Re: How do you manage Databases?

joelga@pebble.ml.org (Joel Garry) wrote: >In article <34d4ece2.33037970@client.news.psi.net>, >T. Max Devlin <mdevlin@eltrax.com> wrote: >>I don't see any responses to this. Maybe I just haven't picked them up. >>But I'll throw out some of my patented brutally-honest, sure-to-offend, >>but practically-based experience: > >comp.databases.oracle is a defunct group (although one might think not since >it's getting a couple of dozen posts a day, just from ending with "oracle"). >Use comp.databases.oracle.server or comp.databases.oracle.misc instead. > >I saw a demo of the Platinum stuff yesterday, it's starting to get fairly >impressive. When I asked the guy if it can work through a firewall, he >said "No, but we expect to have a java-based browser solution by the end >of '98." Some of the stuff is both Motif and Windows, some is Windows only. >With Oracle, anyways, I've come to the attitude that the market has pretty >much forced (or been forced into) having a Windows machine around, even >for an otherwise pure unix shop. Your response highlights some of the difficulties with database management that Dave Perkins and myself were trying to describe. The original question, and Dave and my answers, focused on the actual difficult part, which is the instrumentation. We don't want a package that manages a database, we need an SNMP agent which instruments a database. Hopefully, we may even be able to one day hope for an agent that instruments a database with a standard MIB. The issue of Motif or Windows or java or firewalls unfortunately seems to re-direct the issue back to writing software. That's the EASY part! The hard part is developing actually functional vendor-independant, flexible, robust, scalable database management systems. That's not going to happen with point products like Platinum. Dave's answer was essentially the same as mine. If you want scalable database management, you pretty much have to design, build, and implement the system yourself. We suggest examining the native instrumentation for your databases, developing an SNMP agent (not as hard as it sounds, once you are familiar with the concepts), and writing a processing engine and display program. It might sound tough, but chances are it will be ready faster, be more appropriate for your needs, and be more flexible than waiting for vendor products to go through another few years of "maturing". I appreciate the comment on the current products available, but "starting to get fairly" useful hardly sounds very impressive. -- T. Max Devlin Hi-TECH Connections/Eltrax Systems ***************************************************** - Opinions expressed are my own. Anyone else may use them only in accordance with licensing agreements. -