Guiding principles for new technologies and database servers

It seems like every day there is a new technology that touches database servers - just today I've discussed : Containers, Kubernetes , Database as a service , automation, paving,PAS, open-source, DevOps , Puppet, managing policies,multi-vendor cloud providers. Some of these I can discuss confidently , others not so much , but this is the sort of complexity DBAs are asked to comprehend \advise \ make decisions. Some of my guiding principles in all these conversations is to understand from a organisational and technology perspective how it all fits together 1) All technologies must be viewed in the context of... Read more →

Query VMWare vCenter VCDB database for guest power state = OFF

Question: I want to identify virtual machines which are powered off. What query can I run which will return the full list of virtual machines within a VMWare vCenter database where the power state = OFF. Answer: It is possible to return the recordset by querying the database. Find a sample query executed on a vcDB database. The query includes some extra information , which you may find useful . The key column is the POWER_STATE column in the vpxv_vms table. There are different potential power states for a virtual machine . Possible values are off, on, and suspend SELECT... Read more →

Separating the Application and Database server

“I have a new product we need to install. The vendor documentation supports both co-located application and database server , and also remote access to the database server” This sort of comment is standard amongst product documentation. As a DBA I need to review and ensure the product implementation is in line with the organisation standards and the standardisation standards required in managing large amounts of servers. Consolidate.Data Center Migration.Cloud Computing.VM Disaster Recovery , these are some of the background themes when establishing an approach to managing a database server environment. We’re in the age of Server consolidation and services... Read more →

SQL Query to check Vmware cpu and memory overcommit

When reviewing ESX clusters and VM guests it’s important to understand the levels of memory and cpu commitment levels. For example, you may have a cluster with 3 hosts and 15 guests. Understanding the host capacity and resource requirements of the VM guests , will assist in sizing and capacity planning exercises. This query was passed to me by a colleague – but it’s one I use regularly use VMware_DB go SELECT DISTINCT VPH.NAME AS [HOST_NAME] , CPU_COUNT , CPU_CORE_COUNT , CPU_THREAD_COUNT , SUM(CASE WHEN VPG.POWER_STATE = N'On' THEN VPG.NUM_VCPU ELSE 0 END) AS VM_VCPU_ACTIVE , CAST(SUM(CASE WHEN VPG.POWER_STATE =... Read more →

How to find VMWare ESX Host event messages using VPXV_EVENTS

Question: I’m trying to collate some VM error alerts for a server outage. As well as OS and SQL Server logs I need to find any event logging for ESX hosts. I’m looking to execute a query on the VCDB database with some date range parameters and a ESX host parameter. Answer: In VMWare 5.5 it is possible to query the VCDB database Views. There is a wealth of information in these SQL Views. As well as host information such as configurations and other met , there is detailed logging for historical statistics and event logging Find the Virtual Centre... Read more →