Preface

This guide describes how to manage the Oracle Server, a relational database management system (RDBMS).

Information in this guide applies to the Oracle Server, running on all operating systems. It provides information about the base Oracle Server. This guide also refers to other manuals that describe special options, including the following:

Distributed Option
Parallel Server Option
Advanced Replication Option

Audience

This guide is for people who administer the operation of an Oracle database system. These people, referred to as "database administrators" (DBAs), are assumed to be responsible for ensuring the smooth operation of an Oracle database system and for monitoring its use. The responsibilities of database administrators are described in Chapter 1.

Knowledge Assumed of the Reader

Readers of this guide are assumed to be familiar with relational database concepts. They are also assumed to be familiar with the operating system environment under which they are running Oracle.

As a prerequisite, all readers should read the first chapter of Oracle8 Server Concepts, "A Technical Introduction to the Oracle Server." This chapter is a comprehensive introduction to the concepts and terminology used throughout this guide.

Readers Interested in Installation and Migration Information

Administrators frequently participate in installing the Oracle Server software and migrating existing Oracle databases to newer formats (for example, Version 7 databases to Oracle8 format). This guide is not an installation or migration manual.

If your primary interest is installation, see your operating system-specific Oracle documentation.

If your primary interest is database or application migration, see the Oracle8 Server Migration manual.

Readers Interested in Application Design Information

In addition to administrators, experienced users of Oracle and advanced database application designers might also find information in this guide useful.

However, database application developers should also see the Oracle8 Server Application Developer's Guide and the documentation for the tool or language product they are using to develop Oracle database applications.

How to Use This Guide

Every reader of this guide must read Chapter 1 of the Oracle8 Server Concepts manual, "Introduction to the Oracle Server." This overview of the concepts and terminology related to Oracle provides a foundation for the more detailed information in this guide. The rest of the Oracle8 Server Concepts manual explains the Oracle architecture and features, and how they operate in more detail.

Conventions Used in This Guide

The following sections explain the conventions used in this guide.

Text of the Guide

The following section explains the conventions used within the text of this guide:

UPPERCASE WORDS

Uppercase text is used to call attention to command keywords, object names, parameters, filenames, and so on. For example:

If you create a private rollback segment, the name of the rollback segment must be included in the ROLLBACK_SEGMENTS parameter of the parameter file.

Italicized Words

Italicized words within text are used to indicate the first occurrence and definition of a term, as in the following example:

A database is a collection of data to be treated as a unit. The general purpose of a database is to store and retrieve related information, as needed.

Italicized words are also used to indicate emphasis, book titles, and to highlight names of performance statistics.

Examples of the Enterprise Manager Interface

This guide provides examples of the dialog boxes and menus of Enterprise Manager, your primary utility for managing an Oracle database. Illustrations show the character mode Server Manager screen. However, the actual appearance of your screen may differ, depending on your system's user interface.

For more information on Enterprise Manager, see the Oracle Enterprise Manager User's Guide.

Examples of Commands and Statements

SQL, Enterprise Manager, and SQL*Plus commands and statements appear separated from the text of paragraphs in a fixed-width font:

ALTER TABLESPACE users   ADD DATAFILE 'users2.ora' SIZE 50K; 







Punctuation   , ' "
  



Example statements may include punctuation such as commas or quotation marks. All punctuation given in example statements is required. All example statements are terminated with a semicolon. Depending on the application being used, a semicolon or other terminator may or may not be required to end a statement. 
  




Uppercase Words INSERT, SIZE
  



Uppercase words in example statements are used to indicate the keywords within Oracle SQL. However, note that when issuing statements, keywords are not case-sensitive. 
  




Lowercase Words emp, users2.ora
  



Lowercase words in example statements are used to indicate words supplied only for the context of the example. For example, lowercase words may indicate the name of a table, column, or file. Some operating systems are case sensitive, so refer to your installation or user's guide to determine whether you must pay attention to case.

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 or FAX number.

Server Technologies Documentation Manager
Oracle Corporation
500 Oracle Parkway
Redwood City, CA 94065
U.S.A.
FAX: 415-506-7228

The following section explains the conventions used within the text of this guide:
UPPERCASE WORDS	Uppercase text is used to call attention to command keywords, object names, parameters, filenames, and so on. For example:
	If you create a private rollback segment, the name of the rollback segment must be included in the ROLLBACK_SEGMENTS parameter of the parameter file.
Italicized Words	Italicized words within text are used to indicate the first occurrence and definition of a term, as in the following example:
	A database is a collection of data to be treated as a unit. The general purpose of a database is to store and retrieve related information, as needed.
	Italicized words are also used to indicate emphasis, book titles, and to highlight names of performance statistics.

Punctuation , ' "	Example statements may include punctuation such as commas or quotation marks. All punctuation given in example statements is required. All example statements are terminated with a semicolon. Depending on the application being used, a semicolon or other terminator may or may not be required to end a statement.
Uppercase Words INSERT, SIZE	Uppercase words in example statements are used to indicate the keywords within Oracle SQL. However, note that when issuing statements, keywords are not case-sensitive.
Lowercase Words emp, users2.ora	Lowercase words in example statements are used to indicate words supplied only for the context of the example. For example, lowercase words may indicate the name of a table, column, or file. Some operating systems are case sensitive, so refer to your installation or user's guide to determine whether you must pay attention to case.