Oracle SQL Developer on Ubuntu 10.04 and 12

After messing about for a couple of days using folders, SQLPlus and my own sad excuse for code-control, I decided to download Oracle SQL Developer and learn to use it. My big issue though, is that I use Ubuntu Linux on my desktop (Ubuntu 12) and my laptop (Ubuntu 10.04), so it was always going to be an interesting build.

I've put off this installation since moving from Windows as I knew some people had issues with the de-support of the JRE on Ubuntu by Oracle. After messing about using several different web sites and having to change my translations from forum sites (not everyone has English as their first language!) into hard instructions, I finally got it working on my laptop.

I filtered the instructions into a file then ran them against my desktop. I had one small edit and the result is here for you to have.

Let me know if it helps.

Phiz

1. Sign up with Oracle Technical Network and go to download page - http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/developer-tools/sql-developer/downloads/index.html
2. Accept License Agreement
3. Use link Oracle SQL Developer for other platforms (This zip does not include a JDK) for download.
4. Use Ubuntu Software Center and download and install Java (as Oracle no longer provide a JRE for Ubuntu, use java-6-openjdk)
5. Edit the ~/.bash_profile file and include the following two lines:
   export JAVA_HOME=/usr/lib/jvm/java-6-sun
   export PATH=$PATH:$JAVA_HOME/bin
6. Create a directory in home directory to hold the binaries – mine was /home/phiz/sqldeveloper
7. Copy the downloaded file to the new directory
8. Unzip the file in the new directory unzipsqldeveloper-”version_number”-no-jre.zip
9. Change the privs on the directory and files

   $ chmod -R a+rwx sqldeveloper

10. Add the menu bar icon and make sure it works! Enter the following lines at the prompt as they are here:

    cat > sqldeveloper.desktop <<EOF

                 [Desktop Entry]
    

    Exec=/usr/local/SQLDev/sqldeveloper/sqldeveloper.sh %U

    Terminal=false

    StartupNotify=true

    Categories=GNOME;Oracle;

    Type=Application

    Icon=/usr/local/SQLDev/sqldeveloper/icon.png

    Name=Oracle SQL Developer

    EOF

11. Move to the source directory you created earlier:

    $ cd sqldeveloper 

12. Run the startup script
              ./sqldeveloper.sh 
13. At the prompt to add the location of Java I added my install location:
              /usr/lib/jvm/java-1.6.0-openjdk 

Bingo! Now you are running Oracle SQL Developer.

I'd be pleased to have your feedback.

Successful evening at Shropshire LUG, Telford

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Online Backup Services Case Studies

Jumbo is pleased to announce that case studies for their new Asigra based online backup services are now available for download. No logins required so please feel free to browse!

Latest press release - Jumbo's new online backup services

Keeping in line with our ethos of "Getting better for less from your IT environment", Jumbo's new online backup services provide fast and configurable management allowing backups as required and swift recovery. Please see latest press release about online backup services.

Whitepaper - Basics for Database Technology - Backup and Recovery

The second whitpaper in Phiz's series is now available for download. Based on true stories, it illustrates how essential it is to business not only to be able to backup but also to be able restore efficiently. Read now...

It is fundamental to today's IT driven world that data is saved to backup from where it can be restored should anything go wrong. Many businesses small and large have thrived from the massive industry that now exists in order to fulfil the needs of the ever-increasing data load to be backed up.

Be sure to get your comments back to Phiz through posting your comments below.

Our latest whitepapers can be found on Jumbo IT Services website or by clicking the whitepapers tab opposite.

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Probably we’ve all, at some point in time, had to take part in an emergency drill. The inconvenient fire drill, the lifeboat drill or the restore from backup (I hope you have all practised this one).

What’s wrong with emergency drills? Well almost without exception there is one thing missing;

THE EMERGENCY!

We all react differently to situations and when we are practising in a controlled manner, some of us tend to do things correctly, while others are rather blasé about the whole thing and yet others do it because they have to but believe it will never happen to them.

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David Phizacklea presenting at UKOUG Availability Infrastructure and Management SIG
14 March 2012, London City Oracle Office.

These days it is taken as read that backup procedures are in place and working. It is a growing area of concern for both enterprise and small business as these procedures are often overlooked and neglected.The talk will include discussion on how tighter service level agreement contracts and high availability implementations on virtual machines should be configured. He will also run through an SLA backup plan and proposes to recover an Oracle database system hosted on a virtual server. More information



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Why do we have to spend our time checking that everything is working as it should be?

I guess these traits come from the approach of not assuming anything and the need to verify everything.

It’s curious to draw comparisons between different aspects of our desire to implement the belt and braces approach and to trust that things are working until you are told there is a problem.

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Someone once said to me that the best safety device they could install in a car would be an 8 inch spike sticking out of the middle of the steering wheel. It would certainly make sure that we all took a lot more care over our driving and left enough distance to stop!

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This document is not intended to be a full technical white paper on backup and recovery of computer systems, but an overview document that it is hoped the layman can understand. Please do not take it as the “law” for backing up your system(s) or use it to bash someone who has tried to help you and not fulfilled your every desire – enjoy it for what it is and use it as a template to get you on the right road to “recovery”.

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You know I’ve just invented this device – its round, has a small hole in the middle and works really well if you put two of them together connected by a pole. I’ll call it the wheel – what’s that? Someone’s already thought of it!!

How many times do we reinvent the same solution to a problem? How many times do we not communicate that we have developed a solution? How many times are solutions not shared?

If you were to sit down and work out the cost of the effort wasted in poor management of the tools developed and the procedures implemented in the management of an organisation’s database estate, the chances are you would be pretty concerned about the impact on your operational budget.

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We’ve been attending a few conferences lately focused on the current government initiative “Better for Less” and had plenty of discussions with prospective clients. The predominant theme is, as a tax payer myself, very welcome. Public sector departments and organisations are being actively encouraged to make smarter procurements and to look for the best value from all sources with a particular emphasis on the innovative solutions that can be procured through SME’s at a local level. Great for UK PLC and for us as citizens.

For far too long, in my opinion, the procurement function of the public sector has been dominated by inflexible framework agreements and only been assailable by the large systems houses. Any scraps from the table have been generally given to preferred partners and the contracts associated with delivery so challenging as to deter all but the most desperate and those who want the business at any cost.

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dbWatch product review on Linkedin: Don't forget to follow our company pages on Linkedin

Independent dbWatch Product Review

Below is a quote from the conclusion of an independent product review carried out by sql-server-performance.com. Visit http://goo.gl/2wnYT for the in-depth report.

"dbWatch is a highly interesting monitoring tool for all those of us who work in a heterogeneous database environment. It offers most of the common monitoring features for the supported platforms right out of the box using platform-targeted code. The shipped code can be extended and customised in almost any way you like. You can seamlessly integrate all the monitoring code you are currently using by adding new tasks and alerts. With dbWatch it is possible to unify and standardise monitoring across different platforms. The very powerful reporting engine makes it really easy to create meaningful reports that are “management-compatible”. The open plugin architecture offers the chance to integrate dbWatch seamlessly into an existing infrastructure. If you have a need for such a monitoring tool, make sure you try dbWatch. It could very well be that it is the tool you are looking for."

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