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Re: Canned Oracle (or Oracle Runtime Env)

From: Paul Drake <bdbafh_at_gmail.com>
Date: 13 Jul 2004 22:46:20 -0700
Message-ID: <910046b4.0407132146.58e6b146@posting.google.com>


Rick Denoire <100.17706_at_germanynet.de> wrote in message news:<t2l8f01g1ccj2qvc9bgfhitfhb3qvn9m3t_at_4ax.com>...
> We have customers who provide us with their data that we put in our
> Oracle DB in a special application. When the application is customized
> and all data delivered and loaded, the customer would like to actually
> get the whole thing over to his site. But:
> -we don't know the degree of DB expertise of the customer

assume that they have none.

> -the customer assumes that he just needs to "start" the application

publish an app so that it appears to be an app, nothing more.

> -the application should run without typical DB maintenance.

if the database is read only, maintenance will be minimal. you will still need to configure parameters related to

v$parameter:
global_name
service_names
db_domain

sqlnet.ora
names.default_domain

tnsnames.ora
tns_alias, service_name, host

listener.ora
host
(127.0.0.1 is not real effective in multi-user environments)

> -license issues should be simplified for the customer

per CPU pricing under 10g standard edition is relatively simple.

> Is there a way to put an Oracle application into a "can" providing a
> kind of Runtime Environment, that is, limited functionality in order
> to allow the DB just to mount + open the database and "run".

yes, oracle has a packager, and you can use OUI to deploy your own provided database that you have "jarred". you can use reponse files to drive the install of the oracle server software + patchsets. response files can chain to other response files. This is covered in the docs for the Oracle Universal Installer. I've supplied response files to client sites that when coupled with a batch file, covered deploying an Oracle Client + config files, plus application runtime environment off of a unc share.

> So the Application would be a package containing datafiles, needed
> binaries and documentation all together ready to install and run.
> I think something similar exists for MS Access.

aim for having everything OFA, with a known:

ORACLE_BASE\
 ORACLE_ADMIN
 ORACLE_HOME0 and a single db_file_create_dest
(although no new datafiles, logfiles will be created with a db open read only)

If you must be flexible regarding datafile location, you might want to use symbolic links from under the ORACLE_BASE to the real location.

I'm assuming that the read-only database will be NOARCHIVELOG (attempt at a cheap laugh).

I would recommend that you dig up several docs by Thomas Cox:

For a canned app that you know very well that is frozen, if you're running a database in noarchivelog, its not that difficult to set it up for minimal maintenance. Oversize the hardware. Schedule OS jobs to create logical and physical backup sets on disk (compress afterwards) and have the client site pickup the backup sets as part of their network backups. for Bonus points (and revenue) have the backup jobs send an email report of free space, success of backups, invalid objects, errors from the alert log, etc. AND CHARGE FOR IT.

Also - consider partnering with a 3rd party provider of Remote DBA Services.

> Alternatively, we would need to rewrite the application and use flat
> files. That is like trying to reinvent the DB engine anew.

expect advocates of PostGRES and MySQL to chime in here. this might be an option that you should consider.

> In some particular cases, the customer maintains itself Oracle
> databases. We would need to deliver the database as such (that means,
> the files). Is there any simplified method to mount a database from
> CD-ROM, for example? (Would be opened readonly, of course).

sure - but I've only heard of mounting datafiles for read only tablespaces via CD-ROM, not an entire database.

> Any ideas?
>
> Bye
> Rick Denoire

interesting.
Perhaps DVD-ROM would be better, if a 700MB cd won't do. I'd hate to have to add compression to the mix.

Do you intend to allow them to produce sorts, hash_joins, use global temporary tablespaces?
If so, you're going to have to mount temp files. This can be done with a database opened read only (e.g. standby database opened read only for verification purposes). I think that the controlfiles and system tablespace would have to be read/write in order for the location of the tempfiles to be recorded. You could ship temp files on the CDROM and locate them in a well known location during install, turn them read/write and this would be a non-issue.

but I still don't know about atempting to open an entire database read only.

you're still going to need to groom files

- alert log (bdump)
- listener log(s)
- core dumps
- process crashes (udump)

and they might need to be able to apply patchsets for bugfixes. If you're feeling like a bastard DBA from hell, you could just purge those files unread periodically, but you're asking for serious trouble.

that remote dba via a third party is sounding better now, isn't it? (not a plug, I'm not a consultant).

well, chew on that awhile.

-bdbafh Received on Wed Jul 14 2004 - 00:46:20 CDT

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