Oracle9i Unix Administration Handbook

First, I would like to strongly disagree with one negative reviewer who claims this book contains many technical errors including the one comparing Unix and DOS commands. I have found the book contains virtually no technical errors. If you are a ORACLE DBA who isn't too familiar with Unix or Linux, this is a very worthwhile book to read. Although it is not meant to make anyone a Unix\Linux guru, it is intended for the Oracle DBA who may lack fundamental competency in Unix\Linux. This book provides: 1)Unix Architecture and basic Unix syntax 2)monitoring Unix (CPU, Disk, Memory) 3)Network management in Unix (weakest portion of the book) 4)Interaction between Oracle and Unix server(could have been more comprehensive) 5)Unix Admninistration for the Oracle DBA( file, task, and profile management etc). 6)Many useful Korn Shell scripts (and how to create them) for ORACLE DBAs. If you already have medium to strong understanding of Unix\Linux, I recommend a book which is more focused on Unix\Linux to gain better mastery of the operating system.

I have a whole shelf of Oracle books and I can tell by the fraying the ones that I actually use regularly to solve problems.The book is well organized and has become a nice way for me to remember Unix commands. I also used the scripts successfully and I'm quite happy with the book.

Excellent content, concepts and depth of knowledge. The author explains Oracle as it pertains to AIX, HP and Solaris. There are also many ready to run scripts to help monitor and tune a system. It even shows how to extend STATSPACK.

I support Oracle 8i and 9i on Windows, HP-UNIX, Solaris and LINUX. This book has become my only UNIX reference. It not only explains how to interact with UNIX but also details the differences between the different major UNIX dialects. The focus is not on tuning Oracle so much as establishing and monitoring the UNIX platform to support an Oracle Database. The author explains UNIX administration from a DBA's point of view and details those commands a DBA needs to understand to insure that Oracle operates optimally in the UNIX environment. The scripts allow a DBA to proactively monitor UNIX and anticipate problems. If you are looking for a book on installing UNIX this is not it. If you are a DBA supporting Oracle in a UNIX environment you should always have this book close at hand.

Usually I never buy Oracle Press Books simple because in the past the books told you how Oracle "Should" work... not how it actually "Does". So I was extremely weary when a fellow Oracle DBA recommended this book to me. This book has radically changed my view on Oracle Press Publications (yes, some are worth the money). This is a very interesting read for any Unix DBA, full of comprehensive explanations and diagrams on the way in which Oracle interacts with the Unix server. There are many detailed Unix Scripts to help you monitor your instances, which can be run via Statspack (dbms_job) and/or via the Unix cron. There is additional information on some more complicated UNIX commands, and copious small tips and tricks that will help in everyday Database Administration tasks. The book also covers commands for all different Unix environments Solaris, HP-UX, Tru64, AIX etc and help you interpret results from vmstat, sar and other Unix admin utilities.The only issues I have with the book a few simple errors and a small number of spelling mistakes. Apart from these minor blemishes, I'd have no hesitation recommending this publication to fellow Unix based DBAs.