Select Journal - First Quarter 2013 - (Page 35)

• Allows for individual groups to concentrate on core skills: DBAs can focus on the database and let the virtualization team focus on that technology as well as the storage team to focus on the SAN. The DBAs no longer have to be part cluster administrator and part storage administrator. • Assuming all the virtual server clusters are licensed for Oracle already, this solution is very low cost: The only significant cost is the SAN replication (see below). Cons: • SAN replication can be expensive: For example, it may be licensed by the TB, so this approach will add to the cost. • Four copies of the database are taking up SAN storage: primary plus standby times two due to SAN replication. • A spanned subnet is needed that covers both primary and standby server locations: This allows the IP address to remain the same regardless of which data center the DB servers are active on. This approach will obviously not always be the best way to provide for HA/DR in an Oracle Database environment. However, it is very often “good enough” for the majority of application databases in an organization, especially so if enterprise-level virtualization and storage area networks are already in use. The specific technical details of how these technologies work are less important than the fact that they do work already for non-database servers. It is recognized that some DBAs will not perceive this form of HA/DR in a positive light, because two of the most critical components of traditional database administration (providing high availability and disaster recovery) are in large part being ceded to other groups in the IT organization. Fortunately, in most companies, the DBA is in the best position to make a judgment about the suitability of this approach because they have firsthand knowledge of both the quality of their infrastructure providers (servers, storage and networking) and of their clients’ business needs. Tip From the IOUG SELECT Editors Stay Up to Date on Security Fixes with Oracle’s Security Patch Updates Oracle is in the process of changing the name for what were previously known as Critical Patch Updates (CPU) to Security Patch Updates (SPU). Both represent the regularly scheduled group of security fixes for Oracle products. Regardless of what Oracle calls them, it is important for DBAs to both investigate as well as implement the recommendations. Security patching is becoming critical no matter your current level of protection. Vulnerabilities can occur at different levels of the software stack as well as between different Oracle components. Technology is changing at a more rapid pace than ever; you need to be kept informed when Oracle releases critical information related to security. Keep yourself proactively informed by signing up to receive emails alerts. Go to the Oracle Technology Network (OTN) website, http://otn.oracle.com, and click on Critical Patch Updates on the Essential Links sidebar. (The website has not changed to the new name yet.) Clicking that link brings you to the Critical Patch Updates, Security Alerts and Third Party Bulletins page. There you will be able to configure email notifications. This only requires an OTN account (which is free; My Oracle Support access is not required). Older alerts are still available on the same OTN page. Look for more security-related information in the next SELECT Journal, Q2 2013. Conclusion Results can be very good with this approach. Much of the success seen with this type of implementation can be attributed to the IT organization’s virtualization and storage teams and the fact that they are not doing anything differently for the database tier than they do for other applications. This has always been a problem with RAC: It is an outlier. It places demands on the server, storage and network groups that are not necessarily part of their routine services. With this approach, the only services needed are those already being provided. Much like Intel servers were adopted because of their commodity status, this approach to HA/DR can be adopted based on the commoditization of the infrastructure services available within the organization. Advertisers’ Index ■ ■ ■ About the Author Tom Sager is the team leader of the database administration team at Louisville Gas & Electric and Kentucky Utilities. He has more than 20 years of experience as a DBA, focusing primarily on Oracle and SQL Server. Sager has been an IOUG member for 15 years and has authored more than 50 articles on Oracle, SQL Server, Windows and DB2. His area of focus is on virtualization, consolidation, availability, performance and finding new ways to provide for all four simultaneously. Sager may be contacted at tom.sager@gmail.com. The International Oracle Users Group and SELECT Journal would like to thank the following members of the community for their support. For more information about their products and services, visit their websites. And be sure to let them know you saw them in SELECT Journal! Advertiser . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Web Address . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page Number Blue Medora . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.bluemedora.com. . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 CISCO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.cisco.com. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Inside Front Cover Entuity Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.entuity.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 Quest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.quest.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16 SAP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.sap.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .38 1st Qtr 2013 ■ Page 35 http://otn.oracle.com http://www.bluemedora.com http://www.cisco.com http://www.entuity.com http://www.quest.com http://www.sap.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Select Journal - First Quarter 2013

Select Journal - First Quarter 2013
Table of Contents
From the Editor
From the IOUG President
Enterprise Manager 12c Cloud Control: What’s Changed, What’s New
Introduction to Oracle Enterprise Manager Command Line Interface
Users Group Calendar
Retrieving Large Volumes of Data
A Multilayered Approach to Oracle Database Availability
Advertisers’ Index
Ask an Oracle ACE

Select Journal - First Quarter 2013