Additional RDS for Oracle Features - VPC Support, Oracle Application Express (APEX) and Oracle XML DB

We have added three new features to Amazon RDS for Oracle Database to enable you to use it for more of your use cases:

• You can use Amazon RDS for Oracle in Amazon Virtual Private Cloud (VPC)
• You can use Oracle XML DB to store, retrieve, navigate, and query XML documents. 
• You can use Oracle Application Express (APEX) to rapidly build web applications.

Judging from the number of requests that I have received for these features, I expect them to be very popular.

Amazon RDS for Oracle in Amazon VPC
You can now launch Amazon RDS DB Instances running Oracle Database within a Virtual Private Cloud (VPC). Within a VPC, you can define a virtual network topology and customize the network configuration as desired. You can use subnets, routers, and access control lists to create the same type of network that you would find in a traditional data center. Amazon RDS for Oracle makes it easy to set up, operate, and scale Oracle Database deployments in the cloud. You can not only create Multi-AZ Oracle Database deployments with automated failure detection and recovery but also leverage Oracle Enterprise Manager to manage your databases. In addition, all of the other Amazon RDS for Oracle Database functionality is available including backup management, software patching, and easy scaling of compute and storage resources to meet changing needs.

Oracle APEX
Oracle APEX is a rapid web development tool for Oracle database and enables you to create and deploy rich web applications using a web browser and limited programming experience. Both the Runtime and Development environments are available and you can switch between them using our Option Groups functionality.

To start using APEX, you will need to create an RDS for Oracle DB instance (this is the APEX repository). You can also use an existing one if it is running engine version 11.2.0.2.v4 (or newer) of the RDS for Oracle Database. Apply the XMLDB, APEX, and APEX_DEV options via a RDS option group:

You will have to set the password of the APEX_PUBLIC_USER account and then unlock it.

You will also need to install and run the APEX listener (the HTTP server) on your own host or on an Amazon EC2 instance. As part of the configuration process, you will point the listener at your RDS instance.

Oracle XMLDB
Oracle XML DB is a feature of Oracle database that provides native XML storage and retrieval capabilities. It fully supports the W3C XML data model and provides new standard access methods for navigating and querying XML. With Oracle XML DB you get the advantages of relational database technology and the benefits of XML.

In addition to these new updates, we have also included support for Oracle Time Zone so you can change the time zone of your Oracle database. This enables you to consistently store timestamp information when you have users in multiple time zones by setting the time zone datatype TIMESTAMP WITH LOCAL TIMEZONE.

These features are all available at no additional charge in all Regions where Amazon RDS for Oracle is available.

-- Jeff and Jinesh;

 

Comments

[Frank]

very cool. as you know we had a lengthy discussions about RDS supporting APEX one day, so finally it is there!

fantastic,
Frank

--
Middleware and Cloud Computing
http://www.amazon.com/dp/0980798000

[Arthur Schmunk]

This is one of the important announcements of 2012

[Pat Miller]

Hi,
Can someone explain how to set the password for the apex_public_user account (is that the same as the 'admin' account for apex??)

Also, would be helpful to have steps for creating the http Apex listener.

Also -- is web front end for Enterprise Manager available? How do you get that set up.

Sorry for all these questions but those are all 'done for you' when you do the install scripts for Oracle.

PM

[Pat Miller]

Hi,
Last year when Apex was not available directly from RDS I just ran the Apex install on the same EC2 server that I had the DBMS installed on. The ORacle install scripts took care of OEM as well. Why do I have to set up a separate http instance in EC2 to get Apex running?? Do I need that for OEM as well. I selected OEM option and it looks like it defaults to port 1158, but I cannot get it to respond.

I thought this RDS service would make it simpler!! Maybe with some good documentation for the complete process it would be, but right now I am 'stumped' till I know how to set up the http service.

Thanks,
PM

[Pmiller195]

Hi,
When I installed Oracle 11g last year on EC2, the install scripts automatically created the http services for Apex and OEM on the same server. If you are now requiring that a SEPARATE http instance has to be set up in EC2 for Apex, then that seems to me to defeat the whole idea of a turnkey cloud solution for Apex which I think was the whole reason for the many posts regarding Apex availability in the first place!! If it is true that we need to still set up a separate http server, then can you or someone post documentation that can explain how to do this and how to install Apex there and point it to the database. Again, that seems crazy when the Oracle install for 11g creates the http service on the same server as the Oracle database.

Thanks,
Pat

[Alistair Henderson]

Hi

It is may not be from the AWS guys but I have put together some info and configs around this area http://awssolutions.wordpress.com/2012/10/19/apex-within-the-oracle-rds-environment/

Hope this helps people

Alistair