Local and remote monitoring

PATROL for Oracle can monitor both local and remote instances. Local instances are servers that have a PATROL Agent running on them. Remote instances do not have a PATROL Agent running on the server.

PATROL for Oracle connects to remote instances through Oracle Net from an instance with a PATROL Agent. The SQLPLUS connect string or Service name is defined in the tnsnames.ora file. A remote instance, after configured for monitoring, looks and acts like a local instance to the PATROL console.

Limitations of remote monitoring

Remote monitoring under PATROL for Oracle supports monitoring of the main instances only. The following instances cannot be monitored remotely:

• RAC
• Dataguard
• ASM
• StandBy

However, these instances can be monitored locally. 

Prerequisites for remote monitoring

• The Oracle client SQLPLUS must be installed on the computer that has PATROL Agent installed on it.
• To connect and query the database, the service name specified in tnsnames.ora file must be specified.
• The PATROL for Oracle - remote monitoring package must be installed on the machine that hosts the database.

• An SSH connection from the machine that hosts the PATROL Agent to the machine that hosts the database must be established.
• The JRE must be installed on the PATROL Agent host.
  The variable /OraNetConfig.javaHome must be configured before registering remote host. For example, enter the bin directory path /usr/java.
• The SSH conection user must have a read permission to the Oracle files (alert log files), and full permission to the knowledge module binaries and directories.

Some functions, however, do not work with remote monitoring because of the limitations of the connection. The instance with the PATROL Agent must have a version of the Oracle software that can connect to a remote database.

The following figure shows the relationships between the PATROL console, local instances, and remote instances.

Remote and local servers

Oracle servers with a PATROL Agent

If the server you are monitoring has a PATROL Agent, you can use all the functions and tools contained in PATROL for Oracle.

Oracle servers without a PATROL Agent

PATROL for Oracle monitors Oracle servers without a PATROL Agent through Oracle Net. An Oracle server that is monitored through Oracle Net is called a remote Oracle server. Because a remote server does not have a PATROL Agent, the following menu items are not available for remote Oracle Servers:

• Oracle Server Admin
  • Explain Plan
  • Instance Shutdown
  • Instance Startup
  • Server Manager
  • SQL*Plus
• Reports > Alert Log
  • All Error Messages
  • Enter Search String
  • ORA-006XX Messages
  • Privilege Violations
  • Show Tail 
    
    These menu commands appear (they are not dimmed) for remote Oracle server instances; however, when you use the menu item, an error message appears on the task output window or the screen output window.