Amazon RDS for Oracle Database – New Database Version & Time Zone Option

Amazon RDS for Oracle Database makes it easy for you to launch, scale, and manage an Oracle database in
the cloud. You can use the AWS Management Console to create a DB instance with a couple of clicks:

We launched support for version 11.2.0.3 of Oracle Database in late December of 2013. Things were a bit hectic at that time and I didn’t have any time to write a blog post.

In addition to the 11.2.0.3 launch, starting today we are giving you the ability to change the system time zone used by your DB instances that are running Oracle Database.

Support for Oracle 11.2.0.3
You can now launch new DB instances running version 11.2.0.3 of Oracle Database.

You can also upgrade an existing DB instance to this new version. Of course, you’ll want to create a test DB instance from a recent snapshot, upgrade it, and then run your acceptance tests before doing this to a production database. The upgrade process is very straightforward. You simply select the DB instance in the console and choose the Modify option from the Instance Actions menu:

Choose the new engine version (11.2.0.3v1) and click the Continue button to initiate the upgrade process:

You can check Apply Immediately for a quick update, or leave it unchecked in order to defer the upgrade to the next maintenance window for the DB instance.

Time Zone Option
You now have the ability to use the Time Zone option to change the system time zone for your DB instances that are running Oracle Database. This option changes the time zone at the host level, so you’ll want to do some testing to make sure that you understand the effect it will have on your application. You can use this option to maintain compatibility with a legacy application or an existing on-premises environment.

The Time Zone option must be specified in an option group. Once added, it is persistent and cannot be removed from the group. Further, the group cannot be disassociated from a running DB instance.

To learn more about working with time zones, read the new Oracle Time Zone section of the Amazon RDS User Guide.

These new features are available now and you can start using them today!

— Jeff;