About this Guide

This guide provides instructions on how to install and configure Oracle8i Enterprise Edition and related Oracle products on Alpha OpenVMS systems. This guide supplements information found in the Oracle8i and Oracle8i Enterprise Edition Documentation Set.

Oracle8i and Oracle8i Enterprise Edition

Unless noted otherwise, features and functionality described in this document are common to both Oracle8i and Oracle8i Enterprise Edition.

Audience

This guide is written for system administrators or database administrators (DBAs), who administer Oracle8i products on Alpha OpenVMS systems. This guide assumes that you have a fundamental knowledge of the Alpha OpenVMS operating system; it does not document any features of Alpha OpenVMS except those that affect or are affected by Oracle8i.

The README files in the Oracle product directories contain the latest information about the Alpha OpenVMS production releases of Oracle8i and related products for Alpha OpenVMS.

The purpose of this guide is to help you administer the Oracle8i Enterprise Edition and its application development tools.

For the Latest Information

For the latest information about Alpha OpenVMS production releases of Oracle8i and related products, see the README files in the Oracle product directories.

Install Only Licensed Products

You are entitled to install and use only those products for which you have a current Oracle license agreement.

How this Guide Is Organized

This guide is organized as follows:

PART I : Administering the Oracle8i Enterprise Edition

This part covers activities that are related to maintaining the database once the Oracle8i Enterprise Edition has been installed and the instances accessing the database have been set up.

Chapter 1: Introduction to Oracle8i on Alpha OpenVMS

This chapter gives an overview of the Oracle8i system on Alpha OpenVMS.

Chapter 2: Setting Up Oracle8i Users

This chapter describes how to grant access to Oracle8i and how to set up specific tools.

Chapter 3: Starting Up and Shutting Down Oracle8i

This chapter describes how to start up and shut down Oracle8i.

Chapter 4: Managing Instances

This chapter describes how to define, delete, and control single and parallel instances.

Chapter 5: Managing the Database

This chapter describes how to manage the files that make up the physical database and other topics related to managing the database.

Chapter 6: Backing Up and Archiving Your Database

This chapter describes how to back up and archive your database.

Chapter 7: Recovering Your Data

This chapter describes how to recover previously backed up data.

Chapter 8: Optimizing Oracle8i

This chapter describes how to tune Oracle8i and how to identify, monitor, and correct situations that cause problems while administering the database.

Chapter 9: Trace Files

This chapter describes how to set up and use trace files.

PART II : Using and Administering the Oracle Tools

This part presents the tools in separate chapters, organized alphabetically.

Chapter 10: Oracle Programmatic Interfaces

This chapter explains how to use the Oracle Programmatic Interfaces and SQL*Module in the Alpha OpenVMS environment.

Chapter 11: SQL*Plus

This chapter explains how to use SQL*Plus in the Alpha OpenVMS environment.

PART III : Appendices

This part includes supplementary information.

Appendix A: Logical Names and Parameters

This appendix provides information about Oracle8i logical names and Alpha OpenVMS-specific INIT.ORA parameters that are defined differently for different operating systems.

Appendix B: Messages and Codes

This appendix explains the means of error messages you might see while using Oracle products on Alpha OpenVMS.

Appendix C: Alpha OpenVMS Process Control

This appendix explains how to control Oracle Server processes on Alpha OpenVMS.

Appendix D: Alpha OpenVMS Supplement to the Generic Documentation Set

This appendix gives Alpha OpenVMS specific information for each cross-reference from the generic documentation set.

Conventions Used in this Guide

This section explains the following:

• Syntax

Syntax

This guide uses the following conventions:

monospaced font	Monospaced font is used to represent information displayed on a terminal or monitor or entered on a keyboard. For example, menu screens that are displayed during the Oracle8i installation procedure are represented in this guide with monospaced font.
UPPERCASE	Uppercase in monospaced font represents a command name. Enter the text exactly as shown.
UPPERCASE	Uppercase words within the text refer to command names.
<variable>	<lowercase italicized words> in monospaced font enclosed by angle brackets represent a variable on the command line. Substitute an appropriate value.
<variable>	<lowercase italicized words> enclosed by angle brackets within the text refer to variable names.

Related Products and Documents

This section explains related products and related documents.

Related Products

The following is a list of Oracle products, utilities, and options that are available with Oracle8i:

• ConText option

• Data partitioning option

• Distributed database option

• DBJAVA (JDBC, Java Database Connectivity)

• Image Cartridge

• National Language Support or Multilingual Option

• Object Option

• Oracle Parallel Server

• Oracle Intelligent Agent

• Parallel query option

• Programmatic Interfaces (Oracle precompilers)

• Server Manager

• Spatial Data Cartridge

• SQL*Net 8.1.7

• SQL*Plus

• Time Series Cartridge

• UTIL

• Visual Information Retrieval Data Cartridge

Related Documents

This documentation set includes the following guides:

• Oracle8i for Alpha OpenVMS Server and Tools Administrator's Guide.

• The Oracle8i for Alpha OpenVMS Installation Guide describes installing, upgrading, or migrating Oracle8i.

• SQL*Net for Alpha OpenVMS Configuration and User's Guide describes how to configure, maintain, and use SQL*Net on Alpha OpenVMS.

• Oracle8i Parallel Server Addendum for Alpha OpenVMS.

• Release Notes (varies by release)

• README files

For more information on the Oracle8i Enterprise Edition, refer to the following generic documentation:

• The Oracle8i Server Administrator's Guide, Volume I, II, and III contain detailed information about administering Oracle8.

• The Oracle8i Application Developer's Guide contains specific information required to develop applications for Oracle8.

• Oracle8i Server Concepts contains generic information about the Oracle8 Server and describes features and maintenance options available.

• Oracle8i Server Distributed Systems, Volume I: Distributed Data describes how to use the distributed data option.

• Oracle8i Server Distributed Systems, Volume II: Replicated Data describes how to use the advanced replication option.

• Oracle8i Server Messages lists all of the messages and codes that Oracle can return.

• The Oracle8i Server Reference describes the Oracle data dictionary tables, initialization parameters, national language support features.

• The Oracle8i Server SQL Reference contains generic information about the Oracle8i SQL language.

• Oracle8i Server Tuning shows you how to diagnose performance problems and take corrective action.

• The Oracle8i Server Utilities describes the auxiliary utilities provided with the Oracle Server, such as SQL*Loader, the Import utility, and the Export utility.

• Oracle8i Parallel Server Concepts and Administration describes the special features of Oracle8i running on a loosely-coupled system.

• The Oracle Server Manager User's Guide describes how to use Server Manager, for doing administrative tasks.

Migrating from Oracle Version 7

For more information about migrating from Oracle Version 7 to Oracle8i, see the Oracle8i Server Migration Guide.

Customer Support Information

(Please copy this page and distribute within your organization as necessary.)For Oracle Worldwide Oracle Support Services (OSS), contact your local number. (The hours are detailed in your support contract.) ___________________________________Please prepare the following information before you call, using this page as a checklist:

Your Customer Support Identification (CSI) number if applicable, or full contact details, including any special project information

The complete release numbers of the Oracle8i Enterprise Edition and associated products (for example, Oracle8i Enterprise Edition Release 3 (8.1.7) or Oracle Forms Release 4.5.6.3.2).

The hardware type on which the problem occurs (for example, Compaq Alpha) _______

The operating system name and release number (for example, Alpha OpenVMS 7.1)________

Details of error codes and associated descriptions. Please write these down as they occur, since they are critical in helping OSS to quickly resolve your problem. ______

A full description of the issue, including:

What - What happened? For example, the command used and result
obtained.

When - When did it happen? For example, time of day, or after a certain
command, or after an O/S upgrade.

Where - Where did it happen? For example, on a particular system or
within a certain procedure or table.

Extent - What is the extent of the problem? For example, production
system unavailable, or moderate impact but increasing with
time, or minimal impact and stable.

Note: Keep in mind what did not happen, as well as what did happen. This type of information can help OSS to more quickly resolve your problem.

Keep copies of any trace files, core dumps, and redo log files recorded at or near the time of the incident, since OSS will need these to further investigate your problem.

For installation-related problems please have the following information available:

Error returned by the installation procedure and/or Alpha OpenVMS __________________

Your Comments Are Welcome

We value and appreciate your comments as an Oracle user and reader of the manuals. As we write, revise, and evaluate our documentation, your opinions are the most important input we receive. At the back of our printed manuals is a Reader's Comment Form, which we encourage you to use to tell us what you like and dislike about this manual or other Oracle manuals. If the form is not available, please use the following address, phone number, or FAX number.

Compaq Products Division
Publications Manager
Oracle Corporation
500 Oracle Parkway
Box 659105
Redwood Shores, CA 94065
Phone: (650) 506-7000
FAX: (650) 506-7361