PolarDB:Purchase a subscription cluster

Prerequisites

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

Step 1: Complete the basic settings

In the Basic Settings step, you can configure the basic parameters and resources that are required to purchase a cluster. The basic parameters include Billing Method, Region, and Zone. The basic resources include the database engine, edition, specifications, and storage. After you complete the basic settings, click Next: Cluster Configurations.

1. Go to the PolarDB cluster buy page.

2. Set Billing Method to Subscription.

   When you create a subscription cluster, you must pay upfront fees for computing resources.

3. Set Region.

   Select a region that is close to your geographical location to reduce latency. After a cluster is created, the region of the cluster cannot be changed. For more information, see Regions and zones.

   Note

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

   • You can deploy your PolarDB cluster and the ECS instance in the same zone or in different zones. If you create a PolarDB cluster in the same zone as the ECS instance, the network latency is reduced and the access speed is increased.

4. Set Creation Method to Create Primary Cluster to create a new PolarDB cluster.

   The Creation Method parameter also includes the following options:

   • 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. In most cases, this method is used to upgrade the major version of a PolarDB for MySQL cluster. For more information, see Overview.

     • Source PolarDB Version: the version of the source PolarDB cluster. Valid values: MySQL 5.6, MySQL 5.7, and MySQL 8.0.

     • Source PolarDB Cluster: the source PolarDB cluster.

   • Migrate from RDS: creates a cluster by cloning the data of an ApsaraDB RDS instance and synchronizing incremental data. In most cases, this method is used for data migration. Before data migration, the read/write mode of the PolarDB cluster is Read Only. By default, binary logging is enabled. For more information, see Overview.

     • Source RDS Version: the engine version of the source RDS instance. Valid values: MySQL 5.6, MySQL 5.7, and MySQL 8.0.

     • Source RDS Instance: the source ApsaraDB RDS instance. Read-only instances are excluded.

       Note

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

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

     • Source RDS Version: the engine version of the source ApsaraDB RDS instance. Valid values: MySQL 5.6, MySQL 5.7, and MySQL 8.0.

     • Source RDS Instance: the source ApsaraDB RDS instance. Read-only instances are excluded.

       Note

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

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

     • Source Version: the version of the cluster that is deleted.

     • Deleted Clusters: the name of the cluster that is deleted.

     • Backup History: the backup file that you want to restore.

5. Configure the Database Engine parameter.

   PolarDB supports the following database engines:

   • 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. Set Database Edition to Enterprise Edition.

7. Set Edition.

   You can select Cluster Edition(Recommended) or Multi-master Cluster (Database/Table) Edition. For more information about the two editions, see Editions.

   Note

   The Multi-master Cluster (Database/Table) Edition option is required only when the Creation Method parameter is set to Create Primary Cluster, Upgrade/Migrate from PolarDB, or Restore from Recycle Bin and the Database Engine parameter is set to MySQL 8.0.1.

8. Set Nodes.

   • If your source cluster is of Cluster Edition(Recommended), the cluster consists of one primary node and one read-only node by default. You can select two nodes (a primary node and a read-only node) or one node (a primary node).

   • If your source cluster is of Multi-master Cluster (Database/Table) Edition, the system creates two primary nodes with the same specifications by default. In this case, you do not need to configure this parameter.

9. Set Primary Zone.

   • A zone is an independent geographical location in 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. Set Enable Hot Standby Cluster.

    • If the hot standby storage cluster feature is enabled, both the primary cluster and the hot standby storage cluster are deployed in the same region. The two clusters each have three replicas, which adds up to six replicas. This delivers higher SLA than when this feature is disabled.

    • If this feature is disabled, only the primary cluster is deployed. The cluster has three replicas, and the storage unit price is half of that when this feature is enabled. This delivers lower SLA than when this feature is enabled.

11. Set Specification.

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

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

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

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

12. Select specifications for the compute nodes.

    Note

    For more information about the specifications of compute nodes, see Specifications of Enterprise Edition compute nodes.

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

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

    • The Standard Enterprise Edition option is available for General-purpose clusters. This PolarProxy type shares CPU resources and provides smart elastic scaling capabilities within seconds based on business loads.

    • The Dedicated Enterprise Edition option is available for Dedicated clusters. This PolarProxy type occupies all allocated CPU resources and provides better stability.

14. Set Storage Type.

    PolarDB provides two storage types: PSL5 and PSL4.

    • PSL5: the storage type supported by the previous versions of PolarDB. It is the default storage type for PolarDB clusters purchased before June 07, 2022. It delivers higher performance, reliability, and availability.

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

      Note

      The storage type of existing clusters cannot be changed. To use PSL4, we recommend that you purchase a new cluster, set the storage type to PSL4, and then migrate data to the new cluster.

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

15. Set Storage Engine.

    PolarDB provides two engine types: InnoDB and InnoDB & X-Engine.

    • InnoDB: deploys only the InnoDB storage engine.

    • InnoDB & X-Engine:: deploys both InnoDB and X-Engine. After you select this option, specify the ratio of X-Engine Memory Usage. For more information, see X-Engine Edition.

16. Configure Storage Billing Method.

    PolarDB supports the pay-as-you-go and subscription storage billing methods.

    • Pay-as-you-go: The storage capacity is provided based on a serverless architecture. This way, you do not need to specify the storage capacity when you purchase clusters. The storage capacity of the clusters can be automatically scaled up as the volume of data increases. You are charged for the actual data volume. For more information, see Pay-as-you-go.

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

    Note

    If the Billing Method parameter is set to Subscription, you can select Pay-as-you-go or Subscription as the value of Storage Billing Method. If the Billing Method parameter is set to Pay-as-you-go, you cannot change the default value of this parameter, which is Pay-as-you-go.

17. Configure Storage Capacity. Specify the Subscription storage capacity that you want to purchase. The storage capacity ranges from 50 GB to 100 TB, in 10 GB increments.

    Note

    This parameter is available only when Storage Billing Method is set to Subscription.

Step 2: Complete the cluster configurations

In the Cluster Configurations step, set the cluster name, network type, parameter template, and table name case sensitivity. After you complete the cluster configurations, click Next: Confirm Order.

1. You can set Cluster Name to Auto-generated or Custom.

   If you set Cluster Name to Auto-generated, the system generates a cluster name after the cluster is created. You can also modify the automatically generated cluster name. If you set Cluster Name to Custom, you need to enter a name that meets the following requirements:

   • The name cannot start with http:// or https://.

   • The name must be 2 to 256 characters in length.

   • The name 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 is a group of resources that belong to an Alibaba Cloud account. Resource groups allow you to manage resources in a centralized manner. A resource belongs to only one resource group. For more information, see Use RAM to create and authorize resource groups.

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

   The network type can only be VPC. You do not need to configure this parameter. 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.

   • If an existing VPC meets your network requirements, select the VPC. For example, if you have an existing ECS instance and the VPC to which the ECS instance belongs meets your network requirements, select this VPC.

   • Otherwise, use the default VPC and the default vSwitch.

     • Default VPC:

       • Only one VPC is specified as the default VPC in the region that you select.

       • The CIDR block of the default VPC uses a 16-bit subnet mask. For example, the CIDR block of the default VPC can be 192.168.0.0/16. This CIDR block provides up to 65,536 private IP addresses.

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

     • Default vSwitch:

       • Only one vSwitch is specified as the default vSwitch in the zone that you select.

       • The CIDR block of the default vSwitch uses a 20-bit subnet mask. For example, the CIDR block of the default vSwitch can be 192.168.0.0/20. This CIDR block 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 own VPC and vSwitch. For more information, see Create and manage a VPC.

4. Set Parameter Templates.

   Select a custom or default system parameter template.

   Note

   In the 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 time zone of the cluster. The default value is UTC +08:00.

6. Set Table Name.

   You can specify whether table names in the cluster are case-sensitive. The default value of this parameter is Not Case-sensitive (Default). If table names in your on-premises database are case-sensitive, select Case-sensitive to simplify the process of data migration.

   Note

   After the cluster is created, you cannot change the value of this parameter. Exercise caution when you configure this parameter.

7. Set Enable Binary Logging. For more information, see Enable binary logging.

8. Specify the backup retention policy when the cluster is released.

   • Retain Last Automatic Backup (Automatic Backup before Release) (Default): The system retains the last backup when you delete the cluster.

   • Retain All Backups: The system retains all backups when you delete the cluster.

   • Delete All Backups (Cannot be Restored): The system retains no backups when you delete the cluster.

Step 3: 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.

   To modify the settings in a step, click .

2. Configure Duration and Quantity, and select Enable Auto-renewal.

   Note

   • You can create a maximum of 50 clusters at a time. This allows you to create multiple clusters in specific scenarios. For example, you can deploy 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 overdue payments.

3. Read and select the Terms of Service.

4. View the fee 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 Purchase.

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

   Note

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

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

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