Oracle Database Hosting Service provides professionally-managed database environments for University academic, research, and administrative units. OIT uses Exadata by Oracle a complete package of servers, storage, networking and software that is scalable and secure.
Services are provided in a shared hosting environment (referred to as 'hotels') where the databases of multiple University units are run in a secure and isolated fashion on a several large, redundant hosts.
Highlights
- Support for all Four SDLC Stacks: Database hosting customer are able to get Oracle database support for all four SDLC (Software Development Life Cycle) stacks, that is; DEV, TST, ENT and PRD.
- Database Schemas: Each University department gets one schema per database environment - one each for development, code and bug testing, integration/staging/performance testing, and production. Additional schemas may be provisioned according to project requirements, but will be subject to quotas on resource usage.
- Schema Accounts: Database support creates schema accounts, whereas the PAR (Provisioning and Access Request) group creates duo authenticated individual accounts in hotel databases.
Back-end Database Support Services
Back-end database support services provided to database hosting customers include:
Backup and Recovery
- Backups are available for database DR scenarios.
- Full backups are taken once a week while incremental backups are taken daily.
- Backups are retained for 14 days.
Monitoring
- OEM (Oracle Enterprise Manager) is used to monitor various database incidents that needs attention.
- Incidents are based on events that are defined in OEM for various scenarios. Database support receives alerts via email.
- Database auditing is setup in compliance with University auditing policy.
- Service level availability:
- PRD: 24*7*365 with scheduled Sunday maintenance
- DEV/TST/ENT: available M-F 7:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Patching
- Quarterly security patching is performed within 30 days of security patch release date.
- Customers are notified via "dbnotify" group few days prior to patch install date.
- Sunday's maintenance window is used for patching PRD systems.
Getting Started
- Comply with University Policy: Customers interested in hosting their data in the hotel databases must adhere to the Acceptable Use of Information Technology Resources policy.
- Determine Data Security Classification: Customers should review the Data Security Classification and determine the security level of their data. Customers may host data classified as private-highly restricted in the database hotel but PCI and PHI (HIPAA-regulated) data are excluded from this service. OIT evaluates each database to determine if it is eligible for our shared hotel environments.
- Review Your Responsibilities
Database Hosting customers are responsible for:- Maintaining and supporting applications, servers and PCs that connect to the database instance.
- Maintaining security, validity of data, access control for users and application accessing the data.
- Providing application administration and end users customer support.
- Request Hosting Services (new customers): Units must go through an onboarding process in order to use the service. To get started, the local IT or business unit director should contact the Service Owner for Hosting Services.
- Request Hosting Support (existing customers): Existing customers can reach database support via the Database Support Request form.
Requesting New Databases
When requesting new databases, specify the following database requirements:
- Department name
- Authorized requester: person(s) who will request for account provisioning and will manage access control for application
- Storage needs
- Number of accounts needed
- Type of accounts i.e. schema and/or multi-factor authenticated individual accounts
Requesting Duo for Database Access
Customers are required to use Duo for accessing databases via individual account
- For multi-factor duo account creation, go to Enterprise Access Request and scroll down to: Additional Applications & Data Warehouse Tables > Additional Applications > IT Hosted Databases
- Fill out the the access request for "IT Hosted Databases." This information will go to the PAR (provisioning and access request) team and they will handle individual account creations.
Additional Information