Steps to Configure VNet Peering 

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🔗 How to Configure VNet Peering for Azure Data Factory and Oracle Integration

This guide walks you through securely connecting Azure Data Factory (ADF) to an Oracle Virtual Machine hosted in a different Virtual Network. By setting up VNet Peering and configuring a Managed Virtual Network Integration Runtime (IR), you can enable private, secure data transfer.

🧭 Step-by-Step Overview

1. Create or Identify Your VNets

You will need two Virtual Networks:

  • VNet-Oracle – Where your Oracle VM is located
  • VNet-DWH-IR – Where your ADF Managed Integration Runtime will be injected

2. Set Up VNet Peering

🔁 Peering from VNet-Oracle to VNet-DWH-IR
  1. In the Azure Portal, go to Virtual Networks.
  2. Select VNet-Oracle.
  3. Under Settings, choose Peerings > + Add.
  4. Enter:
    • Name: e.g. OracleToADFIR
    • Virtual Network: Select VNet-DWH-IR
    • Enable traffic forwarding or gateway transit as required.
  5. Click Add.
🔁 Peering from VNet-DWH-IR to VNet-Oracle
  1. Repeat the steps from the VNet-DWH-IR side.
  2. Choose VNet-Oracle as the remote VNet.
  3. Match any traffic forwarding settings.
  4. Click Add.

✅ Peering must be bidirectional for full communication.

3. Configure Network Security Groups (NSGs)

Ensure that both VNets permit traffic between each other:

  • VNet-Oracle NSG:
    Allow inbound traffic from the VNet-DWH-IR subnet to Oracle DB ports (typically TCP port 1521).
  • VNet-DWH-IR NSG:
    Allow outbound traffic to the VNet-Oracle subnet on those same ports.

🔐 Firewall Reminder: If your Oracle VM has an OS-level firewall (e.g., iptables), ensure it also allows inbound traffic on the necessary ports.

4. Create the Managed VNet Integration Runtime

  1. Open Azure Data Factory Studio.
  2. Go to Manage > Integration Runtimes > + New.
  3. Select Azure, and enable Managed Virtual Network.
  4. Under networking, link the IR to VNet-DWH-IR.

ℹ️ ADF’s Managed VNet uses its own internal subnet. By linking it to VNet-DWH-IR, it can route traffic across your peered VNets.

Requires: Data Factory Contributor

5. Create Linked Service for Oracle Database

  1. In ADF Studio, go to Manage > Linked Services > + New.
  2. Choose Oracle or the appropriate connector.
  3. Configure the connection:
    • Server Name: Use the private IP of the Oracle VM, or its FQDN if DNS is set up.
    • Authentication: Provide username and password.
    • Integration Runtime: Select the Managed VNet IR created earlier and linked to VNet-DWH-IR.

6. Configure DNS (If Required)

If you’re using a fully qualified domain name (FQDN) instead of an IP:

  • Ensure DNS resolution is possible across peered VNets.
  • Use an Azure Private DNS Zone to register your Oracle VM’s name.
  • Optionally, set up DNS forwarding to route requests between VNets or to on-premises DNS if needed.

7. Test and Validate

  • Use the Test Connection button in the Linked Service.
  • Confirm that the Integration Runtime in VNet-DWH-IR can reach the Oracle VM in VNet-Oracle.

🧪 If issues arise, consider deploying a temporary test VM in VNet-DWH-IR to manually verify connectivity.

🛠 Build the Pipeline

  1. Create the Source Dataset for Oracle.
  2. Create the Sink Dataset (e.g. Azure Data Lake or Table Storage).
  3. Set up a Copy Activity Pipeline to extract data from Oracle and load it into your Azure service.

🔒 Monitor & Secure the Integration

  • Azure Network Watcher: Use to monitor network traffic and packet flow.
  • NSG Flow Logs: Enable diagnostic settings for logging.
  • Azure Monitor Alerts: Set up alerts to detect unusual traffic or failed pipeline runs.

✅ Summary

By setting up VNet Peering, configuring NSGs, optionally managing DNS, and using a Managed Integration Runtime connected to VNet-DWH-IR, you can:

  • Enable secure, private connectivity between ADF and Oracle
  • Avoid exposure to the public internet
  • Maintain compliance with your internal network architecture

📌 Need help with troubleshooting this setup? Contact the Data Engineering team or log a ticket via the Service Desk.

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