Steps to Install profilerpictogram.tff font on OEL5 from command line

I need to install the profilerpictogram.ttf font as I was installed the Method R Profiler 5.2.5.1 on Oracle Enterprise Linux 5. These steps should be fine for almost all types of Linux distros.

Steps to Install profilerpictogram.tff font on OEL5 from command line:

[root@test share]# cd /usr/share/fonts
[root@test fonts]# mkdir ttfonts
[root@test fonts]# cd ttfonts
[root@test ttfonts]# pwd
/usr/share/fonts/ttfonts
[root@test ttfonts]# cd /d01
[root@test d01]# cd profiler/
[root@test profiler]# ls
Method R Profiler 5.2.5.1  Method R Profiler 5.2.5.1.tar
[root@test profiler]# mv "Method R Profiler 5.2.5.1" profiler
[root@test profiler]# ls
Method R Profiler 5.2.5.1.tar  profiler
[root@test profiler]# cd profiler
[root@test profiler]# ls
config.properties  etc  fonts  jlib  P5  p5prof_wrapper  Profiler.sh  vendor
[root@test profiler]# cd fonts
[root@test fonts]# ls
profilerpictogram.ttf
[root@test fonts]# cp profilerpictogram.ttf /usr/share/fonts/ttfonts
[root@test fonts]# cd /usr/share/fonts/ttfonts
[root@test ttfonts]# ls
profilerpictogram.ttf
[root@test ttfonts]# ttmkfdir -o fonts.scale
[root@test ttfonts]# chkfontpath --add /usr/share/fonts/ttfonts/
chkfontpath: error opening /usr/share/fonts/ttfonts/fonts.dir, unwilling to add path
[root@test ttfonts]# mkfontdir
[root@test ttfonts]# chkfontpath --add /usr/share/fonts/ttfonts/
[root@test ttfonts]# /etc/rc.d/init.d/xfs restart
Restarting xfs:
Shutting down xfs:                                         [  OK  ]
Starting xfs:                                              [  OK  ]
[root@test ttfonts]#

That's it.

How to Read public-yum-el5-repo

Yum is an automatic updater and package installer/remover for rpm systems. What it means that if your Linux based system is connected to the Internet, then you can install, upgrade or remove any software from the Yum servers. All the Linux distros come with the Yum client installed.

Oracle maintains a Yum server from where rpms can be downloaded and installed without any hassle and Yum itself resolves any dependencies.

If you have just installed OEL 5 Update 6, and you want to configure YUM, then first you would have to download and configure the YUM repository. In order to know which YUM repository to install for your version, check here.

E.g. I am using Oracle Linux 2.6.18-194.el5 i686, so I would go for the following:

Oracle Linux 5
# cd /etc/yum.repos.d

# wget http://public-yum.oracle.com/public-yum-el5.repo


In public-yum-el5.repo file, there are many entries for the corresponding Linux distros.

As mine is Oracle Linux with Update 6, so I would go for the entry:

[ol5_u6_base]

and would give value 1 to Enabled. Rest all entries are their enabled set to zero.

Then you can run commands like:

$ yum list available to list all the packages available for install

$ yum list installed to list all the installed packages at your system.

For more commands check here.

Also the first time when you run YUM it also installs the gpg key.

Is ADR really Automatic?

Oracle has consolidated the diagnostic information of database under one umbrella called as Automatic Diagnostic Repository (ADR). This repository is XML-based and that opens up new vistas for future Oracle diagnostic tools to manipulate the hierarchical data.

The beauty of ADR is that it cleanly separates out the diagnostic data churned out by different components, like RDBMS and ASM instances have their own corresponding ADR homes. Each ADR home then divides different types of traces and dumps in their corresponding and familiar sub-directories like alert file in alert directory and trace files from background processes, SQL traces etc in trace directories. All these homes corresponds to one ADR base which is set by initialization parameter DIAGNOSTIC_DEST.

ADR also maintains the client side tracing and creates it’s separate home under the same base. If the user accessing the database hasn’t got rights on the ADR base at the OS level, then the trace files are generated in that user’s home directory. In order to disable that give write rights to that user on ADR base at OS level, and if you want to disable the ADR client side tracing, put DIAG_ADR_ENABLED=OFF in sqlnet.ora file at the server.

There is much more the ADR and it needs improvement in many corners like respecting the automatic rotation of files through short and long policies, giving  more control over generation of files, purging and rotation of all the trace files including legacy alert and listener log files, and also containing the huge number of files generated. These problems with ADR doesn’t justify the word ‘Automatic’ in ADR’s name IMHO.

Pakistan's First Oracle ACE, Thank You Oracle

It was surreal and plainly out of this world, when I got to know that I was awarded the Oracle ACE award by Oracle. Oracle also told me that I was the first ever Oracle ACE from Pakistan.

The Oracle ACE program formally recognizes advocates of Oracle technology with strong credentials as evangelists and educators. Oracle ACE recipients are chosen based on their significant contributions and activity in the Oracle technical community.

I was nominated by the dear friend Surachart Opun and Nathan Edmundson. Thank You Friends. 

Thank you Oracle. :)