Here are some recommendations and ideas for getting the most out of the Advanced Oracle Troubleshooting training class as far as database client & test database infrastructure setup goes.
The information below explains how I set up my environment and workload generators for experimentation and learning. Installing your own local database is not mandatory as this class is in a seminar format where I will deliver the material, do lots of demos and answer questions – attendees do not have to be hands on during the class. Nevertheless, you can learn a lot by repeating the experiments and practicing the techniques later at your convenience or you can go straight to troubleshooting real problems using the non-intrusive techniques covered in this class. The AOT video recordings will be useful whenever you need to refresh your memory, get hands-on and put these methods into practice.
1) AOT Preparation Session Videos & Scripts
Play at least Part 1 to see how I set up my scripts and terminal environment so that in the class we can go straight into troubleshooting topics.
2) SQL Developer
In the class I will spend most of the demoing time in OS terminal environment and sqlplus (with occasionally opening Enterprise Manager web UI too). Most of my scripts work in SQL Developer as well, so you may want to install SQL Developer too, if you prefer GUI environments:
3) Sandbox Database
There’s no specific hard requirement for configuration of your database, you can install your own or just use some existing (development) database as a sandbox. After all, the AOT techniques are meant to be useful for troubleshooting any Oracle database regardless of how it is set up:
Use whatever Oracle Database version/configuration you like (both VM and bare metal OK, RAC and non-RAC ok, ASM and non-ASM ok)
Ideally Linux or Unix as the server OS, as we won’t talk about Windows much
I’m using pre-configured Oracle Developer VMs (or Upgrade Hands on Lab VMs) on VirtualBox as my demo environments:
http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/community/developer-vm/index.html
4) Workload Generator
I use these great (free) tools for generating synthetic data and workloads for simulating a busy transactional environment:
SwingBench by Dominic Giles (very easy to set up!)
CPU Monitor by Dominic Giles (I don’t use it that much at this class but it’s a great tool for monitoring performance tests and benchmarks in clusters and distributed systems)
This should be a good start for getting the most out of this class! “See” you soon!