Anchor Design
Learn about network anchor designs for Oracle AI Database@Azure.
In Oracle AI Database@Azure, anchors logically encapsulate Azure resources, such as subscriptions, resource groups, and networking setups. Anchors provide flexibility to bind Azure resources to Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) resources and support multicloud deployments with consistent billing, visibility, and observability across OCI and Azure.
Two types of anchors are available:
- Resource Anchors: Encapsulate the logical organization of Azure resources.
- Network Anchors: Encapsulate Azure network resources and map them to OCI networking constructs.
Resource Anchors
A resource anchor is a bridge between Azure and OCI that keeps resources logically grouped and consistently mapped across environments. It works by linking an Azure resource group to an OCI compartment, giving you a central place to manage access, organization, and policies for database services in Oracle AI Database@Azure.
Resource anchors are global constructs. After a resource anchor is created, it's replicated across all regions. A resource anchor creates a dedicated OCI compartment, ensuring a 1:1 mapping with its corresponding Azure resource group. OCI compartments use the following naming convention:
resourceGroupName_resourceAnchorName_uniqueDateTimeStampIDOCI compartments are also global constructs with global OCIDs and aren't tied to a specific region.
A resource anchor carries attributes of the Azure subscription, resource group, and associated Azure Active Directory group.
Resource anchors provide the following critical functions:
- Define resource organization between Azure and OCI.
- Provide visibility of OCI resources in Azure.
- Enable federation of Azure AD groups with OCI user groups for access control.
Network Anchors
A network anchor acts as the bridge between Azure and OCI networking. It connects Azure networking resources, such as virtual networks (VNets), subnets, and DNS, with OCI virtual cloud networks (VCNs), subnets, and DNS to ensure seamless communication and consistent setup across both cloud service providers. A network anchor is a prerequisite for database services in Oracle AI Database@Azure.
To configure a network anchor, you need a VNet and a subnet delegated to
Oracle.Database/networkAttachments.Network anchors are zonal constructs and they're tied to a specific Azure region and availability zone. They define the mapping between Azure VNets, delegated subnets, and DNS configurations and their counterparts in OCI VCNs, subnets, and DNS management. You can manage these resources and ensure they align with your networking and security requirements.
Beyond basic connectivity, network anchors provide the following critical functions:
- Decouple network configuration from database service provisioning.
- Support bidirectional DNS resolution so services in Azure can be resolved from OCI and vice versa.
- Enable observability by forwarding metrics and logs back to Azure.
| Service Name | Network Anchor |
|---|---|
| Oracle Exadata Database Service on Dedicated Infrastructure | Supported |
| Oracle Exadata Database Service on Exascale Infrastructure | Not supported |
| Oracle Autonomous AI Database on Dedicated Exadata Infrastructure | Supported |
| Autonomous AI Database Serverless | Not supported |
| Oracle Base Database Service | Supported |
| Oracle GoldenGate | Supported |