Re: DBA work without console access - possible ?

I am not sure which one is on the power-trip the DBA or Sysadmin, but I have personally monitored/maintained/created/changed/ and designed databases on a NT server that was not even located in the same state that I live and work in.
I worked with the Sysadmin (in which case we had a great work relationship) he worked on site where the server resided and I worked in a totally different state.
I set up all jobs that I needed him to run prior to rebooting the server and all nightly /weekly/daily jobs and he ran them as I instructed him to run them...I received email/ and text pages when the jobs started /when the finished and if there were any errors in the jobs...I used the oracle client to connect to the database ..I also used the dos prompt to connect into svrmgrl when need be....I had read access to all the drives that had oracle information ie init,config,startup/shutdwon files, alert logs, trace files,archivelogs, datafiles etc and all went smoothly .......The sysadmin and I both respected each others work and let each other do the job they were hired for..I never even meet the sysadmin in person on all my off site sever expect for one when I finally had to fly up north to fix a problem with corrupted datafiles and needed exclusive access to recover the database and restore all data up to the point when the files got corrupted due to some read/write cache server issues. Thye problem was pointed out in the morning and I got on a plane and had everything resolved within 24 hours and was back home....now I can honestly say that I could have talked the sysadmin into doing everything I did to fix the problem by sending him the scripts and instructions that I used but I felt it was my job to fix the problem and did not want any other problems to arise due to me not being willing to go on site and fix it on my own...I was the senior DBA and it was my reasonabilty to do my job...Now I am not sure why some DBA's and some Sysadmin think they are the superiors when both need to work together as a team with no attitudes or ego trips.. my 2 cents and personally as a Senior DBA I will not even think of hiring a DBA that has a big ego or attitude and is not willing to work with the Sysadmins....and my Senior Sysadmin feels the same way towards the people he hires.

Niall Litchfield wrote:

> "Austin Durbin" <adurbin_at_home.com> wrote in message
> news:cUDv5.135416$3E6.1268966_at_news1.alsv1.occa.home.com...
>
> I have to preface what I say here by stating that, like the rest of you, I
> think that the policy of the sysadmin in this case is wrong,period. However
> most of what is said here is just untrue
>
> > Cutting off your access impacts more than defining tables, performing
> > imports, exports, etc. It also takes away your ability to monitor the
> > various Oracle log and trace files, your ability to periodically purge
> > archived log files, invoke the lsncntl program, etc..
>
> Monitoring logs only requires a read only share of the relevant trace
> directories on the server - it emphatically does not require console access.
> (In fact mine get mailed to me so I can pick them up at home if need be).
> Periodically purging archive log files requires either read/write access
> (for manual work) or the creation of scheduled jobs to be implemented by the
> sysadmin, these should in any case not be run by a DBA account as a matter
> of course. Again a simple share should suffice, or guidelines for the
> sysadmin, after all server space usage is his responsibility not the DBAs.
> Listeners can be started stopped etc from the net8 assistant or OEM (can't
> recall which offhand). The bottom is that with 8i & NT, it is just about
> possible to manage an oracle instance from a client pc, not the server
> console. It isn't the easiest or necessarily the best way of doing it, but
> is most certainly doable.
> >
> > This is an issue that I would escalate to the senior IS executive in the
> > company - immediately. One foolish sysadmin on some kinda of powertrip
> > should not be allowed to put the organization's database at risk.
>
> Conversely a DBA on a powertrip shouldn't be allowed to compromise
> application server availability.
>
> My suggestion of course would be to move the DB to Unix and therefore out of
> the NT sysadmins domain altogether (and maybe reduce the num,ber of systems
> he manages )<vbg>
>
> --
> Niall Litchfield
> Oracle DBA
> Audit Commission UK
Received on Wed Sep 13 2000 - 09:21:45 CDT