PolarDB：Purchase an Enterprise Edition cluster

Prerequisites

You have an Alibaba Cloud account and have logged on to the PolarDB console with the account. For more information, see Register and log on to an Alibaba Cloud account.

Step 1: Complete the basic settings

In this step, configure the basic settings of a cluster, including the billing method, region, zone, database engine, edition, specifications, and storage.

1. Go to the PolarDB cluster purchase page.

2. For Billing Method, select Pay-as-you-go or Subscription.

   • Pay-as-you-go: You pay for computing resources after consumption.

   • Subscription: You pay for computing resources upfront when creating the cluster.

3. Configure Region.

   Select a region that is near your geographical location to reduce latency. You cannot change the region of a cluster after the cluster is created. For more information, see Regions and zones.

   Note

   • Make sure that the PolarDB cluster and the Elastic Compute Service (ECS) instance to which it will be connected are deployed in the same region. Otherwise, the PolarDB cluster and the ECS instance can communicate only over the Internet, which degrades performance.

   • You can deploy your PolarDB cluster in the same zone as your ECS instance to reduce network latency and increase access speed. They can also be deployed in different zones.

4. For Creation Method, choose Create Primary Cluster to create a new PolarDB cluster.

   Or you can choose another option as follows according to your needs:

   • Create Secondary Cluster: Creates a secondary cluster that is deployed in a global database network (GDN). For more information, see Add a secondary cluster.

   • Upgrade/Migrate from PolarDB: Creates a cluster by replicating data from the source PolarDB cluster and synchronizing incremental data. This method is often used to upgrade the major version of a PolarDB for MySQL cluster. For more information, see Overview of major version upgrades.

     • For Source PolarDB Version, choose MySQL 5.6, MySQL 5.7, or MySQL 8.0.

     • For Source PolarDB Cluster, choose the source PolarDB cluster to be upgraded.

   • Migrate from RDS: Migrates an ApsaraDB RDS instance to a PolarDB cluster by replicating all the data from the source instance and synchronizing incremental data. Before migration is complete, the PolarDB cluster remains in the read-only mode, with binary logging enabled by default. For more information, see Overview of upgrading an ApsaraDB RDS for MySQL instance to a PolarDB for MySQL cluster.

     • For Source RDS Version, choose MySQL 5.6, MySQL 5.7, or MySQL 8.0 according to the engine version of the source Apsara RDS instance.

     • In the Source RDS Instance drop-down list, choose the source ApsaraDB RDS instance.

       Note

       Read-only instances are not displayed in the list. ApsaraDB RDS instances that run non-InnoDB engines are not supported. When you create a PolarDB cluster by restoring from a backup, the source instance can keep running without being interrupted.

   • Clone from RDS: Creates a PolarDB cluster by cloning all the data of a selected ApsaraDB RDS instance. For more information, see Clone an ApsaraDB RDS for MySQL instance to a PolarDB for MySQL cluster.

     • For Source RDS Version, choose the engine version of the source ApsaraDB RDS instance: MySQL 5.6, MySQL 5.7, or MySQL 8.0.

     • For Source RDS Instance, choose the source ApsaraDB RDS instance to be cloned.

       Note

       Read-only instances are not displayed in the list. ApsaraDB RDS instances that run non-InnoDB engines are not supported. When you create a PolarDB cluster by restoring from a backup, the source instance can keep running without being interrupted.

   • Restore from Recycle: Creates a cluster by restoring from the backup of a deleted cluster in the recycle bin.

     • For Source Version, choose the engine version of the cluster that was deleted.

     • In the Deleted Clusters drop-down list, choose the deleted cluster.

     • In the Backup History drop-down list, choose the backup of the deleted cluster that you want to restore.

5. For Database Engine, choose MySQL Compatible and one of the following from the drop-down list:

   • MySQL 8.0.2 (fully compatible with MySQL 8.0)

   • (Recommended) MySQL 8.0.1 (fully compatible with MySQL 8.0)

   • MySQL 5.7 (fully compatible with MySQL 5.7)

   • MySQL 5.6 (fully compatible with MySQL 5.6)

6. For Database Edition, choose Enterprise Edition.

7. Set Edition.

   Select Cluster Edition (Recommended) or Multi-master Cluster (Database/Table) Edition. For more information, see Editions.

   Note

   The Multi-master Cluster (Database/Table) Edition option is available only when you choose MySQL 8.0.1 for Database Engine and one of the following for Creation Method: Create Primary Cluster, Upgrade/Migrate from PolarDB, or Restore from Recycle.

8. Set Nodes.

   • If your source cluster is configured with Cluster Edition (Recommended), it consists of a read-write node and a read-only node by default. You can keep the default setting or change it to include only a read-write node.

     Note

     • If you set the number of read-only nodes to 1 when you purchase a cluster, you cannot change the number to 0 after the cluster is created. To change the number of read-only nodes of an existing cluster to 0, you need to purchase a new cluster with no read-only nodes and migrate data of the existing cluster to the new cluster over Data Transmission Service (DTS). For more information, see Migrate data between PolarDB for MySQL clusters.

     • Single Node Edition is no longer available. To include only one node in your cluster, set the number of read-only nodes to 0 at cluster creation.

   • If your source cluster is configured with Multi-master Cluster (Database/Table) Edition, the new cluster defaults to comprising two primary nodes that have the same specifications. In this case, the setting cannot be modified.

9. Set Primary Zone.

   • A zone is a geographically isolated location within a region. All zones in a region provide the same level of service performance.

   • You can deploy your PolarDB cluster and ECS instance in the same zone or in different zones.

   • You need to specify only the primary zone. The system automatically selects a secondary zone.

10. For Enable Hot Standby Cluster, choose whether to enable the feature or not.

    PolarDB provides multiple high availability modes. After you enable the hot standby storage cluster feature for a PolarDB cluster, a hot standby storage cluster is created in the secondary zone of the region in which the PolarDB cluster resides or in a different data center in the same zone. The hot standby storage cluster has independent storage resources. Whether the hot standby storage cluster has independent compute resources varies based on the high availability mode. When the PolarDB cluster in the primary zone fails, the hot standby storage cluster immediately takes over and handles read and write operations and storage tasks.

    Note

    • For more information about the hot standby storage cluster and related solutions, see High availability modes (hot standby clusters).

    • Rules for changing high availability modes:

      • You cannot directly change the high availability mode of a cluster from Double Zones (Hot Standby Storage Cluster Enabled) or Double Zones (Hot Standby Storage and Compute Clusters Enabled) to Single Zone (Hot Standby Storage Cluster Disabled).

        For such change of the high availability mode, we recommend that you purchase a new cluster and select the Single Zone (Hot Standby Storage Cluster Disabled) high availability mode for the cluster. Then, migrate the existing cluster to the new cluster by using Data Transmission Service (DTS). For information about how to migrate an existing cluster to a new cluster, see Migrate data between PolarDB for MySQL clusters.

      • You can select the Three Zones high availability mode only when you purchase a new cluster. You cannot change the high availability mode of a cluster from Three Zones to other high availability modes and vice versa.

    • You can manually change the high availability mode of a cluster from Single Zone (Hot Standby Storage Cluster Disabled) to a different high availability mode. For more information, see High availability modes (hot standby clusters).

11. Set Specification.

    You can select General-purpose or Dedicated for Enterprise Edition clusters.

    • Dedicated: Computing resources such as CPUs that are allocated to each cluster are exclusive to the cluster. This improves the stability and reliability of the cluster.

    • General-purpose: Idle computing resources such as CPUs are shared among clusters on the same host to ensure cost-effectiveness.

    For more information about the comparison between the types of specifications, see Comparison between general-purpose and dedicated compute nodes.

12. Select a node type.

    Note

    For more information about the types of compute nodes, see Compute node specifications of PolarDB for MySQL Enterprise Edition.

13. The value of the PolarProxy Type parameter changes with the value of the Specification parameter.

    PolarDB supports two PolarProxy types: Standard Enterprise Edition and Dedicated Enterprise Edition.

    • The Standard Enterprise Edition type is available for General-purpose clusters. It uses shared CPU resources and provides intelligent, instant, and elastic scaling based on business workloads.

    • The Dedicated Enterprise Edition type is available for Dedicated clusters. It uses dedicated CPU resources and provides better stability.

14. Set Storage Type.

    PolarDB supports the following storage types: PSL5 and PSL4.

    • PSL5: the default storage type of PolarDB clusters purchased before June 7, 2022. PSL5 provides higher performance, reliability, and availability.

    • PSL4: a new storage type for PolarDB. It uses the Smart-SSD technology developed in-house by Alibaba Cloud to compress and decompress data that is stored on SSDs. PSL4 can minimize the storage costs of data while maintaining a high disk performance.

      Note

      You cannot change the storage type of an existing cluster. If you want to change the storage type, you need to create a new cluster with the desired storage type and then migrate data to the new cluster.

    For information about the differences between the two storage types, see Comparison between PSL4 and PSL5.

15. Set Storage Engine.

    PolarDB supports the following storage engines: InnoDB and InnoDB & X-Engine.

    • InnoDB: InnoDB storage engine.

    • InnoDB & X-Engine: deploys both InnoDB and X-Engine. If you select this option, you can specify the X-Engine memory usage ratio. For more information, see X-Engine Edition.

16. If you have set the billing method to Pay-as-you-go at the beginning of cluster configurations, Storage Billing Method is also set to pay-as-you-go and cannot be modified. You are charged for the amount of storage consumed on an hourly basis. For more information, see Pay-as-you-go of Storage pricing.

17. If you have set the billing method to Subscription, you can set Storage Billing Method.

    Choose Pay-as-you-go or Subscription.

    • Pay-as-you-go: The storage capacity dynamically scales as the data volume increases or decreases. You do not need to specify the storage capacity when creating a cluster, and you are charged for the storage used. For more information, see Pay-as-you-go of Storage pricing.

    • Subscription: You must purchase a specific amount of storage capacity when you create a cluster. For more information, see Subscription of Storage pricing.

18. If you choose Subscription as the storage billing method, you must set Storage Capacity.

    The storage size ranges from 50 GB to 500 TB, in 10 GB increments.

Step 2: Configure advanced options

Advanced options include the cluster name, parameter template, and case sensitivity of table names.

1. For Cluster Name, choose the auto-generated name or use a custom name.

   An auto-generated name is produced by the system and can be modified afterwards. A custom name must meet the following conditions:

   • Cannot start with http:// or https://.

   • Must be 2 to 256 characters in length.

   • Must start with a letter and can contain letters, digits, periods (.), underscores (_), and hyphens (-).

2. Set Resource Group.

   Select a resource group from the drop-down list. For more information, see Create a resource group.

   Note

   A resource group allows you to centrally manage the resources of an account. A resource belongs to only one resource group. For more information, see Classify resources into resource groups and grant permissions on the resource groups.

3. Configure a virtual private cloud (VPC) and a vSwitch.

   The network type must be VPC. Make sure that the PolarDB cluster is created in the same VPC as the ECS instance to which you want to connect. Otherwise, the cluster and the ECS instance cannot communicate over an internal network to achieve optimal performance.

   • Use an existing VPC that meets your network requirements. For example, if your ECS instances belong to an existing VPC which aligns with your network plan, you can use the VPC.

   • Otherwise, use the default VPC and the vSwitch.

     • Default VPC:

       • There is only one default VPC per region.

       • The CIDR block of the default VPC uses a 16-bit subnet mask, such as 192.168.0.0/16, and provides up to 65,536 private IP addresses.

       • The default VPC does not count towards the quota of VPCs that you can create.

     • Default vSwitch:

       • There is only one default vSwitch per zone.

       • The CIDR block of the default vSwitch uses a 20-bit subnet mask, such as 192.168.0.0/20, and provides up to 4,096 private IP addresses.

       • The default vSwitch does not count towards the quota of vSwitches that you can create in a VPC.

   • If the default VPC and vSwitch cannot meet your requirements, you can create your custom VPC and vSwitch. For more information, see Create and manage a VPC.

   Note

   If you have never deployed a cluster in a specific region, there will not be a default VPC or vSwitch available. In this case, you need to create a new VPC and vSwitch.

4. Set Parameter Templates.

   Select a custom or default system parameter template.

   Note

   In the parameter template drop-down list, all custom or default system parameter templates available in the current region are displayed. For more information, see Apply a parameter template.

5. Set Time Zone.

   The default value is UTC +08:00.

6. Set Table Name Case Sensitivity.

   You can specify whether table names in the cluster are case-sensitive. Select Not Case-sensitive (Default); or if table names in your on-premises database are case-sensitive, select Case-sensitive to facilitate data migration.

   Note

   After the cluster is created, you cannot change the value of this parameter. Proceed with caution.

7. Specify whether to enable binary logging. For more information, see Enable binary logging.

8. Specify the backup retention policy for the cluster when it is released or deleted.

   • Select Retain Last Automatic Backup (Automatic Backup before Release) (Default) if you want the system to retain the last backup after you delete the cluster.

   • Select Retain All Backups if you want the system to retain all backups after you delete the cluster.

   • Select Delete All Backups (Cannot be Restored) if you do not want the system to retain any backups after you delete the cluster.

Step 3: Configure the number of clusters to purchase and confirm the order

Before the cluster is created, make sure that the selected configurations such as the quantity meet your requirements.

1. Check the selected settings.

2. Set Quantity.

   If you have set the billing method to Subscription, you must specify the Duration of the cluster and whether to enable Auto-renewal.

   • You can create a maximum of 50 clusters at a time. This allows you to create multiple clusters in specific scenarios such as deploying multiple game servers at a time.

   • You can purchase a maximum of 50 clusters with your Alibaba Cloud account.

   • We recommend that you enable Auto-renewal to prevent service interruptions caused by untimely manual renewal.

3. Read and select the Terms of Service.

4. View the fees and details in the lower part of the page. If they are correct, click Buy Now.

5. On the Purchase page, confirm the order and the payment method, and then click Subscribe.

   After you complete the payment, wait 10 to 15 minutes to view the new cluster on the Clusters page.

   Note

   • If specific nodes in the cluster are in the Creating state, the cluster is being created and is unavailable. The cluster is available only if the cluster is in the Running state.

   • Make sure that you have selected the region where the cluster is deployed. Otherwise, you cannot view the cluster.

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