As Published In May/June 2005

Making It Consistent
By Blair Campbell

Three peers discuss the benefits of standardizing environments and systems.

Vladimir Zelinski

Peer Specs Company: Accela Communications, a producer of on-demand Webcasts and Web response management tools Job Title/Description: Lead Web developer/database administrator, responsible for all Oracle database issues Location: Southborough, Massachusetts Oracle Credentials: Oracle-certified DBA (Oracle9i) with seven years of experience using Oracle products

How did you get started in IT? Initially, I started using computers to process experimental data and process simulation in the mechanical engineering field. I began working exclusively in IT after moving to the U.S. in 1994.

What's your favorite tool or technique? One technique that I've found very useful is the creation of the same environment on every machine containing the database. I have a shell script that is executed from my .profile, and it sets a uniform environment. For instance, in order to edit the init.ora file, I just need to type vi $FINI, and I can get the file without memorizing its actual location. I set up environmental variables for a dozen of the most-used files and directories of Oracle software and can easily navigate through them.

Do you have a favorite vacation spot? I don't have a specific place, but I love the ocean. I grew up on the coast of the Black Sea, so seeing the open water, breathing the fresh salt air, and hearing the seagulls are essential parts of my life.

Sam Khopkar

Peer Specs Company: Dell Professional Services Job Title/Description: Technical lead, specializing in Java/Linux/Oracle solutions, and responsible for consulting engagements, technology direction, and managing the technical team Location: Chicago, Illinois Length of time using Oracle products: On and off for 17 years

If you could add or change an Oracle feature, what would it be? Support for automatic generation of Java portlets, using templates that are similar to creating PL/SQL portlets with PL/SQL Generator. I'd also provide recommended sample templates for Oracle Application Server 10g high-availability configurations.

Please expand on the new features of Oracle Database 10g that you find valuable. Corporations are always looking for ROI [return on investment] with their IT investments. Oracle Database 10g in a RAC [Real Application Clusters] configuration on Dell PowerEdge servers running Linux provides a terrific combination—the performance is outstanding without compromising reliability. Oracle Application Server 10g provides an all-encompassing, highly available and scalable grid computing environment for hosting J2EE applications, portals, a common identity management infrastructure, and an industrial-strength back-end database. And Oracle Database 10g has a phenomenal self-management infrastructure and support for ultralarge data warehouses.

How do you use wireless technologies? I've developed several wireless products for online stock and mutual fund trading on BlackBerry devices and for enterprise database management on Pocket PCs and Palms.

Kenny Smith

Peer Specs Company: Cnetics, an Oracle partner providing Oracle RAC services on HP and other vendor hardware Job Title: Director of Oracle consulting Location: Atlanta, Georgia Oracle Credentials: Oracle-certified DBA (Oracle9i) with 14 years of experience using Oracle products

What do you like best about your job? I like to make other people's jobs less tedious. I remember working with several clerks who were in charge of tracking coal shipments via railcar to a power plant. Each day they had to read faxes of railcar waybills and type the data into a database. This took hours, because each coal shipment consisted of dozens of railcars, so we built them a system that automatically imported railcar data electronically into an Oracle database.

Tell us about your work in developing Oracle Database security practices. Many organizations focus their protection effort on the campus perimeter—firewalls and network—giving less attention to protecting the core information systems inside the perimeter. I've been focusing my efforts on protecting the database systems that must be ready for business and available only for business. Oracle has loads of capabilities to help secure the data—I'm excited about its unique database clustering option, and our company has created portable prototype systems that clients can use to give Oracle Real Application Clusters a try.