README.md

Oracle Real Application Clusters in Linux Containers

Learn about container deployment options for Oracle Real Application Clusters (Oracle RAC) Release 21c

Overview of Running Oracle RAC in Containers

Oracle Real Application Clusters (Oracle RAC) is an option for the award-winning Oracle Database Enterprise Edition. Oracle RAC is a cluster database with a shared cache architecture that overcomes the limitations of traditional shared-nothing and shared-disk approaches to provide highly scalable and available database solutions for all business applications.

Oracle RAC uses Oracle Clusterware as a portable cluster software that allows clustering of independent servers so that they cooperate as a single system and Oracle Automatic Storage Management (Oracle ASM) to provide simplified storage management that is consistent across all servers and storage platforms. Oracle Clusterware and Oracle ASM are part of the Oracle Grid Infrastructure, which bundles both solutions in an easy-to-deploy software package. For more information on Oracle RAC Database 21c refer to the Oracle Database documentation.

This guide helps you install Oracle RAC on Containers on Host Machines as explained in detail below. With the current release, you prepare the host machine, build or use pre-built Oracle RAC Container Images v21c, and setup Oracle RAC on Single or Multiple Host machines with Oracle ASM. In this installation guide, we use Podman to create Oracle RAC Containers and manage them.

Using this Documentation

To create an Oracle RAC environment, follow these steps:

• Oracle Real Application Clusters in Linux Containers
  • Overview of Running Oracle RAC in Containers
  • Using this Documentation
  • Preparation Steps for running Oracle RAC in containers
  • Getting Oracle RAC Database Container Images
    • Building Oracle RAC Database Container Image
    • Building Oracle RAC Database Container Slim Image
    • Building Oracle RAC Database Container Base Image
  • Network Management
  • Password Management
  • Oracle RAC on Containers Deployment Scenarios
    • Oracle RAC Containers on Podman
      • Setup Using Oracle RAC Image
      • Setup Using Oracle RAC Slim Image
  • Connecting to an Oracle RAC Database
  • Deletion of Node from Oracle RAC Cluster
  • Building a Patched Oracle RAC Container Image
  • Cleanup
  • Sample Container Files for Older Releases
  • Support
  • License
  • Copyright

Preparation Steps for running Oracle RAC Database in containers

Before you proceed to the next section, you must complete each of the steps listed in this section and complete the following prerequisites.

• Refer to the following sections in the publication Oracle Real Application Clusters Installation Guide for Podman for Podman Oracle Linux x86-64 to complete the preparation steps for Oracle RAC on Container deployment:

  • Overview of Oracle RAC on Podman
  • Host Preparation for Oracle RAC on Podman
  • Podman Host Server Configuration
    • Note: As we are following command line installation for Oracle RAC on containers, we don't need X Window System to be configured
  • Podman Containers and Oracle RAC Nodes
  • Provisioning the Podman Host Server
  • Podman Host Preparation
    • Preparing for Podman Container Installation
    • Installing Podman Engine
    • Allocate Linux Resources for Oracle Grid Infrastructure Deployment
    • How to Configure Podman for SELinux Mode

• Install git from dnf or yum repository and clone the git repo. We clone this repo to a path called <GITHUB_REPO_CLONED_PATH> and refer to it.

• Create a NFS Volume if you are planning to use NFS Storage for ASM Devices. See the section Configuring NFS for Storage for Oracle RAC on Podman in Oracle Real Application Clusters Installation Guide for Podman for more details.

  Note: You can skip this step if you are planning to use block devices for storage.

• If SELinux is enabled on the Podman host, then ensure to create an SELinux policy for Oracle RAC on Podman. For details about this procedure, see How to Configure Podman for SELinux Mode in the publication Oracle Real Application Clusters Installation Guide for Podman Oracle Linux x86-64.

  Also, When you are performing the installation using any files from podman host machine where SELinux is enabled, you need to make sure they are labeled correctly with container_file_t context. You can use ls -lZ <file_name/<Directory_name> to see the security context set for those files.

• To resolve VIPs and SCAN IPs in this guide, we use a preconfigured DNS server in our environment. Replace environment variables -e DNS_SERVERS=10.0.20.25,--dns=10.0.20.25,-e DOMAIN=example.info and --dns-search=example.info parameters in the examples in this guide based on your environment.

• The Oracle RAC Containerfile does not contain any Oracle software binaries. Download the following software from the Oracle Technology Network, if you are planning to build Oracle RAC Container Images in the next section. However, if you are using pre-built RAC Images from the Oracle Container Registry, then you can skip this step.

  • Oracle Grid Infrastructure 21c (21) for Linux x86-64
  • Oracle Database 21c (21) for Linux x86-64

Notes

• If the Podman bridge network is not available outside your host, you can use the Oracle Connection Manager CMAN Container to access the Oracle RAC Database from outside the host.

Getting Oracle RAC Database Container Images

Oracle RAC is supported for production use on Podman starting with Oracle Database 19c (19.16) and Oracle Database 21c (21.7). You can also deploy Oracle RAC on Podman using the pre-built images available on the Oracle Container Registry. Refer to this documentation for details on using Oracle Container Registry.

Example of pulling an Oracle RAC Image from the Oracle Container Registry:

# For Oracle RAC Container Image
podman pull container-registry.oracle.com/database/rac_ru:latest
podman tag container-registry.oracle.com/database/rac_ru:latest localhost/oracle/database-rac:21c

NOTE Currently, latest tag in Oracle Container registry represents 21.16.0 tag. If you are pulling any other version of container image, then retag approriately as per your environment to use in podman create commands later.

If you are using pre-built Oracle RAC images from the Oracle Container Registry, then you can skip the section Building Oracle RAC Database Container Image.

Note:

• The Oracle Container registry doesn't contains Oracle RAC Slim Image. If you are planning to use Oracle RAC Slim Image, then refer to Building Oracle RAC Database Container Slim Image

• If you want to build the latest Oracle RAC Image from this Github repository, instead of using a pre-built image, then follow below instructions to build Oracle RAC Container Image and Oracle RAC Container Slim Image.

• Below section assumes that you have completed all of the prerequisites in Preparation Steps for running Oracle RAC Database in containers and completed all the steps, based on your environment.

  Note: Ensure that you do not uncompress the binaries and patches manually before building the Oracle RAC Image.

• To assist in building the images, you can use the buildContainerImage.sh script. See the following sections for instructions and usage.

• Ensure that you have enough space in /var/lib/containers while building the Oracle RAC Image. Also, if required use export TMPDIR=</path/to/tmpdir> for Podman to use another folder as the temporary podman cache location instead of the default /tmp location.

Building Oracle RAC Database Container Image

In this document,an Oracle RAC Database Container Image refers to an Oracle RAC Database Container Image with Oracle Grid Infrastructure and Oracle Database Software Binaries installed during Oracle RAC Podman Image creation. The resulting images will contain the Oracle Grid Infrastructure and Oracle RAC Database Software Binaries.

Before you begin, you must download Oracle Grid Infrastructure and Oracle RDBMS Binaries and stage them under <GITHUB_REPO_CLONED_PATH>/docker-images/OracleDatabase/RAC/OracleRealApplicationCluster/containerfiles/<VERSION>.

Use the below command to build the Oracle RAC Database Container Image:

./buildContainerImage.sh -v <Software Version>

Example: To build Oracle RAC Database Container Image for version 21.3.0, use below command:

./buildContainerImage.sh -v 21.3.0

Retag it as below as we are going to refer this image as localhost/oracle/database-rac:21c everywhere:

podman tag localhost/oracle/database-rac:21.3.0 localhost/oracle/database-rac:21c

Building Oracle RAC Database Container Slim Image

In this document, an Oracle RAC Database Container Slim Image refers to a container image that does not include installation of Oracle Grid Infrastructure and Oracle Database Software Binaries during the Oracle RAC Database Container Image creation. To build an Oracle RAC Database Container Slim Image that doesn't contain the Oracle Grid infrastructure and Oracle RAC Database software, run the following command:

./buildContainerImage.sh -v <Software Version> -i -o '--build-arg SLIMMING=true'

Example: To build Oracle RAC Database Container Slim Image for version 21.3.0, use the below command:

./buildContainerImage.sh -v 21.3.0 -i -o '--build-arg SLIMMING=true'

To build an Oracle RAC Database Container Slim Image, you need to use --build-arg SLIMMING=true.

To change the Base Image during building Oracle RAC Database Container Images, you must use --build-arg BASE_OL_IMAGE=oraclelinux:8.

Retag it as below as we are going to refer this image as localhost/oracle/database-rac:21c-slim everywhere:

podman tag localhost/oracle/database-rac:21.3.0-slim localhost/oracle/database-rac:21c-slim

Building Oracle RAC Database Container Base Image

In this document, an Oracle RAC Database Container Base Image refers to a container image that does not include installation of Oracle Grid Infrastructure and Oracle Database Software Binaries during the Oracle RAC Database Container Image creation. This image is extended to build patched image or extensions. To build an Oracle RAC Database Container Base Image run the following command:

./buildContainerImage.sh -v <Software Version> -b

Example: To build Oracle RAC Database Container Base Image for version 21.3.0, use the below command:

./buildContainerImage.sh -v 21.3.0 -b

To build an Oracle RAC Database Container Base Image, you need to use -b.

To change the Base Image during building Oracle RAC Database Container Images, you must use --build-arg BASE_OL_IMAGE=oraclelinux:8.

Notes

• Usage of ./buildContainerImage.sh:

  -v: version to build
  -i: ignore the MD5 checksums
  -t: user-defined image name and tag (e.g., image_name:tag). Default is set to `oracle/database-rac:<VERSION>` for  RAC Image and `oracle/database-rac:<VERSION>-slim` for RAC slim image.
  -o: passes on container build option (e.g., --build-arg SLIMMIMG=true for slim,--build-arg  BASE_OL_IMAGE=oraclelinux:8 to change base image). The default is "--build-arg SLIMMING=false"
  

• After building the 21.3.0 Oracle RAC Database Container Image, to apply the 21c RU and build the 21c patched image, refer to Example of how to create a patched database image.
• If you are behind a proxy wall, then you must set the https_proxy or http_proxy environment variable based on your environment before building the image.
• In case of the Oracle RAC Database Container Slim Image, the resulting images will not contain the Oracle Grid Infrastructure and Oracle RAC Database Software Binaries.

Network Management

Before you start the installation, you must plan your private and public podman networks. Refer to section Podman Host Preparation in the publication Oracle Real Application Clusters Installation Guide for Podman.

You can create a Podman Network on every container host so that the containers running within that host can communicate with each other. For example: Create Podman Network named rac_pub1_nw for the public network (10.0.20.0/24), rac_priv1_nw (192.168.17.0/24) and rac_priv2_nw(192.168.18.0/24) for private networks. You can use any network subnet based on your environment.

Standard Frames MTU Networks Configuration

ip link show|grep ens
3: ens5: <BROADCAST,MULTICAST,UP,LOWER_UP> mtu 1500 qdisc mq state UP mode DEFAULT group default qlen 1000
4: ens6: <BROADCAST,MULTICAST,UP,LOWER_UP> mtu 1500 qdisc mq state UP mode DEFAULT group default qlen 1000
5: ens7: <BROADCAST,MULTICAST,UP,LOWER_UP> mtu 1500 qdisc mq state UP mode DEFAULT group default qlen 1000

To run Oracle RAC using Oracle Container Runtime for Podman on a single host, create Podman Bridge networks using the following commands:

podman network create --driver=bridge --subnet=10.0.20.0/24 rac_pub1_nw
podman network create --driver=bridge --subnet=192.168.17.0/24 rac_priv1_nw --disable-dns --internal
podman network create --driver=bridge --subnet=192.168.18.0/24 rac_priv2_nw --disable-dns --internal

To run Oracle RAC using Oracle Container Runtime for Podman on multiple hosts, you must create one of the following:

a. Create Podman macvlan networks using the following commands:

podman network create -d macvlan --subnet=10.0.20.0/24 -o parent=ens5 rac_pub1_nw
podman network create -d macvlan --subnet=192.168.17.0/24 -o parent=ens6 rac_priv1_nw --disable-dns --internal
podman network create -d macvlan --subnet=192.168.18.0/24 -o parent=ens7 rac_priv2_nw --disable-dns --internal

b. Create Podman ipvlan networks using the following commands:

podman network create -d ipvlan --subnet=10.0.20.0/24 -o parent=ens5 rac_pub1_nw
podman network create -d ipvlan --subnet=192.168.17.0/24 -o parent=ens6 rac_priv1_nw --disable-dns --internal
podman network create -d ipvlan --subnet=192.168.18.0/24 -o parent=ens7 rac_priv2_nw --disable-dns --internal

Jumbo Frames MTU Network Configuration

ip link show | egrep "ens"
3: ens5: <BROADCAST,MULTICAST,UP,LOWER_UP> mtu 9000 qdisc mq state UP mode DEFAULT group default qlen 1000
4: ens6: <BROADCAST,MULTICAST,UP,LOWER_UP> mtu 9000 qdisc mq state UP mode DEFAULT group default qlen 1000
5: ens7: <BROADCAST,MULTICAST,UP,LOWER_UP> mtu 9000 qdisc mq state UP mode DEFAULT group default qlen 1000

If the MTU on each interface is set to 9000, then you can then run the following commands on each Podman host to extend the maximum payload length for each network to use the entire MTU:

#Podman bridge networks
podman network create --driver=bridge --subnet=10.0.20.0/24 --opt mtu=9000 rac_pub1_nw
podman network create --driver=bridge --subnet=192.168.17.0/24 --opt mtu=9000 rac_priv1_nw --disable-dns --internal
podman network create --driver=bridge --subnet=192.168.18.0/24 --opt mtu=9000 rac_priv2_nw --disable-dns --internal

# Podman macvlan networks
podman network create -d macvlan --subnet=10.0.20.0/24 --opt mtu=9000 -o parent=ens5 rac_pub1_nw
podman network create -d macvlan --subnet=192.168.17.0/24 --opt mtu=9000 -o parent=ens6 rac_priv1_nw --disable-dns --internal
podman network create -d macvlan --subnet=192.168.18.0/24 --opt mtu=9000 -o parent=ens7 rac_priv2_nw --disable-dns --internal

#Podman ipvlan networks
podman network create -d ipvlan --subnet=10.0.20.0/24 --opt mtu=9000 -o parent=ens5 rac_pub1_nw
podman network create -d ipvlan --subnet=192.168.17.0/24 --opt mtu=9000 -o parent=ens6 rac_priv1_nw --disable-dns --internal
podman network create -d ipvlan --subnet=192.168.18.0/24 --opt mtu=9000 -o parent=ens7 rac_priv2_nw --disable-dns --internal

Password Management

• Specify the secret volume for resetting the grid, oracle, and database user password during node creation or node addition. The volume can be a shared volume among all the containers. For example:

  mkdir /opt/.secrets/

• Generate a password file

  Edit the /opt/.secrets/pwdfile.txt and seed the password for the grid, oracle, and database users.

  For this deployment scenario, it will be a common password for the grid, oracle, and database users.

  Run the below commands:

  cd /opt/.secrets
  openssl genrsa -out key.pem
  openssl rsa -in key.pem -out key.pub -pubout
  openssl pkeyutl -in pwdfile.txt -out pwdfile.enc -pubin -inkey key.pub -encrypt
  rm -rf /opt/.secrets/pwdfile.txt

• Oracle recommends using Podman secrets inside the containers. To create Podman secrets, run the following commands:

  podman secret create pwdsecret /opt/.secrets/pwdfile.enc
  podman secret create keysecret /opt/.secrets/key.pem

• To check the details of the created Podman Secrets, run the commands as below:

  podman secret ls
  ID                         NAME        DRIVER      CREATED       UPDATED
  7eb7f573905283c808bdabaff  keysecret   file        13 hours ago  13 hours ago
  e3ac963fd736d8bc01dcd44dd  pwdsecret   file        13 hours ago  13 hours ago
  
  podman secret inspect <secret_name>

Notes:

• In this example we use pwdsecret as the common password for SSH setup between containers for the oracle, grid, and Oracle RAC database users. Also, keysecret is used to extract secrets inside the Oracle RAC Containers.

Oracle RAC on Containers Deployment Scenarios

Oracle RAC can be deployed with various scenarios, such as using NFS vs Block Devices, Oracle RAC Container Image vs Slim Image, with User Defined Response files, and so on. All are covered in detail in the instructions below.

Oracle RAC Containers on Podman

1. Setup Using Oracle RAC Container Image

2. Setup Using Oracle RAC Container Slim Image

Connecting to an Oracle RAC Database

IMPORTANT: This section assumes that you have successfully created an Oracle RAC Database using the preceding sections.

Refer to Connecting to an Oracle RAC Database for instructions on how to connect to the Oracle RAC Database.

Deletion of Node from Oracle RAC Cluster

Refer to Deleting a Node for instructions on how to delete a Node from Existing Oracle RAC Container Cluster.

Building a Patched Oracle RAC Container Image

If you want to build a patched image based on a base 21.3.0 container image, then refer to the GitHub page Example of how to create an Oracle RAC Database Container Patched Image.

Cleanup

Refer to Cleanup Oracle RAC Database Container Environment for instructions on how to connect to an Oracle RAC Database Container Environment.

Sample Container Files for Older Releases

This project offers example container files for Oracle Grid Infrastructure and Oracle Real Application Clusters for dev and test:

• Oracle Database 18c Oracle Grid Infrastructure (18.3) for Linux x86-64
• Oracle Database 18c (18.3) for Linux x86-64
• Oracle Database 12c Release 2 Oracle Grid Infrastructure (12.2.0.1.0) for Linux x86-64
• Oracle Database 12c Release 2 (12.2.0.1.0) Enterprise Edition for Linux x86-64

To install older releases of Oracle RAC on Podman or Oracle RAC on Docker, refer to the README.md

Support

At the time of this release, Oracle RAC on Podman is supported for Oracle Linux 8.10 or later. To see the current Linux support certifications, refer to Oracle RAC on Podman Documentation

License

To download and run Oracle Grid Infrastructure and Oracle Database, regardless of whether inside or outside a container, you must download the binaries from the Oracle website and accept the license indicated on that page.

All scripts and files hosted in this repository that are required to build the container images are, unless otherwise noted, released under a UPL 1.0 license.

Copyright

Copyright (c) 2014-2025 Oracle and/or its affiliates.