I can haz conferences

I love attending technical conferences for Oracle. I guess that’s obvious since many of you have probably seen or met me at a conference. The best parts for me are meeting so many of those that I’ve connected with on mailing lists, forums, or other online communities. Of course, conferences are a place to share what you know and I find that especially rewarding too. To that end, here are some of the sessions I’ll be sharing in the 2009 conference agendas.

At Hotsos Symposium 2009 (March 8-12, 2009 in Dallas), I’ll be presenting “Avoiding Common RAC Problems”. The abstract is available online.

In the IOUG DBA/Clustering track at Collaborate 2009 (May 3-7, 2009 in Orlando), I’ll be presenting 3 sessions. They are listed below:

1. “Avoiding Common RAC Problems” – RAC doesn’t work for everyone in every situation, that’s a fact. However, in many cases, RAC can work and work well if configured and used properly. Some issues are caused by simple misconfiguration, others are more complex like application-related logic issues that only surface in RAC environments. There are some issues that appear with a relatively high frequency and many of them can be fixed without knowledge of internals. Specifically, this session will review common issues in the areas of networking, storage, people, applications, and testing, examining the issues and their solutions.
2. “Troubleshooting Oracle Clusterware” – Installing RAC is something that typically happens very few times in the life of a database or project. However, dissecting the installation process can be very instructive when learning how RAC works and how the multiple components work together to support a complex, multi-instance database.This session will review a RAC installation from start to finish. We’ll examine the OS prerequisites, network setup, kernel parameters, Clusterware prerequisites, Clusterware installation, ASM considerations, ASM installation and configuration, and finally RDBMS installation and configuration. We’ll also discuss options for patching these installations and provide recommendations on ways to keep this environment stable and manageable as it grows.
3. “Installing RAC From The Ground Up” – Oracle Clusterware is present in all Oracle RAC configurations, but it is often overlooked as a managed piece of software. Since it isn’t a database, many DBAs aren’t familiar with its function or techniques for troubleshooting its behaviors.To better understand and be ready for troubleshooting this relatively new software, we start by examining its components and their purposes. An understanding of how each piece fits together will better enable DBAs to quickly identify the most likely source of problems in the stack. Familiarity with the proper operating system and Oracle tools enables DBAs to reveal the right information at the right times to debug the Clusterware components and processes.Finally, adding a troubleshooting process to the sometimes overwhelming stack of software that makes up a RAC cluster can be the key to combining knowledge of Clusterware architecture and processes with the proper tools to quickly identify the right resolution to most issues. Clusterware has ability to reboot servers without warning and sometimes the reasons for its actions are not easily identified. With so much power to affect overall availability, the Clusterware is a critical component and it is important to understand its troubleshooting just as thoroughly as the database layer troubleshooting.

We also recently received word that we’ll be holding a 1/2-day hands on session for RAC at Collaborate on Thursday morning. Stay tuned for more details on the RAC SIG website!

Finally, I have also had one presentation accepted for the ODTUG Kaleidoscope conference (June 21-25, 2009 in Monterey, CA). That session is titled “DBA-speak for Developers”.

1. “DBA-speak for Developers”: The most common problem between DBA and Development teams is a lack of communication. When communication breaks down, it is common for a “Us vs. Them” mentality to develop. DBAs are sometimes guilty of using “DBA-speak” terms that are intended for other DBAs to understand, but Developers aren’t always DBA-speak literate. Developers, on the other hand, have many languages as well: Java, PHP, Ruby, and Perl, to name a few. In this technical session, we will focus on helping Developers by translating some of the most common things that their DBAs may say into something that the common Developer can better understand. We’ll no doubt have some fun trying to make sense of the madness that is the Oracle DBA, but we’ll also dig in to the real phrases Developers are likely to hear. Attendees are also invited to bring their own DBA-speak phrases for translation as well.

Looking ahead, I’m highly anticipating Oracle Open World (October 11-15, 2009 – San Francisco) and Miracle Oracle Open World (October?, 2009, near Copenhagen, Denmark). These are both great events (one very large, one small) with tons of great information and great people to meet and talk with at every turn.

So, if you’re at any of these events, please do look me up. I’m on the schedule for many events and enjoy meeting new faces, fellow RAC SIGers, and anyone interested in a chat about RAC, clustering, storage, or scuba diving!

On a more immediate note, I’ll be attending the RMOUG conference next week in Denver. This has got to be one of the best buys around for two days of great sessions by some wonderful experts. The networking opportunities are top-notch as well with the event being a relatively small event and the people (like Debra Lilley, Cary Millsap, Kevin Closson, Mogens Nørgaard, and Tim Gorman, to name a few) very personable. If you’re going, I’ll enjoy seeing you there! If you’re not…put it on your calendar for next year. Even with budget cuts, this is still an affordable event!