Re: How does OEM remotely start DB's?

Dale Edgar wrote:

> On Fri, 03 May 2002 18:59:27 +0200, Sybrand Bakker
> <postbus_at_sybrandb.demon.nl> wrote:
>
> >>How can an Oracle DB be remotely started/stopped (programmatically -
> >>rather than with clever rsh,rexec or telnet scripts)?
> >
> >Likely it uses the Oracle Agent and a database can be restarted only
> >through OEM or directly on the server
> >There is no API for Oracle Agent, and as I can guess what you are up
> >to, I can only say: and that is GOOD. No DBA will want to have
> >everyone to be capable to shutdown the database and restart it.
> >Inevitably there will be an idiot or a hacker (please cross all that
> >apply) that is going to try it.
> >
> >Oracle is not a toy like Microsoft Access which simply crashes many
> >times a day when the database has reached a certain size. The
> >procedure you seem to advocate is IMO highly unprofessional. If you
> >allow this, do you think the person initiating the restart is going to
> >recover the database if the restart doesn't work? Please reconsider.
> >
>
> Actually you are being a bit unfair here. We have no particular desire
> to produce a tool which can allow anybody to stop any database at
> whim. What would be the point? Any DBA can shut them down if need be.
> Besides the Oracle password or SYS ID is still likely to be required
> through any programmatic method - otherwise it is just "security by
> obscurity".
>
> So why do we want a programmatic method of starting and stopping
> databases? Well we are in the business of producing software which
> creates referentially correct subset databases for testing and
> development. One issue that we get frequently asked about is that
> testers often trash these databases as part of their ongoing
> operations. They really need a tool with can save and restore
> databases at whim without involving the DBA's or sysadmins.
>
> This is the software we are developing. Essentially the DBA's create
> the initial DB then copy and save it into what we call a slot on a
> client PC. This slot is write protected. The testers can, at the push
> of a button on their console, replace the database with the saved slot
> contents (shutting down the DB first). If they get the test database
> to a state to which they would like to return there are other unwrite
> protected slots into which the testers can save the database
> themselves. If they need to get back to a particular state they just
> restore it.
>
> We have prototyped this in a working environment using a combination
> of scripts and SUID'd binarys (the working version will be pure client
> server - no scripts/serverside binarys involved). It has been very
> very sucessful. The testers love it - they are empowered - they do not
> need to involve the DBA's once the database has been created and saved
> in the write protected slot. They can replace and retest the same
> sequence of events several times an hour if need be. The DBA's and
> sysadmins like it too since they are overworked already and don't want
> to run around restoring databases all the time. Note: the testers
> never have the Oracle or Root password and cannot do anything really
> DBA'ish. It is purely a push button solution "make this copy of the
> database reappear" or pull the "fixed target database into this slot
> for later restoration".
>
> So you can see there are legitimate reasons why one might want to work
> out a programmatic method of shutting down and starting Oracle
> databases.
>
> Although the software is not yet ready, I do have a key features sheet
> for this software - if anybody wants a copy just send me an email.
>
> Thanks
> Dale Edgar
> Net 2000 Ltd.
> Dale_at_DataBee.com
> -----------------------------------
> DataBee: Generate referentially correct subsets of large Oracle
> databases. http://www.DataBee.com

Please correct me if I misunderstand what you are doing but it seems to me you are making this far more complex than need be.

Why can't you take a single database and just mirror the schemas being used for testing into other schemas right inside the same database? Restoration would require nothing more than a simple PL/SQL package that could be run by anyone with the EXECUTE privilege.

Daniel Morgan Received on Fri May 03 2002 - 14:33:31 CDT