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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

Connect to Spotlight on Oracle RAC

Connect to an Oracle database running on an Oracle RAC cluster.

  1. From the Spotlight Browser select All connections | Spotlight on Oracle RAC

  2. Select the RAC to connect to.

  3. The Verify Cluster Connection Details dialog is displayed if Spotlight encounters an error during the connection process. Verify Cluster Connection Details Dialog

    Note: You can request Spotlight displays this dialog every time you connect to the Oracle RAC. On the connection Properties | Details dialog select Display Connection Details Verification Dialog. Alternatively, on the Verify Cluster Connection Details dialog select Display this dialog for the current connection.

 

Add an Oracle RAC to the list of connections

Note: Ensure you create a Spotlight user with sufficient privileges to diagnose the Oracle RAC. Oracle User Wizard

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

  2. Select Spotlight on Oracle RAC on the Connections menu.

  3. Double-click Add new connection.

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

 

Related Topics

Oracle User Wizard

Oracle RAC 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 (the SQL*Net alias) of the Oracle RAC instance that you wish to connect to.

Notes:

  • The database name is defined within SQL*Net configuration utilities.
  • While this can be the name of any instance in the Oracle RAC cluster, we recommend using the name of the load-balanced instance – the instance whose TNSNAMES entry includes the option (LOAD_BALANCE = yes)
  • 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 user name.

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 password.
Oracle Home

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

Notes: 

  • Choose a home that contains a version of the Oracle client that is compatible with the Oracle RAC server.
  • 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 for 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 by 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 password to login to the ASM database instance.

Note: There is no ASM Username field. The ASM Password is to the ASM user name of SYS. SYS is the only username that can provide access to ASM-specific information.

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 RAC, 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 RAC. 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.

Note: Clear this option if the database is running on an operating system NOT supported by Spotlight on Oracle RAC. If you leave this option selected and Spotlight is unable to collect statistics from the server operating system, you may experience errors.

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.

Note: 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 servercluster. 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 servercluster.

Notes:

  • Spotlight will connect successfully to all nodes in the cluster only if every node employs the SAME username and password.
  • If the username — and password if required — are not completed, you will not be able to view the operating system performance statistics for the database servercluster.
  • When OS Type is Windows:
    • Not required if your login details have been assigned remote access to the registry of the nodes in the database servercluster.
    • If your login details have NOT been set up on the database .servercluster, you must enter a username and password that has access to the registry of each node.

SSH Key Type

Choose the type of key to use when making the Spotlight connection: RSA or 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 servercluster (if required).

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

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. Spotlight on your favorite mobile device

Select Launch Spotlight on Oracle to open a Spotlight on Oracle connection to the database when you open the Spotlight on Oracle RAC connection.

Select Display Connection Details Verification Dialog to display the Connection Details Verification dialog when you connect to a specified Oracle RAC cluster. The dialog allows you to specify and test connections to ALL instances in the cluster. Verify Cluster Connection Details Dialog

Select Save password details to save all the password details that have been entered.

Note: On closing this dialog:

 

Related Topics

Connect to Spotlight on Oracle RAC

Spotlight Connection Manager

All connections

Spotlight Today

Verify Cluster Connection Details Dialog

Spotlight opens the Verify Cluster Connection Details dialog automatically when it encounters an error connecting to an Oracle RAC cluster. Use the dialog to test and modify connection settings to instances in the Oracle RAC cluster.

Connection Details for Instances in the Cluster

Each row in the grid represents an identified instance in the cluster, even if that instance is no longer part of the cluster.

Column Description
Status

The current status of the instance.

Value Description
Untested The connection details have been neither tested nor used successfully since they were last modified or created. Click Test to investigate.
OK The connection details have been tested successfully.
Failed

The connection details are missing or faulty.

  • Refer to Test Results for the related error message.
  • If Last Successful shows the most recent date that Spotlight successfully connected to the instance then there may be a problem with the cluster.
  • If Last Successful is empty then the connection details may be invalid.
No status The connection has not been tested or you have reset the connection details. Click Test to investigate.
Instance Name

The name of the instance.

TNS Entry

If a separate TNS entry exists for an instance within the relevant TNSNAMES.ORA file, you can choose to use that entry.

Click the TNS Entry field. Select the desired value from the list. (Alternatively, type the connection name.)

If a TNS Entry is NOT identified, then a connection string is constructed dynamically from the Host, Domain and Port values.

If a TNS Entry is identified, these columns will be populated from the TNS Entry when you test the connection.

Host

The name of the host machine (node) for the instance.

Note: If you have selected a TNS Entry this may contain an IP address instead.

Domain The domain where the Host resides.
Port

The logical port that is used to access each instance in the cluster.

Note: If Spotlight cannot obtain this information from TNSNAMES.ORA it will use the default port 1521.

OS User The name used to log on to the host.
OS Password The password used to log on to the host.
Test results The error message returned when you click Test and the test fails.
Last successful

The most recent time a successful connection was made to the instance. Look at this value in conjunction with Status.

Service Name

This is the SERVICE_NAME of the cluster. Connections to instances that do not have a specified TNS Entry will use this as their SERVICE_NAME when constructing a dynamic connection string.

Dialog Actions

Action Description
Display this dialog for the current connection

Select to open this dialog every time you open the Oracle RAC cluster.

When not selected, this dialog opens when Spotlight encounters a problem opening the Oracle RAC cluster.

Test Click to test all the connection details. Use to ensure connections to the cluster instances will succeed, and that you have not entered duplicated (but otherwise correct) information.
Remove

Use if an instance is no longer part of this Oracle RAC cluster.

Select the instance and click Remove.

Removing the instance stops Spotlight raising an alarm when it attempts unsuccessfully to connect to the instance.

Reset

Click to

  • Delete the history of recent connections and connection tests
  • Revert to the original connection settings

OK

 Click to connect to the cluster, even if one or more instances do not have a status of OK.
Cancel Do not connect to the cluster.

Connect to an Exadata Storage Server (Cells)

Refer to this page for background information on Spotlight's connection to Exadata Storage Server (cells).

Note: Spotlight monitoring of Oracle RAC systems requires additional licensing.

How Spotlight connects to Exadata Storage Cells

Spotlight does not directly connect to the Exadata Storage Cells. It uses one of the database nodes as an intermediary to tunnel through to the cell storage nodes to retrieve performance metrics. In a default Oracle Exadata installation, the client will not have direct access to the Storage cells as these are private to the appliance. The database nodes are generally public and can be accessed by the Spotlight client.

  1. Spotlight makes an Oracle connection to the Exadata database nodes.

    When this is successful, Spotlight runs a SQL query against an Oracle view - v$active_instances - to obtain the operating system host name. On further processing Spotlight also obtains the domain information. This information is used to establish an operating system connection to one of the database nodes.

  2. Spotlight establishes an operating system connection to one of the Exadata database nodes.

  3. Spotlight uses the Oracle connection to one of the database nodes to execute another SQL query that retrieves Cell IPs from v$cell and other Cell information (such as the host name and domain) from v$cell_config.

  4. 4. Given the information obtained in the preceding steps, Spotlight uses port forwarding to tunnel through to the Exadata Storage Cells via one of the database nodes.

    • Spotlight uses the host names obtained from v$cell_config. It binds these host names to the open SSH ports obtained from the same view.
    • Free local ports on the Spotlight client are assigned to receive data for each tunneled connection (for each connection to each online storage node).

    The host names resolve to IP addresses on the management network. You can override this via the Verify Storage Node Connection Details Dialog that opens on the first connection to the Exadata system.

    It is recommended that the celladmin operating system user account be used for connecting to the Storage Cells.

 

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