Oracle DBA on UNIX and Linux

Book Preface

Oracle is a complex Object Relational Database Management System and is probably the best database that money can buy. People know this and that is why they trust their businesses to Oracle. Furthermore, when they do buy Oracle they usually run it on a Unix or Linux system. Experience shows that Unix operating systems are robust, dependable, and scalable. That is why most companies use Unix when they have to develop large or critical systems to support their businesses.

At the other end of the spectrum, Linux systems were initially introduced as testing and development systems. Basically, people loaded Linux on old machines to learn and test with. Recently, however, Linux has become a respected operating system that many companies, particularly Internet startups, use to run their businesses. As a result of these factors, there are a large number of Oracle systems running on both Unix and Linux.

Unfortunately, however, there are relatively few people who know Oracle and Unix/Linux. To be an effective DBA, however, you must understand how the database interacts with the operation system. Oracle and the Unix/Linux operating systems are tied closely together. Anything that impacts the operating system will likely impact the database. Likewise, the behavior of the database will impact the performance of the server. Despite efforts by Oracle and various operating system vendors to simplify administration, this is still an inescapable fact. The key here is to view Oracle and Unix/Linux as a total system, not as separate, isolated pieces.