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Spotlight on Oracle 10.9 - Getting Started Guide

Welcome to Spotlight Install Spotlight Start Spotlight Spotlight on Oracle Spotlight on Oracle Data Guard Spotlight on Oracle RAC Spotlight on Unix Spotlight on Windows Spotlight on MySQL Troubleshooting: Connection Problems

Authorize Spotlight

Spotlight is supplied with a time-limited trial key so you may test the product. When the trial key expires Spotlight reverts to a preview mode, which limits access to the Spotlight home page and one connection at a time. If you select to open a drilldown in preview mode the following message is displayed:

The current license does not allow access to this functionality.

When you enter a valid license key and authorization message in the License Viewer, you are licensed to use Spotlight on Oracle.

To enter a valid license key

While Spotlight is running

  1. Click Help | About Spotlight.
  2. Click license information.
  3. Click Change this license.
  4. Enter the Authorization key.

Notes:

  • The Windows user that updates the authorization key must have administrator access to the Windows registry and write access to the Console\Licenses folder in the Spotlight installation folder.
  • Make sure you enter the authorization key exactly. The site message is case sensitive. If you enter the authorization key incorrectly, the following message is displayed: Invalid authorization key
  • If Spotlight is in preview mode and the trial period has not expired, check your computer system date is set correctly.

 

Spotlight on Oracle

Use Spotlight on Oracle to monitor your Oracle databases, detect and resolve problems.

Section

Description

Connect to an Oracle Database

Create / Modify / Delete connections to Spotlight on Oracle.

Setup Spotlight Users and complete the Oracle User Wizard.

Spotlight on Oracle Home Page The Spotlight home page shows the flow of information and commands between various sub-components and the size and status of internal resources such as processes, disk files and memory structures.
Spotlight on Oracle Alarms

Spotlight alerts you to problems with your system by issuing an alarm. You can configure Spotlight in the level of severity that constitutes an alarm, to disable an alarm, and the actions Spotlight takes on raising the alarm.

Spotlight on Oracle Drilldowns When you have isolated a problem, you can display a drilldown page, whose charts and tables provide a detailed breakdown of the underlying statistics.
Tune Your Oracle Database A summary of steps you can take to tune Oracle using Spotlight on Oracle.
Spotlight on Oracle Tools: Explain Plan, SQL Optimizer, Space Manager Supportive tools and help.

 

Connect to an Oracle Database

  1. From the Spotlight Browser select All connections | Spotlight on Oracle
  2. Select the database.

Notes:

  • Click Set timed statistics now if you are prompted to do so. You see this prompt when for the Spotlight user the timed_statistics parameter is set to false in the init.ora file. Spotlight requires this parameter be true for the Spotlight user to accurately monitor the database. Clicking Set timed statistics now corrects the problem only if the Spotlight user has Alter System privileges. Ensure the Spotlight user has sufficient privileges. Oracle User Wizard
  • If Spotlight takes too long to open the Oracle connection then Fast Initialize could be on. Oracle Initialization

Add an Oracle database to the list of connections

Notes:

  • Create a Spotlight user with sufficient privileges to diagnose the Oracle database. Oracle User Wizard
  • Ensure the UNIX or Windows server on which the Oracle database is installed is accessible to Spotlight.

 

  1. Click File | Connect to open the Spotlight Connection Manager

  2. Select Spotlight on Oracle on the Connections menu.

  3. Double-click Add new connection.

  4. Fill in the connection Properties | Details page. Oracle Connection Details

 

Related Topics

Oracle User Wizard

Oracle Connection Details

Field Description
Connection name

This is the display name for the connection in Spotlight.

Tip: Fill in the Connection String first.

Oracle connection details

Field Description
Connection String

Select the name of the database that you wish to connect to.

This field can be entered in one of the following ways:

TNSNAMES.ORA entry Spotlight populates the Connection String field with all entries from the TNS Names file, if configured, and you can select a database from this drop-down list.
LDAP server If using Oracle names directory services (LDAP or Oracle OID), then type the name of the database into this field.
Direct Connect Enter the connection details of the database in the following format: HOST:PORT/SERVICE_NAME.

Note: When selected, the Connection name field resets to this value. You can then edit the Connection name field if required.

Oracle Username

Enter the Spotlight Oracle user name. Oracle User Wizard

Tip: If you enter a Username that does not exist, Spotlight will prompt you when you complete this dialog to create a new Spotlight user.

Note: (Oracle 12c) As per Oracle guidelines, the Spotlight Oracle user needs to be of the form c##<username> when connecting to an Oracle 12c Container database.

Oracle Password Enter the Spotlight Oracle user password. Oracle User Wizard
Oracle Home

Select an appropriate Oracle Home. Select a location where Oracle client software is installed.

Choose a home that contains a version of the Oracle client that is compatible with the Oracle server. For example, when using Spotlight to diagnose an Oracle 11g connection, use an Oracle Home that contains a sufficiently recent version of the Oracle client.

Notes:

  • You cannot change this value while an active Spotlight connection is already using an Oracle Home.
  • When you specify an Oracle Home for a particular Spotlight connection, the connection-based Oracle Home overrides any default values.
  • The first active Spotlight connection in a session forces all subsequent connections to use its specified Oracle Home.

ASM connection details

ASM is built into the Oracle database kernel. It simplifies the creation and space management in Oracle databases.

Note: Available only in Oracle 10g and later.

Field Description
Monitor ASM Select to monitor the performance of Oracle's Automated Storage Management (ASM) technology.
ASM Connection String

Enter the connection string required to link to the ASM database instance that is used for storage management for this Oracle database.

Note: The TNSNAMES entry for the ASM instance must include the option (UR = A) for the Spotlight connection to work properly.

ASM Password

Enter the user password for Spotlight to login to the ASM database instance.

The user that Spotlight uses to login to the ASM database is SYS. This is the only user name that can provide access to ASM-specific information.

Providing SYS access to an ASM instance does NOT create a security issue for the Oracle database, but you should limit access to the SYS account to trusted individuals.

Because the SYS password is stored in encrypted format, non-privileged users can still access Spotlight on Oracle. To do so:

  • Use a pre-configured or shared Spotlight on Oracle connection, OR
  • Use a Spotlight connection without ASM access. Spotlight will display Oracle-related data, but the ASM drilldown will contain no data.

Server connection details

Field Description
Monitor OS

Select to monitor the operating system on the database server.

OS Server

Enter the name of the server.

Tip: Use a period “.” to monitor the local database.

OS Type

Select the type of operating system.

  • Windows
  • Unix(REXEC)
  • Unix(SSH)
  • Unix(SSH using Public/Private Keys)

If you select one of the Unix systems, make sure the SSH or REXEC daemon is running on the database server and is configured to receive remote connections. Spotlight supports both SSH1 and SSH2 protocols. Public-key encryption is supported under SSH2 only.

SSH Port

Enter the port number for SSH (secure shell) connection to the database server. The default value is 22.

Note: Applicable when OS Type is Unix(SSH) or Unix(SSH using Public/Private Keys).

OS Username

Type the user name to login to the database server.

Note: When OS Type is Windows:

  • Not required if your login details have been assigned remote access to the registry of the database server.
  • Ensure the user has access to the registry of the server.

SSH Key Type

Select the key type from the options: RSA and DSA.

Note: Applicable when OS Type is Unix(SSH using Public/Private Keys).

SSH Private Key Filename

Locate the filename that contains the private key for the Spotlight connection.

Hint: Use the "..." button.

Note: Applicable when OS Type is Unix(SSH using Public/Private Keys).

SSH Passphrase

Type the passphrase used to decrypt the private key.

Note: Applicable when OS Type is Unix(SSH using Public/Private Keys).

OS Password

Type the user password to login to the database server (if required).

Note: Not applicable when OS Type is Unix(SSH using Public/Private Keys).

Connect to OS Spotlight when starting this connection Select to have the database server connection open automatically when you open the connection to the Oracle database.

ESX connection details

Note: Requires Server connection details | Monitor OS selected.

Field Description
Monitor ESX Select to monitor the ESX Server that hosts the database.
ESX Web Service Type or select the URL of the ESX Web Service that manages the virtual machine.
ESX Username

Type the username required to connect to the ESX Web Service.

Note: The username specified must have read only permissions for both the ESX virtual machine and the ESX host that the virtual machine resides on, or may reside on.

ESX Password Type the password required to connect the specified user to the ESX Web Service.
Virtual Machine Name Click ... to select the virtual machine.

Spotlight Cloud

Field Description
Monitor on Mobile Device Select to monitor this spotlight connection on your mobile device and upload data from this connection to Spotlight Cloud. For more information, see Spotlight on your favorite mobile device.

Click Test to verify Spotlight can connect successfully with the details provided.

Note: For connections to virtual machines, testing the connection validates that Spotlight can connect to the Web Service using the specified username and password combination, and that the virtual machine exists. It does not check permissions, that the virtual machine is turned on, or that it is the same machine as the one specified in the Server Connection Details section.

Click Save password details (for this connection) to save all the entered password details.

Note: (Oracle 11g Release 2 and above) The Configuring Oracle User for Spotlight Dialog will open when the setup of the Spotlight User through the Oracle User Wizard is incomplete.

 

Related Topics

Spotlight Connection Manager

All connections

Spotlight Today

Related Documents

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