Oracle Database 10g: Managing Oracle on Linux for System Administrators

What you will learn

This course prepares a Linux system administrator for managing a system on which Oracle Database has been installed. Elements of how Oracle works on Enterprise Linux and specific steps for preparing Linux for a database installation are covered. This course provides the system administrator, who already has some Linux experience, with the skills needed to diagnose an Oracle Database using system administration tools. The Oracle Database architecture is covered, which will help the system administrator understand what affect database activity and configuration can have on the process list, disk space, memory use, and CPU utilization.

The Linux system administrator will also learn how to perform some tasks that are sometimes shared between the system administrator and database administrator.

The course provides information on how the operating system tools and techniques affect the tasks and settings that are often the DBA’s responsibility. File systems, including OCFS2, network configuration, memory management, and package management using the Unbreakable Linux Network are discussed. Demos and practices reinforce the concepts presented, including the installation and use of several tools that help in gathering diagnostic information that can be provided to Oracle Support Services.

Learn To:
  • Configure Oracle to startup and shutdown automatically with the system
  • Configure Linux and Oracle to address large amounts of memory on a 32 bit system
  • Set up a local yum repository based on the Unbreakable Linux Network repository
  • Diagnose and recover from Oracle instance errors
  • Prepare Linux for Oracle Database
  • Implement OCFS2
Audience
 Technical Administrator

Prerequisites
 Working knowledge of the Linux operating system

Course Objectives
 Navigate the directories where Oracle stores its files
Startup the database components, including Database Control, the listener, and the database instance
List the parts of the System Global Area (SGA)
Create the groups and users needed for an Oracle installation
List the physical entities that have limits on them in a database installation
Automate startup and shutdown of the database
Configure SQL*Plus command line history
List the system resources that an Oracle Database uses
Configure netdump and netconsole for remote diagnosis
Measure system performance and identify ill-behaving database sessions
List the major processes that make up the Oracle Database instance
List the file system options available for use with an Oracle database
Describe how Oracle Database uses the file system
Implement OCFS2
Display information about the network, including ports and connections
Describe the methods for allowing Oracle to address large amounts of memory on a 32 bit machine

Course Topics
Oracle Database Architecture
 Components of the Oracle environment
Database Management Tools
Using SQL*Plus for SELECT queries
Using Database Control to View System Statistics

Oracle Database Users and Files
 Creating the Needed Groups and Users
The Oracle Inventory
Navigating the Oracle Directories
Physical Database Limits

Oracle Instance Processes
 Listing Oracle Instance Processes
Automating Startup and Shutdown of the Database
Configuring Command Line History for SQL*Plus
Setting Kernel Parameters for the Oracle Database

Oracle and Linux Memory
 Configuring Shared Memory for Oracle Database
Linux Memory Zones
Configuring Linux and Oracle for a Large SGA
Linux Memory Caches

Creating a ULN Repository
 Accessing the Unbreakable Linux Network
Configuring and Populating a yum Repository
Updating the System Using a yum Repository

Diagnosing the System
 Determining the CPU and Process Load
Detecting Out-of-memory Conditions
Listing Oracle port Usage
Monitoring I/O Activity
Generating Memory Dumps
Installing and Using OSWatcher

Diagnosing Processes
 Determining the Environment of a Running Process
Identifying Memory-Leaking Processes
Viewing Oracle Shared Memory Segments
Viewing Oracle Semaphore Usage
Recovering From Database Crashes
Locating Oracle Process Core Dump Files
Recording Shell Activity

Managing Database Storage
 I/O Modes
Oracle Database Storage Options
Sizing I/O for Performance
Data Striping Strategies
Using RAID
Sizing Disk Partitions for Oracle Files
Configuring udev
Using ASM and ASMLib

Implementing OCFS2
 Oracle Real Application Clusters Concepts
Considering Clusters
Scalability Considerations
OCFS2 Concepts
Installing OCFS2
Configuring an OCFS2 Cluster
Formatting OCFS2 Volumes

Configuring and Diagnosing the Network
 Displaying Network Status
Using DHCP with a Static IP Address
Using nmap
Configuring SSH
Connecting to SSH Without a Password
Configuring an Interconnect for Oracle Clusters
Network Interface Bonding

Configuring netdump
 The Need for netdump
netdump Concepts
Configuring the netdump Server
Configuring the netdump Client
Configuring netconsole