem in the Settings tab.

After updating the filesystem properties, click Save.

How can I restore data from Oracle Cloud Infrastructure Classic Archive Storage?

See Restoring Files From Archive Filesystem.

How do I verify whether my archived data has been restored?

See Tracking Restoration of All Files in an Archive FileSystem.

How can I identify if a filesystem is an archive or standard filesystem?

From the web GUI, the "Details" tab of the filesystem shows if the file system is backed up by an archive storage container/bucket.

Can a file system and all of its data in the cloud be deleted?

If a file system is deleted/removed, the Oracle Cloud Infrastructure cloud container/bucket is left intact in the cloud. The file system can be restored by creating a file system with the same name in the same Oracle Cloud Infrastructure Classic identity-domain or Oracle Cloud Infrastructure tenancy.

If you want to permanently delete a file system including all data in the cloud there are two ways to accomplish this:

  • Delete data via the file system and then delete the container:
    • Enable version compaction for the file system (in file system Advanced Options in the appliance web console). Set the number of versions to retain to “1”.
    • Delete all files in the file system.
    • Allow the version compactor to run (it is started periodically and runs as a background task) and remove all objects in the cloud container/bucket.
    • Delete the file system.
    • Delete residual objects in the cloud container/bucket manually. The container/bucket will contain metadata and other control files related to the file system that can’t be deleted through the file system.
    • Delete the container/bucket.
  • Delete the file system and then manually delete all objects in the container/bucket and then delete the container/bucket.

How can I delete the data in my object storage account from the appliance?

Storage Software Appliance allows file operations with byte-level granularity, such as append, re-write, over-write, and truncate. When a file is modified in an appliance filesystem, it results in a new version of the file being created and uploaded to the account.

When you create a filesystem, you can choose whether older versions of an object stored in the cloud must be retained whenever the corresponding file is updated or deleted in the filesystem.

  • If you select the Delete Old File Versions check box for a filesystem, then every time you start the appliance and once every 24 hours after that, a version compaction process runs automatically in the background. This process removes older versions of all the objects in the container/bucket that's connected to the filesystem. Only the latest version of each object is retained.
  • If you don't select the Delete Old File Versions checkbox:
    • When a file is updated in the filesystem, a new version of the corresponding object in the cloud is created. Additional capacity is consumed in the cloud after each such update operation.
    • When a file is deleted in the filesystem, all older versions of the object in the cloud are retained. Capacity continues to be used in the cloud for the file that you deleted in the appliance.

Does deleting data from the Storage Software Appliance, delete the data permanently from Object/Archive Storage?

Yes, if Delete Old File Versions is enabled, deleting data off Storage Software Appliance permanently deletes data from the ‘Object/Archive’ storage. If this feature is disabled, deleted files will be removed from the file system namespace on the appliance, but the corresponding objects will remain in the object storage container/bucket.

Storage Software Appliance - Troubleshooting

Why is the number of objects in my cloud container/bucket much larger than the number of files in the file system?

The number of objects in the cloud container/bucket will normally be larger than the number of files in the file system for a number of reasons including:

  • Large files (>1GB) are sliced into segments which are uploaded and stored as separate objects. Segmented objects will have the segment number appended to each object, such as “-s1”, “-s2”, etc.
  • When files are modified, a new version of the file is uploaded. If version compaction is disabled, previous versions of files are not removed from the cloud. Object versions are indicated by the version number appended to the object name, such as “-v1”, “v2”, etc.
  • The appliance uploads backup copies of metadata and other critical data in the cloud container/bucket.

Why does deleting files not result in fewer number of objects in the cloud container/bucket?

If version compaction is disabled (default) objects in the cloud are not deleted when a file is deleted. In this mode the file is removed from the file system namespace but the corresponding data object in the cloud is left intact, thus object count is unlikely to decrease. If version compaction is enabled and a file is deleted, the corresponding object in the cloud will also be deleted. The process for removing the object in the cloud runs periodically so there will be a delay (up to 24 hours) before the change is reflected in the object count.

How long does the appliance wait before uploading files to the cloud bucket/container?

The appliance will not commence uploading a new file or modified file until the file is closed. After a file is closed, the appliance allows a 1 minute settling time before queueing the file for upload. There may be a long list of files pending upload, thus it may be a while before it shows up in cloud container/bucket. Admin UI and/or diagnostics command may be used to check file upload status, but no reliable way to predict when it will actually be transferred to cloud.

Do Linux “df” and "du" commands work with Storage Software Appliance file systems?

Yes, "df" and "du" work with Oracle Cloud Infrastructure - Classic, but when using Oracle Cloud Infrastructure Object Storage these commands report a value '0'. This occurs because Storage Software Appliance is a file mover, there are no true filesystem size limits unless constrained by cloud account and/or bucket/container quota. Similarly, files are uploaded to the cloud as objects, there is no usage accounting like traditional filesystems.

My Storage Software Appliance cache is full and data is not uploading to object storage. What shall I do?

If the cache reaches a near-full threshold, you can either wait for the cache contents to sync with Object Storage, or increase the cache size. The performance of a disk volume also degrades as it fills, due to fragmentation. To prevent either of these conditions from affecting the I/O performance, provision the volume such that it will never be more than 80% full.

How can I recover from an unexpected Storage Software Appliance crash?

If an Storage Software Appliance instance unexpectedly crashes due to software or hardware failures, you can create another instance and connect the filesystem to the object storage container/bucket that holds your file system data. Files that were buffered on the failed appliance but had not yet been uploaded will have to re-written to the recovered appliance.

If encryption was enabled in the Storage Software Appliance instance, then you will need to re-enter the RSA keys used in the previous instance.

If the filesystem was previously configured as an archive filesystem, then you must select Enable Archive for the same filesystem. You can mount the filesystem only after you select this option.

If the filesystem had write ownership in the previous appliance instance, ensure that the filesystem has write ownership in the new instance. To claim write ownership, you must reconnect the filesystem in the new instance.

The FileSystem: Claim Ownership window is displayed, prompting you to confirm whether the other appliance must be disconnected.

If you opt to proceed, then take necessary action, depending on the storage service:

  • For an Oracle Cloud Infrastructure Object Storage Classic account, re-enter your Oracle Cloud Infrastructure Object Storage Classic password and select Claim Ownership.
  • For an Oracle Cloud Infrastructure Object Storage tenancy, re-enter the values for the following fields in the FileSystem: Claim Ownership window and select Claim Ownership.
    • Public Key Finger Print
    • Private Key
    • Private Key Passphrase

I forgot my Storage Software Appliance management console admin password. How do I change the password?

  • Log in to the host on which you installed the appliance.
  • Enter the following command to reset the password:
    oscsa do password:reset
  • Enter the new password:
    oscsa do password:set [new_password]

The NFS calls are returning I/O errors, how can I recover from these errors?

There are a few things that you can do if your NFS calls are returning I/O errors:

  • Determine if the Storage Software Appliance local cache is full. If it's full extend the Storage Software Appliance cache size
  • Restart rpcmount daemon or nfs service
    docker exec oscsa_gw /opt/oracle/gateway/./restart-rpcmountd.sh
  • Restart the NFS service and remount nfs client, if required
  • If extending the cache size does not help eliminate the I/O errors download the console logs and other diagnostics information and then contact Oracle support for help.
    Collect the output of two commands below
    sysctl -a | egrep -i '(nfs|serverfault)'
    dmesg | grep -i nfs

OSCSA cannot connect to Object Storage. I am getting unauthorized error, how can I troubleshoot this problem?

If you are unable to connect to Oracle Object Storage, verify your object storage connectivity using cURL commands.

Oracle Cloud Infrastructure Classic URL authentication test: docs.oracle.com/en/cloud/iaas-classic/storage-cloud/ssapi/Authentication.html

What should I do if the file system is mounted successfully but mount point is not exported by NFS?

Make sure that when you create the file system, the mount point is exported using the command
docker exec oscsa_gw /opt/oracle/gateway/./nfs-exports.sh

What can I do when Cloud Storage Software Appliance cannot access other VMs across Oracle Cloud Infrastructure - Classic IP network?

IP network exchange enables the VM access on different IP networks. Security rules and ACLs may impact the access as well.

The configuration reference: docs.oracle.com/en/cloud/iaas-classic/compute-iaas-cloud/stcsg/managing-ip-network-exchanges.html

I installed docker and NFS in my host, but can’t install Storage Software Appliance, what should I do?

  • Add the docker group to the existing groups in your host:
    sudo groupadd docker
  • Add your user id to the docker group:
    usermod -a -G docker username
  • Check the storage driver for docker and modify if necessary (only "devicemapper" is supported).
    docker info | grep 'Storage Driver:'
  • Shut down your host:
    shutdown –r now
  • Log in to your host and run the Storage Software Appliance script:
    sudo ./oscsa-install.sh

I can’t access the Storage Software Appliance management console.

Check if Storage Software Appliance is running:
oscsa info

If the appliance is not running, then start the appliance:
oscsa up

Make a note of the management console port number.
Sample output
Creating OSCSA Volume Starting OSCSA [oscsa_gw:1.0] Management Console: https://myappliancehost.example.com:32771/. If you have already configured an OSCSA FileSystem via the Management Console, you can access the NFS share using the following port. NFS Port: 32770 Example: mount -t nfs -o vers=4,port=32770 myApplianceHost.example.com:/OSCSA_filesystem_name/local_mount_point

In the sample output,
-myApplianceHost.example.com is the appliance host name
-32771 is the management console port number

Ensure that you are using https if you have enabled SSL. By default, SSL is enabled.

  • Check if the appliance is running on docker on the appliance host.
  • Check that the management console port number in the output (from oscsa info) matches the port you’re using to access the management console.

I provided my Oracle Cloud Infrastructure Object Storage Classic account details in the management console, but why can’t I create a filesystem?

Check your user credentials in your Oracle Cloud Infrastructure Object Storage Classic account and update them in the management console.

I am unable to mount a filesystem, what should I do?

Check if Storage Software Appliance is running:
oscsa info

If the appliance is not running, then start the appliance:
oscsa up

Make a note of the management console port number and NFS port number.

Check if the appliance is running on docker on the appliance host.

Ensure that the NFS protocol is running:
sudo systemctl enable nfs-server

Check that the NFS port number in the output (from oscsa info) matches the port you’re using to connect to with your NFS client.

How can I get support for Storage Software Appliance?

You can get support for Storage Software Appliance by contacting normal Oracle Support channels Oracle:

  • Go to https://support.oracle.com/portal/.
  • In the Sign In pane, select Cloud Portal as the portal and click Sign In.
  • On the Dashboard page, click Create Service Request.
  • In the Create Service Request wizard, do the following:
    • In the Service Type field, select Oracle Cloud Infrastructure Object Storage Classic.
    • In the Problem Type field, Select Issues accessing a Storage Software Appliance or Issues installing or upgrading a Storage Software Appliance, and select the appropriate problem subtype.
    • Follow the prompts in the wizard to complete the service request.