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Network planning for Oracle Database@Azure

In this article, learn about network topologies and constraints in Oracle Database@Azure. After you purchase an offer through Azure Marketplace and provision the Oracle Exadata infrastructure, the next step is to create your virtual machine cluster to host your instance of Oracle Exadata Database@Azure. The Oracle database clusters are connected to your Azure virtual network via a virtual network interface card (virtual NIC) from your delegated subnet (delegated to Oracle.Database/networkAttachment).

Network features

There are two types of network features: default and advance.

Default network features

Default network features enable basic network connectivity for both new and existing Oracle Database@Azure deployments. These features are available across all supported Oracle Database@Azure regions and provide the foundational networking required for your deployment

Advanced network features

Advanced network features enhance the virtual networking experience, offering improved security, performance, and control—similar to standard Azure VMs. These features are generally available for new deployments in the following regions:

  • Australia East
  • Australia Southeast
  • Canada Central
  • Central US
  • East US
  • East US2
  • US West
  • UK South
  • UK West
  • Germany West Central

Note

Advanced network features are currently supported only for new Oracle Database@Azure deployments. Existing virtual networks with previously created Oracle Database@Azure delegated subnets will not support these features at this time. Support for existing deployments is planned for later this year.

Registration required for delegated subnets

To use advanced network features, use the following commands (via AZCLI) to register before creating your virtual network for the Oracle Database@Azure deployment.

Register-AzProviderFeature -FeatureName "EnableRotterdamSdnApplianceForOracle" -ProviderNamespace "Microsoft.Baremetal"

Register-AzProviderFeature -FeatureName "EnableRotterdamSdnApplianceForOracle" -ProviderNamespace "Microsoft.Network"

Note

Registration state can be in the 'Registering' state for up to 60 minutes before changing to 'Registered'. Wait until the status is 'Registered' before continuing with the delegated subnet creation.

Supported topologies

The following table describes the network topologies that are supported by each configuration of network features for Oracle Database@Azure.

Topology Default network features Advanced network features
Connectivity to an Oracle database cluster in a local virtual network Yes Yes
Connectivity to an Oracle database cluster in a peered virtual network (in the same region) Yes Yes
Connectivity to an Oracle database cluster in a spoke virtual network in a different region with a virtual wide area network (virtual WAN) Yes Yes
Connectivity to an Oracle database cluster in a peered virtual network in different region (Global Peering) No Yes
On-premises connectivity to an Oracle database cluster via global and local Azure ExpressRoute Yes Yes
Azure ExpressRoute FastPath No Yes
Connectivity from on-premises to an Oracle database cluster in a spoke virtual network over an ExpressRoute gateway and virtual network peering with a gateway transit Yes Yes
On-premises connectivity to a delegated subnet via a virtual private network (VPN) gateway Yes Yes
Connectivity from on-premises to an Oracle database in a spoke virtual network over a VPN gateway and virtual network peering with gateway transit Yes Yes
Connectivity over active/passive VPN gateways Yes Yes
Connectivity over active/active VPN gateways No Yes
Connectivity over zone-redundant, zonal ExpressRoute gateways Yes Yes
Transit connectivity via a virtual WAN for an Oracle database cluster provisioned in a spoke virtual network Yes Yes
On-premises connectivity to an Oracle database cluster via a virtual WAN and attached software-defined wide area network (SD-WAN) No Yes
On-premises connectivity via a secured hub (a firewall network virtual appliance) Yes Yes
Connectivity from an Oracle database cluster on Oracle Database@Azure nodes to Azure resources Yes Yes

Constraints

The following table describes required configurations of supported network features.

Features Default network features Advanced network features
Delegated subnet per virtual network 1 1
Network security groups on Oracle Database@Azure delegated subnets No Yes
User-defined routes (UDRs) on Oracle Database@Azure delegated subnets Yes Yes
Connectivity from an Oracle database cluster to a private endpoint in the same virtual network on Azure-delegated subnets No Yes
Connectivity from an Oracle database cluster to a private endpoint in a different spoke virtual network connected to a virtual WAN Yes Yes
NSG support on the Private link No Yes
Connectivity to serverless Apps like Azure functions via private endpoints No Yes
Azure SLB and ILB support for Oracle database cluster traffic No No
Dual stack (IPv4 and IPv6) virtual network Only IPv4 is supported Only IPv4 is supported
Service tags support No Yes

Note

When using NSGs (Network Security Groups) on the Azure side, ensure that any security rules configured on the Oracle (OCI) side are reviewed to avoid conflicts. While applying security policies on both Azure and OCI can enhance the overall security posture, it also introduces additional complexity in terms of management and requires careful manual synchronization between the two environments. Misalignment between these policies could lead to unintended access issues or operational disruptions.

UDR requirements for routing traffic to Oracle Database@Azure

When routing traffic to Oracle Database@Azure through a Network Virtual Appliance (NVA)/firewall, the User-Defined Route (UDR) prefix must be at least as specific as the subnet delegated to the Oracle Database@Azure instance. Broader prefixes may cause traffic to be dropped.

If the delegated subnet for your instance is x.x.x.x/27, configure the UDR on the Gateway Subnet as:

Route Prefix Routing Outcome
x.x.x.x/27 (same as the subnet) ✅
x.x.x.x/32 (more specific) ✅
x.x.x.x/24 (too broad) ❌

Topology-specific guidance

Hub-and-spoke topology

  • Define the UDR on the gateway subnet.
  • Use a route prefix of x.x.x.x/27 or more specific.
  • Set the next hop to your NVA/Firewall.

Virtual WAN (VWAN)

  • With Routing Intent:

    • Add the delegated subnet prefix (x.x.x.x/27) to the Routing Intent’s list of prefixes.

  • Without Routing Intent:

    • Add a route to the VWAN's route table for x.x.x.x/27 and point the next hop to the NVA/firewall.

Note

When advanced network features are not enabled, and for traffic originating from the Oracle Database@Azure delegated subnet that needs to traverse a gateway (for example, to reach on-premises networks, AVS, other clouds, etc.), you must configure specific UDRs on the delegated subnet.
These UDRs should define the specific destination IP prefixes and set the next hop to the appropriate NVA/firewall in the hub.
Without these routes, outbound traffic may bypass required inspection paths or fail to reach the intended destination.

FAQ

What are advanced network features?

Advanced network features enhance your virtual networking experience by providing better security, performance, and control—similar to standard Azure virtual machines. With this feature, customers can use native VNet integrations like Network Security Groups (NSG), User-Defined Routes (UDR), Private Link, Global VNet Peering, and ExpressRoute FastPath without needing any workarounds.

Will advanced network features work for existing deployments?

Not at the moment. Support for existing deployments is on our roadmap, and we’re actively working to enable it. Stay tuned for updates in the near future.

Do I need to self-register to enable advanced network features for new deployments?

Yes. To take advantage of advanced network features for new deployments, you must complete a registration process. Please run the registration commands before creating a new VNet and delegated subnet for your Oracle Database@Azure deployments.

How can I check if my deployment supports advanced network features?

Currently, there’s no direct way to verify whether a VNet supports advanced network features. We recommend tracking your feature registration timeline and associating it with the VNets created afterward. You can also use the Activity Log blade under the VNet to review creation details—but note, logs are only available for the past 90 days by default.

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