Spotlight on Oracle 10.10 - Release Notes

Install And Configure DTrace Scripts

DTrace is a dynamic analysis tool for Sun Microsystems operating systems. It was first introduced in the Solaris 10 operating system, and can be used ONLY on Sun platforms from Solaris 10 onwards.

Spotlight and DTrace

Spotlight on Oracle uses DTrace to capture details of the interaction between Oracle and the operating system.

When Oracle sessions use CPU time, most of that elapsed time is spent executing Oracle code. However, Oracle sometimes uses system calls to perform functions such as to:

• Allocate or deallocate private (PGA) memory.
• Synchronize activities with other processes through semaphores or other IPC mechanisms.
• Allocate shared memory (SGA).
• Perform I/O operations on datafiles, redo logs, raw devices, and so on.
• Capture CPU or elapsed timing to support the time model and wait interfaces.

Spotlight uses DTrace to investigate these system calls to calculate where that elapsed time is being spent.

To install and configure DTrace scripts

To use DTrace within Spotlight, you need to install and configure a number of DTrace scripts on the server. Once installed, use the DTrace drilldown to view the DTrace analysis. Spotlight on Oracle Drilldowns

1. Locate in the Spotlight installation folder: Plug-ins\SoO\SoO_DTrace_scripts.tar
2. Unpack SoO_DTrace_scripts.tar to a directory on the database server.
3. Ensure the unpacked files have execute permission.
4. For the account that will be used to run operating system commands from Spotlight:
   • Edit .profile to define a QUEST_SOO_HOME variable that points to the directory on the database server where the unpacked files are.

   • Provide DTrace authority. Add this line to /etc/user_attr:

     <<username>>::::defaultpriv=basic,dtrace_proc,dtrace_kernel

For more information on DTrace and its uses:

• Oracle Solaris Open Source
• The DTrace User Guide.
• The Solaris Dynamic Tracing Guide.