Create an Oracle test database in GCP

Use the Oracle 23 Free docker image to create a test instance on a Compute Engine VM.

Create a VM

Use the Cloud Console or a gcloud command to create a VM with a 30GB boot disk using Google’s Container Optimized OS:

gcloud compute instances create vm-oracle23free \
  --project=YOUR_PROJECT_ID \
  --zone=YOUR_ZONE \
  --machine-type=e2-medium \
  --image-family=cos-stable \
  --image-project=cos-cloud \
  --boot-disk-size=30GB \
  --boot-disk-type=pd-ssd \

Note: this will create a VM with a public IP address. We will use it to simplify the initial setup and then remove it.

Install Oracle on the VM

  1. Use the Cloud Console or gcloud compute ssh to ssh into to new VM

  2. docker pull the container image

     docker pull container-registry.oracle.com/database/free:latest

    Note: you may need to update firewall rules in the Google VPC to allow access to Oracle’s container registry

  3. Create an oradata directory

    Create a local file system directory for database files

     mkdir oradata
 chmod 777 oradata/

  4. Create a database instance.

    Use an environment variable to set the system password and a volume map for the oradata directory

     sudo docker run -d --name ora23free -p 1521:1521 \
  -e ORACLE_PWD=manager2023free \
  -v $PWD/oradata:/opt/oracle/oradata \
  container-registry.oracle.com/database/free:latest

  5. Run docker logs ora23free to monitor the installation

    Wait for the installation to finish:

     665600K
 Starting Oracle Net Listener.
 Oracle Net Listener started.
 Starting Oracle Database instance FREE.
 Oracle Database instance FREE started.

 The Oracle base remains unchanged with value /opt/oracle
 #########################
 DATABASE IS READY TO USE!
 #########################
 The following output is now a tail of the alert.log:
 2024-08-10T18:19:13.006902+00:00
 PDB$SEED(2):Opening pdb with Resource Manager plan: DEFAULT_PLAN
 (3):--ATTENTION--
 (3):PARALLEL_MAX_SERVERS (with value 1) is insufficient. This may affect transaction recovery performance.
 Modify PARALLEL_MAX_SERVERS parameter to a value > 4 (= parallel servers count computed from parameter FAST_START_PARALLEL_ROLLBACK) in PDB ID 3
 FREEPDB1(3):Autotune of undo retention is turned on.
 2024-08-10T18:19:15.770114+00:00
 FREEPDB1(3):Opening pdb with Resource Manager plan: DEFAULT_PLAN
 Completed: Pluggable database FREEPDB1 opened read write
 Completed: ALTER DATABASE OPEN
 2024-08-10T18:19:19.528616+00:00

  6. Install test schemas

    Download Oracle’s sample schemas into a subdirectory of the oradata directory created earlier and use SQL*Plus to install them.

     cd oradata/
 git clone https://github.com/oracle-samples/db-sample-schemas.git
 docker exec -it ora23free sqlplus system@freepdb1

 SQL> @/opt/oracle/oradata/db-sample-schemas/human_resources/hr_install.sql

 docker exec -it ora23free sqlplus system@freepdb1

 SQL> @/opt/oracle/oradata/db-sample-schemas/customer_orders/co_install.sql

    Note: the install scripts have an exit statement which will log you out of SQL*Plus

Create a Visulate account

  1. Login to SQL*Plus as system

     docker exec -it ora23free sqlplus system@freepdb1

  2. Create a database user

     create user visulate identified by &password;
 alter user visulate account unlock;
 grant create session to visulate;
 grant select any dictionary to visulate;
 grant select_catalog_role to visulate;

    Note: see the Database Setup for additional details.

Network Updates

  1. Remove the public ip address from the VM
  2. Configure a firewall rule to allow ingress to the VM on port 1521