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the listener is up or down. Select the UpDown event from the Available Events list and move it to the Selected Events list. More complex event sets are composed of multiple events.

FIG. 9.6
Many predefined events
are available for
monitoring databases.

Next, select the Parameters tab, where configuration information is managed for each selected event in an event set. To monitor a listener, simply complete the frequency information to determine how often the remote intelligent agent should check on the listener and press the OK button to complete the event set.

The event set is now ready to register. Go back to the Enterprise Manager menu bar and select Event, Register Event Set to tell EMS to start monitoring. The resulting window contains two tabs: General and Notification. Starting with General, select the Listener service type. If this is the first time a Listener event set is created, there will be two set names: the one just created and the default set for listener monitoring provided with the product. After the new event set is created, it might be informative to compare it to the one that Oracle has provided to do the same function. Select the new event set from the Set Name drop-down menu.

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If there are no destinations on the Available Destinations list, you will need to go to Navigator and create a listener group in the Listener Groups folder. The listener groups make up the Available Destination list. Defining groups based on the responsible administrators simplifies notification setup in the Event Management System when event sets are registered.

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The final step to register the event set is to define notifications using the Notification tab. If the monitored systems are mission critical, listed operators responsible for the monitored listeners are paged by selecting Paging in the Notification Method area. The event set is registered by clicking the Apply button.

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If there are no operators on the Operator list, you will need to go to the Enterprise Manager menu and select Event, Administrator List to add administrators. Each administrator's name, contact information, system responsibility, and availability schedule are listed. After the mail and paging services are configured from the Event, Configure Services menu, administrators can receive mail and pages from EMS.

EMS is now configured to monitor the selected listeners based on the event set configuration and respond to the event.

Like Job, EMS is a solid component of Enterprise Manager that opens the door to enterprise-wide systems management. Before expending the effort to fully configure Enterprise Manager for event monitoring, make sure that the tool meets all your requirements. For a pure Oracle database focus, it probably does, but if you require an integrated solution that covers areas outside database monitoring or requires monitoring for multiple database technologies, you might want to purchase a more comprehensive tool.

Using the Database Administration Tools

Although the Enterprise Manager Navigator console components provide access to various objects in the Oracle database environment, the detailed administration is accomplished with the Database Administration Tools. The user interface of the tools is based on the familiar Windows Explorer tree structure, making all the tools intuitive and easy to use. When objects are selected on the left side of the application window, a display on the right side of the window describes the object or, for folders, the objects in the folder.

The toolbars provide easy access to key functions in each application. As each object is selected in the navigation tree, the appropriate buttons are activated to enable operations on the selected objects. Some applications have their own wizards on the toolbar to perform functions specific to their subject area. Toolbar functions found in most of the Database Administration Tools include database connection requests, navigation tree refresh, folder filtering, object creation and removal, drag-and-drop help, and record and playback activity logging.

Record and playback is a key component for applying the Database Administration Tools to a production database environment. It is dangerous to use interactive tools in a production environment if you cannot methodically and precisely re-create activities. For example, if a database administrator using Schema Manager in a development database adds a new table to an application, how is the process precisely re-created when it is time to add the same table to the production database? By recording the DDL used to create the table in the development database, the exact SQL is available to create the production object using SQL*Plus or

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SQL Worksheet. If the storage parameters require alteration for production, as is often the case, edit the storage parameters before building the production version of the table. Record and playback enables the Database Administration Tools to work effectively in a development environment.

Another significant consideration when deciding how to use the Database Administration Tools revolves around how database design tools are used in the development process. If the database design is managed in a tool such as Oracle Designer/2000, Computer Systems Advisors Silverrun, Logic Works Erwin, or Powersoft PowerDesigner, using Schema Manager to change objects in the production schema is just as counterproductive as using native DDL. Schema Manager is not a replacement for database design tools. However, Schema Manager is still useful for building objects such as temporary tables outside the scope of the production database design. Developers use the tools to create objects for testing before changes are introduced into the database design.

Managing Instances

Database administrators manage the availability and configuration of databases, as well as the instance sessions and transactions, using Instance Manager. All the configuration information stored in the INIT<SID>.ORA configuration files is accessible directly from Instance Manager (see Figure 9.7). Sessions and in-doubt transactions are monitored and managed on the right side of the application window based on the objects selected in the tree navigator on the left side of the window.

FIG. 9.7
Instance tuning
parameters are altered
for export and
implementation.

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