Configure SAM to monitor Oracle database servers

The following templates use the Oracle User Experience Monitor to assess the status and performance of Oracle databases:

• Oracle Automatic Storage Management
• Oracle Database
• Oracle Real Application Cluster (RAC)

The Oracle User Experience Monitor does not support polling via SolarWinds Platform Remote Collectors.

To support the Oracle User Experience Monitor, install one of the following drivers on the SolarWinds Platform server and any Additional Polling Engines (APEs) in your environment:

• Oracle Data Provider for .NET (ODP.NET), or
• Oracle Instant Client

Note the following details about these drivers:

• Both are provided by Oracle (© 2020, available at oracle.com, obtained on December 31, 2020). Registration is required, but free.
• Before installing Oracle drivers, remove any installations of the legacy Basic Lite Client used by earlier SAM versions.
• (Recommended) Install all driver components.
• Make sure the driver is supported by the Oracle databases that will be monitored.
• On systems that host the SolarWinds Platform agent for Linux, you may need to install and configure ODBC. See Linux configurations for component monitors.

Install the Oracle Client on SolarWinds Platform server and APEs

Follow these steps to install the Oracle Instant Client that replaces the legacy Basic Lite Client:

1. Log in to the SolarWinds Platform server.

2. Check for a legacy Oracle Client and remove it, if necessary.

3. Download and install the Oracle Instant Client, if you have not already done so.

4. Copy the extracted files from installation directory of the Instant Client and paste into the C:\Program Files (x86)\SolarWinds\Orion directory, or the C:\Program Files\SolarWinds\Orion directory.

5. On the Edit Application Monitor or the Edit Application Monitor Template page, set the Oracle Driver type to Microsoft .NET Data Provider.

6. If you downloaded a 64-bit Instant Client, edit the Application Monitor or the Application Monitor Template properties to set the Platform to run polling job on field, under Advanced, to 64-bit.
7. Repeat these steps to install the Oracle Client on APEs, if necessary.
8. Configure accounts and permissions, as described next.

To learn more about monitoring Oracle servers with SAM, see:

• Oracle User Experience Monitor Component (SolarWinds Lab Bits video)
• Monitor the ODBC connection between Oracle and another server (Success Center)
• Monitor Those Hard to Reach Places: Linux, MySQL, Oracle, Java and More (THWACK)
• Use the SAM Oracle Database template and Oracle User Experience monitor without ODBC (Success Center)
• Oracle WebLogic (JMX) template

Configure accounts and permissions

Account requirements to monitor Oracle database servers with SAM include:

• The SolarWinds Platform account running SolarWinds Platform services has Full Control privileges for files in the following default folder:
  <Installation Directory>\SolarWinds\Orion.
• Oracle server credentials have Read access to the following Oracle views:
  • dba_free_space
  • v$sysstat
  • v$rowcache
  • v$librarycache
  • v$sgastat
  • v$session

Individual SAM templates may have additional account requirements, as described in:

• Oracle Automatic Storage Management
• Oracle Database
• Oracle Real Application Cluster (RAC)

If messages such as: Table or view doesn't exist appear, check permissions for Oracle accounts used to run SQL statements, as defined in the Oracle User Experience Monitor.

Remove the legacy Basic Lite Client

If your environment includes existing installations of the legacy Basic Lite Client provided by SolarWinds for earlier versions of SAM (for example, SAM 6.3), follow these steps to remove them before installing the latest Oracle drivers.

1. Log in to the SolarWinds Platform server.
2. Use the SolarWinds Platform Service Manager to stop SolarWinds Platform services.

3. In File Explorer, navigate to the default installation folder:

   <Installation Directory>\Solarwinds\Orion\APM\OracleClient.

4. Delete SolarWinds Platform Client files.
5. Repeat these steps for each APE in your environment.