Advanced Docker Recipes: Building Complex Oracle Environments

If you’re an Oracle DBA or developer using the basic Docker recipes from Oracle’s GitHub site but want to extend your Docker skills, this presentation is for you! I’ll give you deeper insight into how Docker works and ways to get more out of the tool!

Oracle provides a number of “vanilla” recipes in their Docker repository. These are great as an introduction to Docker but don’t cover the needs of modern enterprises. In this session, I’ll demonstrate methods to create images for Data Guard, APEX, Sharding, rapid deployments, Gold images, and transportable datasets. Participants will learn how to build and customize containers and orchestrations to meet their needs while gaining deeper insights into Docker’s components.

The session will cover:

• Building minimalist images to support APEX, Sharding, replication, and other complex deployments
• Developing orchestrations for multi-container environments such as Data Guard and Sharding
• Leveraging container properties to create Gold images and datasets that are easily shared across systems and platforms
• Developing a greater understanding of Docker’s capabilities and how it can be used to pivot enterprises toward DevOps and DataOps

My goal with this session is to get those who are experimenting with Docker to break free of the limits of Oracle’s Docker repos. My experience has been that there are Docker “users” who can follow instructions to build and deploy containers but lack an understanding of the technology. I introduce students (usually DBAs) to the subject by taking something they know (replication or Data Guard) and show them how to extend default images. By marrying the two I build understanding of container concepts.

This deep dive session has been accepted to Collaborate and RMOUG Training Days and is under consideration at others. I’ve presented it in the past at multiple regional user groups, Meetup events, and code camps. I can run this session as a hands-on/deep-dive or a one-hour lecture with limited demonstrations and no hands-on by participants. Because this is an intermediate/advanced topic I feel students get more from doing and discovering through exercises and providing opportunities to ask questions. In the past I’ve seen a lot of (rewarding) “A-ha!” moments from the audience springing from conversations and interaction during the session and I build the class around that!