Oracle Database Administration Tools Aqua Data Studio provides database administration tools for the Oracle database.

To access the Oracle DBA Tools, you may use the Application menu under DBA Tools->Oracle->[Tool]. You may also access the Oracle DBA Tool by selecting the context popup menu on the schema browser and select DBA Tools->[Name]. The tools consist of 8 tools to manage every aspect of an Oracle database. The tools include:

Instance Manager: Provides manageability of the Oracle instance allowing the user to view and modify server parameters. Including the monitoring and backup of the Oracle controlfile.

Storage Manager: Provides manageability of the Oracle tablespaces and datafiles. Allowing a user to visualize and maintained storage. Including object and file IO statistics.

Rollback Manager: Provides the monitoring and maintenance or rollback segments, including current statements, transactions and execution plans.

Log Manager: Provides manageability of Redo Logs and Archive Logs. Allows users to create and manage redo logs including monitoring archive logs.

Security Manager: Provides manageability of users, roles and profiles. Allowing the user to manage permissions, roles and security of the Oracle database.

Session Manager: Provides manageability of database sessions, including user and system locks. Allowing the user to kill/disconnect sessions, start traces and monitor open cursors and user queries with execution plans.

SGA Manager: Provides manageability of the Oracle SGA area, including SQL Area, Lib Cache, Lib Cache Stats and a summary of the SGA. Allowing users to also pin and unpin code.

Server Statistics: Provides a summary of statistics for the Oracle instance, waits and latches.

Optimal Flexible Architecture

Oracle Corporation recommends that you implement the OFA standard when you install and configure Oracle9i. OFA is designed to:

Organize large amounts of complicated software and data on disk, to avoid device bottlenecks and poor performance Facilitate routine administrative tasks such as software and data backup, which are often vulnerable to data corruption Facilitate switching between multiple Oracle databases Adequately manage and administer database growth Help eliminate fragmentation of free space in the data dictionary, isolate other fragmentation, and minimize resource contention

Features of the oracle universal Installer

Oracle Universal Installer 10g Release 2 (10.2) offers the following features:

An XML-based centralized inventory. The XML format allows third-party Java applications to query the inventory for information about installed software. For backward compatibility, the Central Inventory continues to maintain the binary versions as well.

Cloning of existing Oracle homes. Allows you to copy an existing Oracle home to another location and "fix it up" by updating the installation configuration to be specific to the new environment. Cloning makes it easy to propagate a standard setup without having to install and configure installation after installation.

Better support for cluster environments. Oracle Universal Installer now replicates its inventory to all nodes that participate in a cluster-based installation. Users can invoke Oracle Universal Installer from any node on the cluster that is part of the installation. Users can then upgrade/remove/patch existing software from any node.

True silent capability. When running Oracle Universal Installer in silent mode on a character mode console, you no longer need to specify an Xserver or set the DISPLAY environment variable on UNIX. No GUI classes are instantiated, making the silent mode truly silent.

Ability to record your Oracle Universal Installer session to a response file. This feature makes it easy to duplicate the results of a successful installation on multiple systems. All the options you selected during the installation are saved in the resulting response file. For information about recording your Oracle Universal Installer

sessions refer to section "Creating a Response File With Record Mode".

More accurate disk space calculations. Oracle Universal Installer now uses a more accurate method of calculating the disk space required by your Oracle products. This feature reduces the risk of running out of disk space during an installation.

Automatically launched software after installation. Some Oracle products now take advantage of a new feature that allows the software to launch automatically immediately after the installation.

Cleaner de-installation and upgrades. De-installation completely removes all software, leaving no "bits" behind. Also completely removes files associated with configuration assistants and patchsets. Oracle homes can also be removed from the inventory and registry.

Integrated pre-requisite checking. Provides a pre-requisite checking tool to diagnose the readiness of an environment for installation. The pre-requisite checks are run as part of the installation process, but can also be run as a separate application.

Support for single click installation. Provides a facility where you can do single click installs for certain products for basic configurations. You also have an advanced mode for more options.

Optimal Flexible Architecture

Optimal Flexible Architecture (OFA), a standard of Oracle Corporation, encourages consistent layouts when installing and configuring the Oracle Database product on computer systems. OFA defines where each component will install its files. In many respects it resembles the Filesystem Hierarchy Standard (FHS) onUNIX systems in which, for example, the directory

"/bin" always holds the essential system binaries so when administrators and users use other systems they will already know where to find the standard system binaries. OFA takes FHS standard-style concepts and uses them for Oracle products on UNIX and on Windows. In this way Oracle Database administrators will find familiar structures and locations of the various applications and data installed on any OFA-compliant system. OFA covers where to install each part of each product; it addresses the storage of both applications and data. Much like the FHS, OFA imposes no constraints on the locations: it merely makes recommendations. Oracle Corporation has structured the OFA system so that system administrators can use multiple disks (for example: applications on one disk and databases on another). OFA also allows for installing multiple versions of the same product on the same host: for example Oracle Database 9 and Oracle Database 10.

Oracle Enterprise Manager

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The computer application Oracle Enterprise Manager (OEM or EM, EM is more appropriate) aims to manage software produced byOracle Corporation as well as by some non-Oracle entities.

The architecture of the OEM for Grid Control has three distinct components: 1. the collection agent (Oracle Management Agent or OMA) the aggregation agent (Oracle Management Server or OMS) the repository agent (Oracle Management Repository or OMR)

2.
3.

This section describes the following components of Oracle Enterprise Manager.

Topic Console See Page 1-5

Common Services

1-6

Integrated and Value-Added Applications

1-9

Command Line Interface

1-9

Online Help

1-9

Console

The Oracle Enterprise Manager Console is a graphical user interface that provides menus, toolbars, launch palettes, and the framework to allow access to Oracle tools, plus utilities available through other vendors. The format of the Console screen and the applications displayed are determined by the products purchased and user preferences. See Figure 1-1, "Oracle Enterprise Manager Console" for an illustration of a Console screen. The windows provide the Navigator, Map, Job, and Event systems. The Navigator discovers and displays a tree list of all the objects in a network, providing a direct view of objects such as user-defined groups, nodes, listeners, names servers, and databases, plus the objects that they contain. The Navigator shows all the network objects with their relationships to other objects. The Map system allows you to monitor network objects at a glance. With the Map system, you can create, save, modify, and recall views of the network. You simply drag and drop objects from the Navigator into the Map view to create the various groups that you want to monitor. The Console menu bar provides access to the Navigator, Map, Job, Event, and database administration (DBA) applications. You can also use toolbars and tool palettes to access the tools.

Common Services

Oracle Enterprise Manager has a set of common services that help you manage nodes throughout your network.

Integrated and Value-Added Applications

Oracle Enterprise Manager includes a set of standard integrated database administration applications. These applications are specialized management tools that can be launched directly from the Console or the Administration Toolbar.
Note:

For an overview of the database tools, refer to Chapter 4 of this manual or to Chapter 7, "Overview of the Database Tools," in the Oracle Enterprise Manager Administrator's Guide. Third-parties can also write applications that integrate into the Console and use the available common services. These applications can be launched directly from the Console.
Command Line Interface

A command line interface is sometimes necessary or desirable. Oracle Server Manager provides a conversational line mode. In line mode, you can explicitly execute database administration (DBA) commands on a command line.
Note:

For more information about using Server Manager in line mode, refer to Appendix A of the Oracle Enterprise Manager Administrator's Guide.
Online Help

Enterprise Manager uses the Microsoft Windows online help system to provide you with help information for windows and dialog boxes in the Console and database tools. The Help system is context sensitive, but you can also search through the online help contents or index to find a particular topic.

What is the use of Control File ?

When an instance of an ORACLE database is started, its control file is used to identify the database and redo log files that must be opened for database operation to proceed. It is also used in database recovery.

Uses of a Controlfile: 1.It is used to identify the names and locations of datafiles,redologfiles. 2.Redo History is recorded during log switches. 3.Checkpoint information is recorded at ckpts are made. 4.Timestamp of database creation. 5.Database information is recorded when the database is created.

Control File Operations

Control files can perform various operations: 1. Edit data in the database. 2. Change field attributes such as visibility, color, and captions. 3. Display a message to the end user. 4. Do whatever reports can do - define variables and equations, perform calculations, write results to the database or display them to the screen. 5. Work at the Form and Field level. Control files attached to forms are invoked just before the form is displayed. Control file attached to fields are invoked as the user exits the field. Field level control files will execute on leaving a field if the field data has changed.

What Is a Control File?

Every Oracle Database has a control file, which is a small binary file that records the physical structure of the database. The control file includes:

The database name Names and locations of associated datafiles and redo log files The timestamp of the database creation The current log sequence number Checkpoint information

The control file must be available for writing by the Oracle Database server whenever the database is open. Without the control file, the database cannot be mounted and recovery is difficult. The control file of an Oracle Database is created at the same time as the database. By default, at least one copy of the control file is created during database creation. On some operating systems the default is to create multiple copies. You should create two or more copies of the control file during database creation. You can also create control files later, if you lose control files or want to change particular settings in the control files.

Multiplexed control files:The behavior of multiplexed control files is this:

The database writes to all filenames listed for the initialization parameter CONTROL_FILES in the database initialization parameter file. The database reads only the first file listed in the CONTROL_FILES parameter during database operation. If any of the control files become unavailable during database operation, the instance becomes inoperable and should be aborted.

One way to multiplex control files is to store a control file copy on every disk drive that stores members of redo log groups, if the redo log is multiplexed. By storing control files in these locations, you minimize the risk that all control files and all groups of the redo log will be lost in a single disk failure.

How to multiplex Control Files in Oracle

Control File is a physical component of every Oracle Database, it is a small binary file, which records database structure. Control File includes information like database name, name and location of data files and redo log files, database creation timestamp, current log sequence number, checkpoint information. Additionally if we use RMAN for backup and we do use RMAN catalog, information about RMAN backups is stored in control file. Oracle Database requires at least one Control File to operate. Control Files must be accessible all the time the database is open. Control File is crucial physical component of every Oracle database. Multiplexing Control Files to several different file systems decreases the probability of losing Control Files. The procedure used to multiplex Control Files can also be used to move or rename Control Files. It is worth to remember that each control file is exact copy of primary Control File. The locations and names of control files is stored in instance parameter named CONTROL_FILES.

Manage the Size of Control Files

The main determinants of a control file's size are the values set for the MAXDATAFILES, MAXLOGFILES, MAXLOGMEMBERS, MAXLOGHISTORY, andMAXINSTANCES parameters in the CREATE DATABASE statement that created the associated database. Increasing the values of these parameters increases the size of a control file of the associated database.

http://www.cs.kent.edu/~wfan/link/dbapre/dbatest/54 906f.htm
Multiplexing Control Files
Control files should be multiplexed this means that more than one identical copy is kept and each copy is stored to a separate, physical disk drive of course your Server must have multiple disk drives in order to do this. Even if only one disk drive is available, you should still multiplex the control files. o This eliminates the need to use database recovery if a copy of a control file is destroyed in a disk crash or through accidental deletion.

o You can keep up to eight copies of control files the Oracle Server will automatically update all control files specified in the initialization parameter file to a limit of eight. o More than one copy of a control file can be created by specifying the location and file name in theCONTROL_FILES parameter of the PFILE when the database is created. o During database operation, only the first control file listed in the CONTROL_FILES parameter is read, but all control files listed are written to in order to maintain consistency. o One approach to multiplexing control files is to store a copy to every disk drive used to multiplex redo log members of redo log groups. You can also add additional control files. When using a PFILE, this is accomplished by shutting down the database, copying an existing control file to a new file on a new disk drive, editing the CONTROL_FILESparameter of the PFILE, then restarting the database.

What Are Oracle-Managed Files?

Using Oracle-managed files simplifies the administration of an Oracle Database. Oracle-managed files eliminate the need for you, the DBA, to directly manage the operating system files comprising an Oracle Database. You specify operations in terms of database objects rather than filenames. The database internally uses standard file system interfaces to create and delete files as needed for the following database structures:

Tablespaces Redo log files Control files Archived logs Block change tracking files Flashback logs RMAN backups

Through initialization parameters, you specify the file system directory to be used for a particular type of file. The database then ensures that a unique file, an Oracle-managed file, is created and deleted when no longer needed.

This feature does not affect the creation or naming of administrative files such as trace files, audit files, alert logs, and core files.

Oracle Managed Files:Oracle Managed Files (OMF) directly manages file creation and deletion at the operating system level. Operations are specified in terms of database objects rather than filenames. Oracle internally uses standard file system interfaces to create and delete files as needed for the database structures such as table spaces, online redo log files, and control files. Administrators need to specify the file system directory to be used for a particular type of file. Thereafter, Oracle manages to create unique files when needed and also deletes files that are not needed. The advantages include: * No need to bother about the file names and storage requirements. Oracle provides a unique file name. * Eliminates the need for the DBA to directly manage OS files. * Allows operations to be specified in terms of objects and not files. * Reduces the chance of overwriting a file. Avoids accidental corruption of data files. * Reduces wasted disk space consumed by obsolete files. When a table space is dropped, the relevant files are automatically removed at the host level. The following initialization parameters specify the file location: * db_create_file_dest: Defines the location of the default file system directory where Oracle creates data files or temp files when no file specification is given in the object creation statement. * db_create_online_log_dest_n: Defines the location of the default file system directory for online redo log files and control files when no file specification is given in the creation statement. This initialization parameter

can be used multiple times where n specifies a multiplexed copy of the online redo log or control file.