So far, much of what we've covered has been preparatory in nature. We've installed the Oracle software and created our first database. We've covered Oracle's use of storage, both physically with tablespaces and datafiles, and logically in the form of database objects. In this section of the book, we begin to examine the fundamentals of database administration, such as security, concurrency, networking, and performance. In this chapter, we cover the fundamentals of Oracle instance management. We'll look at startup and shutdown procedures. We'll examine database parameters and the data dictionary in greater depth. Finally, we'll explore gathering diagnostic information, patching, and using Oracle Support services.
In this chapter we will:
Describe database startup and shutdown procedures
Manage Oracle database parameters
Explore the data dictionary
Gather database diagnostic information
Use Oracle Support services
Understand the Oracle patching process