Re: NCR UNIX SVR4 MP-RAS, Release 3.01 & Oracle ??

In article <33ae8dae.12087251_at_netnews.worldnet.att.net> sean.kubovcik_at_worldnet.att.net (Sean Kubovcik) writes:
>I am an Oracle DBA running several Oracle databases on an NCR 3400
>with NCR UNIX SVR4 MP-RAS, Release 3.01. We just upgraded to 3.01
>from 2.02. I am having problems identifying UNIX processes that are
>using the most cpu time, memory etc... I would like to know if
>anyone has UNIX scripts / methodologies that help you determine Oracle
>or non-Oracle processes that are using resources (cpu & memory).
>Any input would be appreciated.
>Thanks,
>Sean

I've been using a utility called 'top' which will monitor cpu time, memory usage, etc on a real time basis. Unfortunately, I snagged my copy from a friend and do not know if it ever made it into an official MP-RAS product. Ask your sales rep; let me know if he can't find it and I'll do some more research.

A word of caution about reported memory utilization (both for 'top' and other tools):

• utilization for any given process will probably include all text segments even though the text is shared. Thus, the reported total for all processes will be overstated.
• the usage for the Oracle shadow procs (if you are running in two_task mode) will probably include the attached, shared-memory, SGA. Obviously, each Oracle proc does not have its own copy of the SGA.
• be careful to distinguish between the entire text segments and the 'working set' of pages. Oracle binaries are huge but the code that actually stays in memory is much smaller.

Check the man pages for the 'ps' commands (both /bin/ps and /usr/ucb/ps (the SVR4 and UCB versions)). There are a plethora of options, some of which may actually be what you are looking for. [Obhumor: I've seen a guru test of some sort that asked "What three letters are *not* valid options to the /usr/ucb/ps command?"]

As to two_task: most of the cpu time will be consumed by the shadow proc. The corresponding user proc can most easily be identified by the "ppid" (parent process id) listed for the shadow proc by 'ps'.

You can also use the 'sar' utility to monitor memory and paging activity. The applicable command line would be "sar -rpg 10 5" to check 5 times at 10 second intervals. Oracle is absolutely correct that paging SGA in & out of memory will result in horrid performance. There is a capabilty to nail the SGA in memory that will prevent this and provide other benefits. Let me know if you are not already using nailing and I will send additional info.

HTH
-zog-

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