In a world where downtime can cost millions, Oracle Global Data Services ensures your database services stay available and performant across replicated and distributed environments. By combining GDS with an external load balancer you can further simplify application connectivity with a single, reliable entry point to your databases. This can further boost resilience and scalability of GDS setups, making it ideal for hybrid and multi-cloud configurations. Our recently published technical whitepaper dives into the details.
Why Add an External Load Balancer to GDS?
Oracle GDS uses Global Service Managers (GSMs) to intelligently route client connections to the best database in a database pool — comprising primary database, one or more replicas or standby databases, or database cache instances. Adding an external load balancer creates a single endpoint for the entire configuration, offering:
Simplified Connectivity: Applications connect to one Virtual IP (VIP), eliminating the need to track multiple GSMs or update configurations during changes to the GSM infrastructure.
Zero-Downtime Operations: A load balancer ensures instant failover if a GSM fails, enhancing GSM resilience.
Global Scalability: Easily manage traffic across on-premises regions and clouds, perfect for global enterprises.
Reduced Maintenance: Backend changes (e.g., adding or removing GSMs) are invisible to applications, saving IT effort.
How It Works
The external load balancer simplifies the initial connection to GDS:
- The application connects to the load balancer’s VIP.
- The load balancer forwards the request to an available GSM.
- The GSM redirects the client to the optimal database.
- The client then communicates directly with the database and subscribes to GSM’s Oracle Notification Services (ONS) for real-time event updates.
The process to setup an external load balancer and connection flows is detailed in our technical whitepaper.
Choosing the Right Load Balancer
Our white paper recommends two viable options:
- OCI Network Load Balancer (NLB): A cost-effective, cloud-native solution with built-in failover, ideal for Oracle Cloud deployments.
- F5 BIG-IP LTM: An enterprise-grade load balancer for on-premises, cloud, and hybrid environments, offering advanced traffic management.
Both provide seamless integration with GDS, ensuring reliable connectivity. Check the whitepaper for setup steps and best practices.
Get Started
Ready to enhance your GDS deployment? See our technical whitepaper for step-by-step guidance for configuring OCI NLB or F5 BIG-IP with GDS, including high-availability strategies and client setup.