14.6. Exam Essentials

Understand how to secure the listener. Be aware of the security issues that affect the listener and how to address them. Understand the methods that can be used to set a password on the listener. Be aware of valid node checking and how it is used. Know the methods for securing the new listener by limiting the libraries that it can access and by executing the process from an account with minimal operating system privileges. Know the other methods for securing the listener such as applying patches, blocking SQL*NET traffic, and so on.

Be able to remove a default EXTPROC entry and add a separate listener to handle external procedure calls. Understand the purpose of external process services. Know how to remove the default external process services from the listener. Be able to add a separate listener to handle external process requests.

Know how to use the alert log and database trace files for diagnostic purposes. Understand the use of the alert log and the types of information that it contains. Know that startup and shutdown operations are logged in detail to the alert log. Know how to view the alert log through multiple methods, including EM Database Control.

Be able to view alerts using Enterprise Manager. Be aware of the metrics and thresholds established for the alert log. Know how to view server-generated alerts in EM Database Control.

Describe how to control the size and location of trace files. Know the difference between background session trace files and user session trace files. Understand both the BACKGROUND_DUMP_DEST and USER_DUMP_DEST parameters used to control the location of trace files. Be aware of the MAX_DUMP_FILE_SIZE parameter to control sizing of trace files. Know how to append identifying text to trace file names for user session trace files.

Be able to implement Automatic Shared Memory Management. Understand how Oracle uses memory. Know the structures in the SGA. Understand which SGA components are automatically sized by ASMM and which remain manually sized. Know how initialization parameters are interpreted in conjunction with ASMM, both for manually sized components and automatically sized components. Know how to enable ASMM.

Know how to manually configure SGA parameters for various memory components in the SGA. Understand which SGA structures are manually sized. Be aware of how to size them using initialization parameters. Know how the use of initialization parameters may affect automatically sized components.

Describe how to use Automatic PGA Memory Management. Be aware of PGA memory structures and their purpose. Understand APMM and how it is configured. Be aware of the initialization parameters that affect PGA memory. Know how APMM can be overridden.