Multiplexed redo logs and archiving by default?

After yet another post by someone whose database has crashed without running in archivelog mode and without having multiplexed redo logs, it makes me think it’s about time Oracle changed the default installation to include both these things.

Over the last few versions, Oracle have consistently made the database easier to install and use, but they still leave these gaping holes. Yes, archivelog mode is set if you choose to setup backups during the installation, but there’s nothing to stop you defaulting this setting even when backups are not initiated during the installation.

I realise some people will react by saying it’s up to the DBA to make this decision, but there are obviously lots of people out there that either don’t understand the issue, or don’t even know about it. It would seem sensible to me that Oracle install the product in the safest mode possible. Afterall, it’s no problem backing them out if you don’t need them.

I for one would rather have people complaining about disks filled with archived redo logs, than having unrecoverable databases.

Rant over. 🙂

Cheers

Tim…

Sky Blue (Wonderful Days)…

I was standing in HMV the other day, trying to convince myself not to buy a Nintendo WII with WII Fit and SuperMario Kart, when I noticed the film Sky Blue was being sold for £5. I’d been toying with the idea of buying this for some time, but a reduction of $15 pounds forced my hand. 🙂

Like many of the Japanese Anime, this Korean Anime is set in a post apocalyptic (pollution not war) future. You can read more about the story here.

It’s like a grittier version of AppleSeed, with equally good visuals. If you like the genre, give it a try…

Cheers

Tim…

Street Kings…

I went to see Street Kings at the weekend. In summary, good cops, bad cops and cops that don’t know if they are good or bad.

Keanu Reeves is OK. Forest Whitaker if very over the top, with a few scenes of frantic head wobbling. Not sure what to make of him.

It was OK, but it didn’t exactly change my life. There’s nothing in the film that warrants a big screen viewing, so you might be just as well waiting for the DVD rental.

Cheers

Tim…

SecureFiles in Oracle 11g…

I’ve just posted an article on SecureFiles in Oracle 11g. It looks like Oracle have done a pretty good job of improving LOBs in 11g. Depending on the LOB contents, and provided you can cope with the processing overhead, you can certainly save some serious space using the compression and deduplication options. Anyone who’s used Transparent Data Encryption (TDE) will recognize the encryption options.

I can’t see the old-style (BasicFile) LOBs lasting very long now this is in place. 🙂

Cheers

Tim…

Lords and Ladies and Men at Arms…

My quest to read the Discworld series continues:

Lords and Ladies – This book starts where Witches Abroad finished. This time the witches have to prevent elves returning to the Discworld. Love, marriage, death and elves. What more could you want. 🙂

Men at Arms – I keep reading these books and saying, “This one is my favorite!”, only to read the next and have it become my new favorite, but Mean at Arms is a classic!

Cheers

Tim…

Tablespace Encryption in 11g…

I spent yesterday looking at the Tablespace Encryption feature in Oracle 11g. If you’ve used the Transparent Data Encryption (TDE) feature in 10g release 2, you’ll see this is more of the same. The difference here is eveything in the tablespace is encrypted, rather than having to decide on a column-by-column basis. Just create the appropriate tablespace and Bob’s your uncle!

You may notice the article conveniently side-steps the Hardware Security Modules related functionality. I don’t have one so I can’t test it out. 🙂

For most of the stuff I work on, encrypting all the columns in a table is overkill, but I guess there are some areas where this is a big priority. It’s good to know it’s there in case you ever need it. 🙂

Cheers

Tim…

Lots of good stuff out there…

There’s some good stuff out on the net today:

  • Tom is back and talking about the level of skills in the IT industry. I think we all share his pain. 🙂
  • Mary Ann Davidson has a great piece on security. This links in nicely with what Tom was saying, in so far as it relates to skills with the IT industry, albeit from a security standpoint.
  • Continuing the security theme, Pete Finnigan made some comments on my recent article on fine grained network access controls. I still get a kick out of being mentioned by famous bloggers, even if it is an attempt to keep me on the straight and narrow. Thanks for the heads-up Pete. 🙂
  • Jake from Oracle AppsLab has a piece on the move back to the desktop. I find myself having conversations on this subject so often these days.
  • Finally, David Aldridge is trying to add fuel to a fire. 🙂

Sorry to everyone I didn’t mention. 🙂

Cheers

Tim…

Vodafone roaming charges…

I’ve spent the last few weeks in discussion with Vodafone about what I believe is a scandalous bill for roaming data charges. Vodafone agreed to reduce the bill by 25%, but this still represents daylight robbery.

Fast forward a few weeks and the BBC’s Watchdog program highlighted several cases similar to mine, where people had been charged ridiculous sums of money for trivial amounts of data transfer. All the people mentioned in that program had their bills reduced by 100%.

Vodafone should apply the same discount to all people in the same circumstances, not make a big deal about a couple of high profile cases then exploit the rest of us.

I would like to take this opportunity to pass on a few bits of advise for anyone dealing with Vodafone, or any other mobile phone network for that matter.

  • Do not deal with the regular call center. Go straight for the cancellations department and start your conversation with the phrase, “I want to cancel my contract.” As soon as you do this you will speak to someone who can actually make a decision. Invariably they will offer you something to keep you on your contract. This may be a bill adjustment or a new phone etc. I’m not saying you will get the perfect answer, but it’s a start.
  • Write emails to every consumer show, ombudsman and regulatory body you can. Someone like Watchdog may pick up your case and shame the company into doing the right thing. I’m convinced if I had written to Watchdog one month earlier I would have had my bill reduced to nothing. As it is I’m Billy Anonymous and Vodafone are happy to ignore me.
  • Be as big a pain in the butt as you can. They are exploiting you. The least you can do is give them a hard time about it.
  • Vote with your wallet. Once this whole affair is over I will never put money into Vodafone’s pockets again.

I’m sure all networks are guilty of this sort of behavior, but I can only speak about my experience of Vodafone. After 10+ years of being a satisfied Vodafone customer, I can safely say I think they’ve now dropped off the bottom of my customer satisfaction chart!

Hell hath no fury like a Tim scorned. 🙂

Cheers

Tim…