Re: Oracle DBA role question

The size of the application should determine what direction you should go on the OS side. I would only deploy NT in a group type setting. I have found that Unix works best for nearly all DB applications. If you are an NT shop and have no Unix SA's around you maybe forced to the former.

If you decide on Unix/Linux, what hardware should you choose? That has always been debatable for most DBA's. Some like HP, others Sun. Very few IBM/AIX and there seems to be a lot more Intel/Linux these days. My first chose
has always been with Sun but then again that's what I was raised on. I have found HP to be rock solid on the hardware side but slow to deliver stuff on the OS/Software side. I have no experience with IBM/AIX but
have heard that they too are rock solid with their hardware. Intel/Linux has caught my attention recently and I am looking forward in deploying my first DB on that system.

Start small with the amount of CPU's and allow yourself the expandability by choosing a platform that has a lot of growth potential (e.g. getting 2 CPU's for an 8 CPU box sort of thing). I would never ... let me say this again ... I WOULD NEVER get a hardware platform with less than 2 CPU's for any type of DB system!!!!!

Why would you need to deploy the Oracle Parallel Server? I have found that most applications do NOT need this unless you have some sort of warehousing application.

What type of storage will you need? Just stay with the manufacture of the host system of these type of issues. Unless you have been used to setting up 3rd party type systems like EMC or Hatachi systems you will only confuse yourself. But if you have staff that is experienced on either of these two systems either of them are good candidates. As far as the disks are concerned, you need to look at how much you application will be storing. Again start small but allow yourself an out by choosing a storage system that has a lot of growth potential.

As far as what disk striping technology to use, I try to always use RAID 0+1.
I have had only marginal success with RAID 5 in terms of performance and reliability.
I tried using Suns and Veritas (software mirroring) and for the most part it was
"okay". Their RAID 5 solution was very slow but with RAID 0+1 it was good. On the reliability side of things, Sun's disk arrays have been marginal. I have had too
many disk/array failures that cause this DBA a lot of overtime in restoring databases.
HP has had its share of problems with their "Nike" disk arrays. However, their speed
is better because its in the hardware rather than software.

I am sure there will be some differing positions about what I have said. There always is. But
for the most part I think it's fair.

hope this helps....

• rws

<gdas_at_my-deja.com> wrote in message news:8pko6s$oce$1_at_nnrp1.deja.com...
> Hi,
> I don't really consider myself a DBA. However, for reasons out of my
> control that seems to be the career path I am currently on. I've been
> an Oracle application developer for 7 years and the company I am
> currently with has no DBA and I am it, so I've been learning under fire
> in a test/development environment.
>
> Our project is about 60% complete and we have begun preliminary
> planning of our production environment (which is still at least 6
> months away).
>
> Some things I have been tasked with performing research on:
>
> Hardware purchase decisions: Should we deploy oracle on NT, Linux,
> Unix and if Unix, (Sun, HP, AIX)...How much processing power we will
> need in terms of servers/cpus? Should we deploy Oracle Parallel Server?
> What type of storage will we need? How many disks? Should ee purchase
> a storage solution like Legato or EMC? Do we implement RAID-0, RAID-1,
> RAID-5 etc, etc...
>
> The above questions are just hypothetical, please do not respond to
> them. The real question is: Are these types of things that the average
> DBA would be able to resolve or are they more commonly handled by
> bringing in consultants? My experience with databases is pretty
> extensive, unfortunately it stops at the database level and I don't
> have much experience in the physical/hardware level. I will definitely
> need to bring in external help to assist with these issues, but I am
> just curious to know from some seasoned DBAs if this is or should be a
> standard base of knowledge that most *good* DBAs have. (Do the oracle
> certification exams touch on these types of questions?)
>
> Sorry for the open-ended question and thanks for any input.
> Regards,
> Gavin
>
>
>
> Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/
> Before you buy.
Received on Tue Sep 12 2000 - 13:19:52 CDT