Installgen
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The Installgen application generates the scripts required
to install, build, backup and document Oracle 8i/9i database installations.
The scripts created by Installgen implement Oracle´s best practices
for over 100 tasks required when performing the installation of Oracle
database servers. This graphical
application generates dozens of scripts, configuration files and
documentation within a few seconds. An external module allows site-specific
customization of each generated file.
Features which are specific to the installation of Oracle
9.2.0 (Developer Release 1) on Mac OS X are listed here.
Fast
and Efficient Programming - Installgen generates all of the scripts
required for installing an Oracle database within a few seconds. Every
script is instantly generated from algorithms written in the Perl programming
language every time the Generate button is pressed in the application.
It could take weeks to write all of these scripts manually, but Installgen
does the job within a few seconds. It is far more efficient to make
a change within the graphical interface, and then regenerate the scripts
than it is to manually update the scripts.
Improved
Consistency - The installation process implemented within the scripts
created by Installgen makes use of the silent install feature of the
Java based Oracle installer application. The installation parameters
are configured through response
files, thus eliminating the possibility of user error when manually
selecting the installation options within the Java based installer.
Platform
Specific Functionality - Platform specific functionality is supported
in a manner which is appropriate to the platform hosting the database.
For instance Installgen generated scripts include the installation of
as many as 2 custom Windows services, along with the installation of
the database itself. These services run during system startup in order
to rotate the
alert log or start
up standby databases in managed recovery mode. Oracle does not supply
any startup scripts or services to perform these 2 tasks. These Windows
services are managed via the Windows Services Control Panel in the same
manner as any other Windows service. Each of these services is a well-documented
Perl script which is easily modifiable by the DBA.
File and directory naming conventions are followed on the platform for
which the scripts are generated, thus providing improved usability for
the system administrator and DBA when using the scripts. For instance
an Oracle Home of c:\v901 on Windows NT/2000 should be entered into
the graphical interface as
/v901 if scripts are being generated for the Solaris platform.
Integrated
Approach - The scripts generated by Installgen take into consideration
the unique layout of the directories on the server´s hard drive
in an integrated approach. For instance backup
scripts write log files and a disaster_recovery.txt file to a centralized
backup directory which was created just before the database was installed.
All of the utility scripts used on the database on a regular basis are
placed into a new directory (the Scripts
Directory: on the graphical
interface) which was created for this purpose during the installation
process.
Improved
Database Performance - The scripts created by Installgen can take advantage
of the native compilation of PL/SQL code on servers running Solaris.
Natively compiled PL/SQL can execute 2 - 8 times faster than interpreted
PL/SQL code. The pre-install
script creates 1000 sub-directories within the $ORACLE_HOME directory
(as recommended by Oracle), installs a makefile
and configures the init.ora
to support this feature.
Improved
Security - The post
install scripts created by Installgen always change the default
database passwords after the database has been built. This process prevents
the DBA from accidentally leaving a severe security hole in the server
if he gets busy and forgets to make this change.
Tasklist
Spreadsheet Provides Management Overview - It is important for project
managers to have a high-level understanding of the scope of tasks which
DBAs perform to complete a typical database installation. The tasklist
spreadsheet provides a starting point for this documentation. This
spreadsheet can also be helpful to consultants who need to provide this
info to prospective clients when bidding on a job.
No
syntax errors - As long as the configuration information is correctly
entered into the graphical
interface, Installgen will always generate syntactically correct
code containing no typo errors. This means that you can eliminate virtually
all your debugging time and concentrate on the overall install
process. Installgen makes use of 103 configuration parameters which
are used in over 7000 locations within the output scripts. You wouldn´t
want to try this type of search and replace task with a word processor!
Installgen does more than just perform variable substitutions of configuration
parameters within the output code. Significant sections of code are
customized based upon the user-entered configuration parameters. The
cost of making a mistake writing or modifying these scripts manually
would far exceed the licensing cost of Installgen.
Implement
Oracle Best Practices - You do not have to sacrifice quality in order
to achieve a quick installation schedule. If you were writing these
scripts manually, you would probably not include many of the features
which are automatically included by Installgen. In fact extra care has
been taken to include Oracle´s best practices into each script
because the philosophy is to write the scripts once, but write them
with the highest possible quality. This means generating scripts to
perform multiple types of backup procedures for each database in order
to give the DBA the flexibility to pick the most appropriate scripts
to use for a particular database instance. In order to protect your
database from a variety of disaster
scenarios it is necessary to implement multiple backup strategies
within each database. It may not be necessary to use every one of these
scripts for every implementation, but they are created at essentially
no extra cost every time Installgen runs. This also means creating a
separate documentation
file which clearly summarizes the database server
configuration along with complete setup instructions
for using the generated scripts to build the database. Additional documentation
files are used to provide an overall server
layout when using OEM servers and spreadsheets which summarize
the install process and periodic
jobs running on the server. If you were writing these scripts manually,
you might not be permitted to spend the time to write documentation
which is this extensive. This means creating and documenting
the scripts required to automate the building of a standby database
every time a primary database is installed. You may not need to create
a standby database right away, but you will always have the scripts
available if they are needed in the future. This means writing scripts
to gather
and use overall
database CBO statistics for Oracle 9i, and generate
schema stats on a regular basis. This means patching
the database to the latest major release patchlevel during the database
build process.
15
Database Recovery Scenarios - A comprehensive listing of common
database recovery scenarios is created within the documentation file
created for each database. Virtually all of these recovery scenarios
contain customized text using the parameters which were entered into
the graphical interface.
The goal is to document each commonly required recovery process well
in advance of the time when it will be needed in order to reduce mistakes.
During the high-stress environment of a database recovery you don´t
want to be looking around for your notes concerning how to recover your
database. It is important to have this information pre-written, and
customized for the exact database you are recovering. Each scenario
is summarized at the start of this section of the document in order
to reduce the amount of time required to find this vital information.
RMAN
Backup Process - Oracle recommends that version 8.0.5 databases and
above should be backed up using RMAN. RMAN generates less I/O within
the database than the previously used Hot Backup method. Installgen
provides 2 sets of RMAN backup scripts for every database. The first
RMAN backup
script registers the database into a recovery catalog within a DBA
specified OEM server and manages the backup process via the OEM Console.
If an OEM server is not available, then the alternate
RMAN backup script can be used to backup the database by storing
the backup information within the database control file.
Multiple
Backup Processes Supported - Even though the recommended backup method
for an Oracle database is to use RMAN
and a recovery catalog, scripts are also generated for closed
db backups (cold backup method), open
db backups (hot backup method), and full
database exports. Having all of these backup methods available to
the DBA allows the DBA to pick the most appropriate backup strategy
for a given situation. For instance if you are preparing to patch a
database, you might want to perform a closed
db backup (along with a separate operating system backup of the
$ORACLE_HOME directory) in order to recover more quickly in case the
patch process fails. Having a full
database export can sometimes be the best and fastest way to recover
from a user error like deleted data or a dropped table.
Archivelog
Management - The backup and recovery procedures implemented within the
scripts generated by Installgen are optimized for database configurations
which are running in archivelog mode. The archivelog files are backed
up then removed during the RMAN
backup process so that the archivelog directory does not fill up.
An additional
archivelog backup script may optionally be scheduled at regular
intervals prior to the nightly backup process. This allows for the backup
and removal of archivelog files in situations where the archivelog directory
would fill up before the nightly backup script runs.
Open
Database Backups Dynamically Generate Tablespace Lists - The open
db backup script uses SQL to generate SQL in order to dynamically generate
the list of tablespaces which need backed up. This process insures that
if a DBA adds a new tablespace to the database, the tablespace will
automatically be discovered and backed up without DBA intervention.
Each backup file is also checked with DBVERIFY and the output results
are written to a log file within the DBA specified backup
directory. A database restore script is generated along with the
disaster_recovery.txt file at the same time. Additionally the init.ora,
orapwd, controlfile backup, ALERT.LOG and the controlfile backup to
trace files are backed up into the backup directory at the same time.
This process provides the system administrator with one single directory
to back up to tape. If the database needs restored then all of the required
datafiles which will be required will be conveniently available in one
place. Note: It would also be advisable to have the system administrator
back up the $ORACLE_HOME directory as well if a complete restore was
required onto the same server. However the contents of the backup directory
would be sufficient for performing a database recovery onto a server
at a remote location.
Multiplexed
Redo Log Files Supported - The Installgen graphical
interface enforces the use of two sets of Online Redo Log Files.
If a second set of Online Redo Log files are not entered, Installgen
will provide a warning that this data is missing before saving or generating
scripts. However the saving or generating process will not be interrupted
due to this omission.
Oracle
9i UNDO Tablespace Supported - Oracle 9i makes use of a new UNDO
tablespace concept which eliminates the need for the DBA to manually
manage redo log segments.
Disaster
Recovery Script Runs Nightly - If you had to recover your database
to a disaster recovery site unexpectedly, would you be able to do it?
Would you have enough documentation concerning every tablespace, datafile,
user account and tablespace usage within your database in order to permit
you to restore your database to another server at at remote site? Each
backup script generated by Installgen produces a disaster
recovery output file listing this information every time the backup
process runs. This info can then be backed up by a system administrator
along with the backup files. Wherever the backup files go, the disaster
recovery documentation file goes too. Additionally the init.ora
and orapwd files are also backed up nightly.
Pre-Install
Tasks are Supported - No other Oracle database installation utility
supports the pre-install,
install, and post-install
tasks which
are handled by the scripts generated by Installgen. Installgen´s
scripts are designed to allow a DBA to start with a brand new server
containing only an operating system, and complete all of the tasks which
are required in order to install an Oracle database. These tasks include
setting the kernel
tuning parameters, installing hosts,
nsswitch.conf,
resolv.conf,
defaultrouter
files which would normally be done by a UNIX system administrator. Because
the process is well documented, the DBA can email the scripts to a UNIX
system administrator for review or modification prior to performing
the actual installation process. If site-specific changes are required
on a regular basis, these changes can be made within the external installgen_custom.pm
Perl module.
Post-Install
Tasks are Supported - Getting the database installed is not the
end of the process either! In order to complete a database installation,
the DBA must configure CRON/AT or OEM jobs to perform
backups, collect
CBO stats, generate
schema stats and rotate
log files (including
the ALERT.LOG). It is easy to get interrupted and end up skipping
these tasks if the DBA gets called away on an emergency. However the
scripts created by Installgen make this process largely menu driven
during the post install script, thus reducing the chance that they will
be accidentally skipped. Post-install tasks which used to take hours
are now reduced to just a few minutes.
Create
Standby Database Scripts in Seconds - Standby
database setup, management
and monitoring
scripts are generated along with the database installation scripts every
time Installgen creates scripts (for EE edition). No extra work is required
on the part of the DBA to initiate this process. By making the process
easy to implement, DBAs have more opportunities to implement high-availability
installations. Competing products cost as much as $4000 for a product
which only sets up standby database configurations - but this feature
is included with Installgen at no extra cost. Installgen also allows
an unlimited number of primary and standby databases to be created at
no extra licensing cost.
Implement
a Standby Database in Minutes - The standby
database setup process is almost completely implemented via menu
driven Perl programs (for Oracle EE edition). If the DBA is interrupted
during the process, the process can be continued where it was left off,
with no interruption or restarting of the process. A small test standby
database server (about 300Mb database size) can be implemented in about
15 minutes. A production server will of course take longer, but this
time will only be dependent upon the size of the database. The standby
instance is quickly built by using the RMAN DUPLICATE DATABASE FOR STANDBY
feature. This process reduces the chance for errors by automating the
copying, building and recovery of the standby instance datafiles via
RMAN. The DBA does not need to manually type the many commands which
would normally be required to perform these steps.
Setup
Standby Database without Impacting Primary Database - The init.ora
configuration parameters and RMAN backup of the primary database are
done without bouncing the primary instance. The RMAN backup of the primary
instance is done while limiting the I/O rate allocated to RMAN to allow
the instance to continue being used for normal production tasks during
the backup process. This I/O rate may be customized by the DBA as needed
to take into consideration the actual hardware configuration of the
server.
Standby
Database Archivelog Management - If the standby database instance
is not being backed up with RMAN, then it will be necessary to remove
the archivelog files which are transferred via the RFS process. The
archivelog_move
Perl script provides this functionality in order to prevent the archivelog
directory from filling up on the standby server.
Menu
Driven Standby Database Management - A menu driven Perl program
is generated which enables the DBA to manage the standby database role
change process. The database role can be quickly changed during a disaster
recovery failover situation without the delay normally associated with
looking up the proper commands to perform the tasks. Because the process
is very straightforward and less error-prone, it is more likely that
DBAs will take advantage of some of the new Oracle 9i features like
the temporary switchover feature. The switchover feature allows the
primary and standby servers to be temporarily swapped during maintenance
procedures and then switched back again afterwards without reinstantiation
of the standby database.
The following role changes are supported with an Oracle 9i standby database
configuration:
primary to standby switchover
primary to standby failover
standby to primary switchover
standby to primary failover
standby to read-only
read-only to standby
Save
Your Configuration - Installgen is the only tool available today permits
you to create and save your database configuration information across
multiple servers and platforms. DBAs may create a set of standardized
database configuration files which can serve as a standardized starting
point for any new database which needs to be created. Files can be created
and saved for each existing database in order to provide a standardized
set up backup, recovery and documentation files. These documentation
files can provide a good starting point for producing the documentation
required for IT department audits. You can save this configuration information
into a file so that you can reload the information and update it at
a later time. These configuration files can be reloaded and the output
files regenerated in order to take advantage of new functionality as
new releases of Installgen are made available.
Accumulated
Knowledge - You don´t have to attend every single Oracle Education
class in order to implement all of Oracle´s best practices. Installgen
incorporates accumulated knowledge from Oracle´s instructor led
training courses, tips, troubleshooting and setup recommendations from
Oracle Worldwide Support, and the experience of DBAs who have spent
years configuring and maintaining Oracle databases. It is recommended
that you should attend at least a few of these excellent instructor
led courses in order to become familiar with new database features.
The information presented in these courses and within the Oracle HTML
documentation provides important information about recommended best
practices. You will have a better understanding of the implications
involved with entering information into each field within Installgen
after attending these courses. However the scripts generated by Installgen
will help you obtain a better understanding of the setup process and
best practices even before you attend the Oracle Education courses.
DBA
Can Review/Modify Generated Scripts - Unlike some DBA tools which transparently
send commands directly to the database, Installgen permits the DBA to
review and manually update every script prior to executing it on the
database server. Additionally, Installgen permits the DBA to change
the way scripts are generated through adding Perl subroutines to the
installgen_custom.pm Perl module.
Simple
Graphical Interface - Working with an Oracle database is difficult
enough without also requiring the DBA to navigate a complex graphical
interface. Installgen contains 5 simple folder tabs of information which
need to be entered. Online help is also available in order to provide
descriptions of the information required for each field, troubleshooting
tips and complete How To and Troubleshooting instructions.
Multiple
Platforms Supported - The Installgen graphical interface runs on
multiple platforms, even on platforms like Apple´s Mac OS X. You
can work away from the database server or run Installgen on the database
server itself (Solaris 8 is also fully supported). The generated scripts
can be created on any computer, analyzed or even modified manually by
the DBA and sent via a network connection to the database server.
Written
In Perl - Perl is a fast, efficient and very easy to learn programming
language which is very well suited to the task of processing the large
amounts of text required of a program generator application. The Installgen
graphical interface contains approximately 30,000 lines of Perl code
which is written to the output directory and then executed in order
to generate the output files. It is recommended that Perl
5.6.1 should be installed on the computer running Installgen, though
older versions of Perl may work as well too. There are no additional
external Perl modules required in order for Installgen to operate correctly.
Perl
Source Code Provided [Installgen Enterprise Edition feature]- In order
to facilitate customer modification of the file generation process,
the Perl source code which generates the output files is provided to
all licensed customers. After Installgen creates the output files, it
leaves the Perl source file and Perl module files within the output
directory. These versions of the files should not be modified because
they will be overwritten the next time Installgen generates files. Customized
versions of the Perl subroutines should be implemented within the installgen_custom.pm
file, which should be copied to the directory containing the Installgen
application. The next time Installgen generates files, it will copy
the new version of the installgen_custom.pm file to the output directory,
where it will be executed along with the main installgen_window.pl or
installgen_solaris.pl Perl program. The Perl code is modularized by
operating system type selected on the General
folder tab of the graphical interface in order to facilitate the
maintenance of the code. This customization process is documented more
fully within the Support section of the web site.
Well
Documented Perl Source Code [Installgen Enterprise Edition feature]
- Approximately 28% of the lines of Installgen Perl source code consist
of comments. These comments provide overall revision history information
and feature implementation notes (including notes about database version
specific bug fixes and workarounds). These comments are designed to
allow any customer to review the implementation process for correctness
and site-specific customization.
Well
Documented Process - The scripts created by Installgen provide a
well documented and standardized process for the installation of Oracle
databases. Corporate IT departments may choose to standardize their
installation procedures by using the scripts and processes implemented
by Installgen. A corporate-wide standardized approach toward database
installations makes it easier for all of the DBAs at an organization
to install and manage a company´s databases. Without a standardized
process, every database becomes a unique and customized installation.
Database server availability can be impacted if each database is configured
in a nonstandard manner. Installgen insures that every database installation
is fully documented with listings of the major
configuration parameters, task
list spreadsheet, tablespaces, and datafile paths, a periodic
processes spreadsheet and overall
implementation diagrams.
Use
Installgen To Document Existing Configurations - Installgen can
be used to produce documentation files for existing database servers.
This documentation can be written in a few seconds by Installgen during
the script generation process and the configuration information saved
for future use. The ability to produce high quality documentation on
demand can be vital to passing an IT audit by a potential investor or
new business partner.
Easy
Installgen Installation and Licensing - There are no license keys or
dongles required in order to install the licensed version of Installgen.
.com Solutions Inc. trusts its customers to abide by the License Agreement
and Copyright laws when using this application. This licensing method
builds customer loyalty and greatly reduces the amount of time which
is nonproductively spent by customers and software developers who manage
and implement a license key system. This time can be much more productively
spent by .com Solutions Inc. to implement new features requested by
its customers. Installgen is licensed on a per-user basis. Installgen
Standard Edition is licensed for usage by 1 user, on a single system/platform
at a single site, Installgen Enterprise Edition provides a 10 user,
single site, single platform license. Installing Installgen is as simple
as decompressing the downloaded file and moving the Installgen executable
wherever you want to install it. There are no DLLs or registry entries,
no fancy installer application and no restart of your computer required.
On UNIX systems, just make the uncompressed application executable then
execute "xhost + localhost" to allow X Windows to display
the application window. Click here to order
Installgen today.
OCP
Preparation - Use the scripts generated by Installgen to assist in preparing
for the Oracle OCP Exams. These scripts provide "real world"
examples of scripts used in production environments, not just simple
examples like you would find in a textbook.
The following features are specific
to the code which Installgen generates to automate the installation
of Oracle 9.2.0 (Developer Release 1) on Mac OS X. Installgen will be
updated to support additional Oracle features as the Developer Releases
are updated by Oracle. The installation procedures implemented by Installgen
provide enhancements over Oracle´s installation procedures by
providing for:
Installation of the Oracle Home directory anywhere within the server´s
directory structure.
• Use of a DBA-defined name for the Oracle Home directory, instead
of the generic orahome directory name specified in the Oracle documentation.
• Use of Oracle recommended OFA directory structure is fully supported
instead creating database datafiles within the $ORACLE_HOME/dbs directory.
Large datafiles can be spread out among multiple mounted drives (internal
or external FireWire) to improve I/O performance and conserve disk space
on the boot volume.
• Automatic startup of the database thru the use of a startup file
located within the /Library/StartupItems directory along with the appropriate
startup parameters plist file.
• Simplied operation of the Oracle database by eliminating the
need to run Oracle-supplied scripts prior to using sqlplus and other
database utilities.
• Installation of Oracle Intermedia, Spatial, and Demo schemas,
which is not covered by the Oracle documentation.
• Automatic creation of the oracle owner UNIX account and dba UNIX
groups within the NetInfo directory server, instead of manually editing
BSD configuration files within the /etc directory. This info may also
be easily updated by a system administrator via the NetInfo Manager
utility.
• Automated creation, installation and configuration of RMAN backup
scripts provides full backup and restore capabilities even of development
databases. DBAs may fully test backup and recovery procedures prior
to implementing Oracle´s production release of Oracle 9.2.0 on
Mac OS X.
• Comprehensive documentation of 15 database recovery procedures
is provided via a customized documentation file tailored for each individual
database server.
• Complete implementation, maintenance and monitoring of a standby
database configuration thru the use of menu-driven Perl scripts. Customers
can test standby database features prior to Oracle´s implementation
of the DataGuard Manager Java application.
• Full support is provided for Oracle 9i standby database switchover,
switchback, standby to read-only, read-only to standby and standby to
primary failover features. This functionality is provided via a menu-driven
Perl script which reduces the chance of making a mistake during disaster
recovery situations.
• Automated configuration of NFS client and server NetInfo parameters
allows for automated copying of files between primary and standby servers
during installation and maintenance tasks. These parameters are retained
across server reboots and may be easily customized with the NetInfo
Manager utility.
