Which Operating System

[milesc3]

Hello to all, I'm a newbie to this forum; but have been lurking here for some time and have the greatest respect for the expertise of the membership here.

I've been a DBA, Analyst, and Developer of a healthcare related documentation system based on Oracle running in the AIX Unix environment for the last 4 years. I've decided to pursue Oracle certification (OCP) and have a few questions for the membership:

1. Would I be better off to do my training with a Linux (Suse 8.2)based installation of Oracle or a Windows 2000 based installation?

2. What texts would you recommend for study? I've read both pro and con about the texts published by Oracle.

3. How much memory does the Enterprise version of Oracle require in a) Linux and b) Windows for fast efficient operation?

4. Is a 2.4 GB P4 (non HT)adequate for the task in either operating system.

Thanks in advance for any and all advice!!!

[SANJAY_G]

Welcome to the forum Miles..

Originally posted by milesc3
1. Would I be better off to do my training with a Linux (Suse 8.2)based installation of Oracle or a Windows 2000 based installation?

It doesn't matter which OS do you use for Installing and Practising Oracle. OCP exams do not have any OS specific questions in general. Install on any OS you love and practise.

2. What texts would you recommend for study? I've read both pro and con about the texts published by Oracle.

I would recommend Oracle Documentation and ILT manuals if you can get it otherwise refer to Sybex or Oracle Press books.

3. How much memory does the Enterprise version of Oracle require in a) Linux and b) Windows for fast efficient operation?

You can install even on 128M PC but if you have more RAM better.

4. Is a 2.4 GB P4 (non HT)adequate for the task in either operating system.

More than enough.

Have fun with Oracle..

[Tarry]

Miles,
don't get me wrong here.

You said...

I've been a DBA, Analyst, and Developer of a healthcare related documentation system based on Oracle running in the AIX Unix environment for the last 4 years.

That would have given you enough time to get curious about all these issues(I mean the technical issues - memory,processor,hardware,software requirements). If you lack that curiosity then getting an OCP and/or being a dba is of little/no use.

[stecal]

For real.

[milesc3]

Originally posted by Tarry
Miles,
don't get me wrong here.

You said...

That would have given you enough time to get curious about all these issues(I mean the technical issues - memory,processor,hardware,software requirements). If you lack that curiosity then getting an OCP and/or being a dba is of little/no use.

Reading my post in retrospect I would have to agree with you Tarry...so let me attempt to clarify, my activities heretofore have been limited to the scope of the software that we built for my hospital, only recently have we been allowed to actually delve into the workings of Oracle itself. Prior to this there was a clear delineation of roles and we had Oracle DBA's to handle all of the Oracle specific related issues on the 20+ RISC servers that ran the application, our job (my team) was to administrate, build, teach, and disemminate the product to over 4,000 users.

Also for three of the four years I was a part-time member of the team while managing a department of my own of 90 people and administrating a Microsoft SQL based documentation system for that department coupled with a wireless LAN. I've been full-time on the team for less than a year, thus my interest was peaked by learning more and more about Oracle to the point I wanted to pursue it specifically. Hope this explanation clarifies my meager attempts above

My background is professional/medical but my hobby for the last sixteen years has been computers and now it's my full-time profession...I've developed or helped to develop databases in Microsoft SQL, Access, Paradox, Foxpro, and Dbase (yeah I'm an older fart). My studies prior now had been in the area of networking and I now see that databases are the best venue for me to pursue.

Also, I knew the basics with regard to Oracle's specs for Windows and Linux when I posed the question, but I was hoping to gain some insight from this group that only experience such as most of you possess would glean.

[milesc3]

Originally posted by SANJAY_G
Welcome to the forum Miles..

It doesn't matter which OS do you use for Installing and Practising Oracle. OCP exams do not have any OS specific questions in general. Install on any OS you love and practise.


I would recommend Oracle Documentation and ILT manuals if you can get it otherwise refer to Sybex or Oracle Press books.


You can install even on 128M PC but if you have more RAM better.


More than enough.

Have fun with Oracle.. [/B]

Thanks for the welcome and the useful information SANJAY_G...I sincerely appreciate it

[Tarry]

Miles,

Good that you clarified all that. Stay with dbasupport.com forum, it's the best there is.

Get curious , download the software from http://otn.oracle.com/software/content.html and configure it on your platform.

Manuals are excellent (html and pdf's) http://otn.oracle.com/docs/products/...v/docindex.htm (it's far far superior that that bol crap from sqlserver..)

Forums:
Visit frequently

http://asktom.oracle.com
http://www.ixora.com.au/
http://www.jlcomp.demon.co.uk/
and ofcourse this discussion forum.
There are a lot of useful resources out there but I'll leave it to you to start discovering them gradually.

For your ocp it's smart to chalk out a plan , so get started by downloading the ocp requirements pdf. print it out and use it as a checksheet to assess your skill level. http://www.oracle.com/education/cert...dba9i_ocp.html(you'll need to attend an oracle class for 9i path).

ILT + stssoftware is indeed more than enough to pass your exams but you'd want to use this time also to get to know your oracle database better.

PS: About machine, get a box with sufficient memory(I have 1G as I also run the dev. software 8i,9i,9ias etc ..but keep 512 as a minimun requirement), speed 2.4 is good(but if i were you i'd be very curious about the 3.06G or more , hyperthreading processor i845PE or i845GE, when i was buying my laptop it cost some 800$..that's too much but the price may have come down now considerably). Get enough space on your hard drive(these days 120G is peanuts, I also saw recently that 1TB harddrive was in development..cool,target for my next box)
I think a box with 120G harddrive, 1G memory and 2.4G processor won't cost more than 1700-1800$(laptop around 2500$). That's a good box and you can try everything there.

BTW: My previous post was in no way to discourage you, curiosity will help you enormously in the long run.


All the best.

[milesc3]

BTW: My previous post was in no way to discourage you, curiosity will help you enormously in the long run.

I didn't take it that way at all, we're all a bit protective of our turf and only want those that will be able help the field grow and prosper to enter it.

Thanks so very much for all the wonderful information and the links to the sites, that's exactly what I was looking for!!!

I have recently built two new boxes just for this purpose: 1) Intel D845PEBT2 (845PE chipset) with a 2.4 P4B, 512M of Corsair Ram,plus 160 GB's (2-80GB) of disk space; and 2) Intel D875PBZ (875PE chipset) with a 2.8 P4C (HT processor), 1GB of Mushkin Black (2 x 512)RAM, plus 180 GB's (100GB + 80GB) of disk space.

You're also very right about curiosity!!! We wouldn'te be where we are today in computing without it!

Thanks Again!!!

[Tarry]

You're welcome, Miles.

Any problems(however naive they might seem) just post them here and I'm sure all the pro's here will be happy to lend a hand.