Lab128 Frequently Asked Questions.

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General Information

What is Lab128?
Lab128 is a tool for the Oracle tuning and performance troubleshooting. It has a set of unique features that makes it indispensable for solving the most difficult performance problems. Lab128 is for Oracle DBAs, Oracle performance analysts and senior developers. For more information see the next question in the FAQ or visit "Lab128 Overview" page. A 30-day trial version is available for your evaluation.

Why do I need Lab128?
Most often, someone turns to Oracle tools when the database is experiencing performance problems. Lab128 helps to collect the needed data to find the solution.

When the database application is going through development or extensive changes, DBAs and senior developers need to monitor and constantly assess the impact of changes on database performance. Lab128 provides an extensive picture of Oracle functioning in the most finest details.

You have a performance problem striking intermittently or on a regular basis. You need to gather as much performance data as possible during the next problem occurence, including the time preceding the problem. Lab128 stores collected data compressed, providing hours, days, or weeks of history with the finest time resolution.

You need to monitor a specific statistic but all canned tools don't include it. Lab128 allows you to add your own performance query and enjoy benefits of storing and analyzing it along with all other collected data.

You need to define your own ratios and use them in the analysis. Lab128 uses time series expressions to access collected data and allows you to expand the set of statistics by defining your own expressions.

You need a better understanding of presented charts, graphs and numbers to have more control on decision making, but many canned tools don't want you to have a peek at what they do. Lab128 discloses the sources of presented data and explains the concept of internal processing.

You are looking for a tool that is easy to install, lean, blazingly fast, and with smallest impact on the monitored Oracle instance. Just copy Lab128 executable and run it - no agents or code installed on the Oracle server. Lab128 is a multithreaded, high-performance application. It runs simple queries against Oracle to collect data and then does joins, aggregations and other processing internally, offloading the monitored instance from unnecessary work.

Lab128 creates an easy to use and ergonomic monitoring environment, addressing the needs, from basic exploring to the most advanced issues of Oracle tuning.

How much Oracle experience should I have to run Lab128?
We believe that Lab128 is a great learning tool. Every DBA, who wants to advance to a senior level, needs to master v$ views. Many tools are fencing users from learning the details on how the performance data is collected. This may not be a problem for seasoned veterans since they have a good understanding where this information came from and what it means. But for the beginners, it is an unfilled gap. Lab128 fills this gap by explaining the origin of all data. Each statistic's formula can be examined. The collected data can be browsed both at high level (statistics, including derived ones) and low level (v$ views, column and row level). The open architecture of Lab128 allows for adding new v$ views and defining new statistics. This will please both determined beginners and the most experienced gurus.

How does Lab128 compare to competing tools?
There are a number of high-profile tools such as Quest's Spotlight, CA's Unicenter, Emercadero's Performance Center and others. Lab128 is best compared to Quest's Spotlight. As with other tools, Lab128 provides real-time monitoring and collection of historical performance data. Unlike other tools, Lab128 doesn't provide active monitoring because it doesn't have the alerting mechanism. On the other hand, Lab128 is designed for performance troubleshooting and it does this task much better than any of the aforementioned tools. Lab128 digs into performance data deeper and it collects more statistics with higher time resolution. In fact, it collects about 10 times more Oracle statistics than any other tool and has a very efficient engine to analyze and present this tremendous amount of data. There are number of unique features facilitating new and powerful tuning opportunities.

Lab128 is a relatively new and emerging product. It is priced very aggressively. Typically, it costs 6-8 times less than the competing big name products. If you need active monitoring and don't need much in the way of tuning, then you should stick with the old products. If you are serious about Oracle efficiency, or if you need to be on the cutting edge, then Lab128 is for you.
(See also How does Lab128 compare to Oracle Enterprise Manager 10g (OEM)?)

What makes Lab128 a unique tool?
Here are some unique features:

Captures all statistics originated from v$sysstat, v$system_event, v$filestat, v$rollstat, v$latch, and many more. That's more than 1,500 statistics (10gR2), each recorded with 6-12 seconds between points;
Active Session History (ASH) is implemented internally and provides a higher collection rate than Oracle's 10g native ASH. Lab128 also supports ASH for 8i and 9i;
SQL statistics are collected from v$sql, providing a basis for a new and very powerful troubleshooting technique;
Buffer Explorer provides dimensional analysis of the buffer cache;
New queries can be added to collect more statistics;
New derived statistics can be added;
Correlation analysis between statistics is available.

How does Lab128 compare to Oracle Enterprise Manager 10g (OEM)?
First we should clarify what OEM (also known as EM) is. OEM has been morphing over time from a collection of Windows applications to Java applications and now into an all-HTML-based web application. These days, OEM is represented by two flavors: Database Control and Grid Control (GC). Both have very similar user interfaces (UI) and both use the agents referred to as Oracle Management Agents (OMA). The agents run as autonomous proxy processes on a managed node and perform execution and monitoring tasks for OEM, communicating using the Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP or HTTPS). In some cases, Database Control is installed by default, having all components running on the same node where Oracle server in installed. Unlike Database Control, Grid Control is a centralized solution; it needs other two components - Oracle Management Server (OMS) and Oracle Management Repository (OMR). The Management Server is based on Oracle Application Server technology. The OMS pulls information from the Agents and aggregates the collections into the Repository. The OMS also acts as the UI by generating web-pages for database administrators to view the status of systems and services. The Management Repository is an Oracle Database Enterprise Edition (EE), which can optionally be setup as a RAC. This GC setup sounds like overkill if you have only few databases. From user feedback, it seems that most GC installations occur when the number of managed instances/databases exceeds 5-10.

A major portion of GC is free, including Oracle Application Server, Oracle database EE (when both used specifically for OEM), and the Agent functionality used to administer and manage Oracle Database, clusterware, OS-level monitoring, and so on. Moreover, Oracle Corporation currently publishes OMA API, making possible the development of the OMA plug-ins for non-Oracle software. This entire framework can be used for free for a corporate-level IT monitoring project.

Starting with Oracle 10g, Oracle Corporation provides 14 additional plug-ins (packs) to OMA which are not free and require separate licensing. By default, upon installation, the OMA enables several packs (Diagnostics, Performance & Tuning, Change Management, and Configuration Management) without any regard a customer's licenses. In 11g R2, this has been changed; the database administrator needs to enable this premium functionality explicitly by setting the initialization parameter.

When trying to compare OEM to other products, one should be aware of the free and premium components of OEM. So, how does Lab128 compare to Oracle Enterprise Manager? Speaking about Grid Control's free framework and Agent's free functionality, they nicely complement each other. Despite the challenges of setting up GC and keeping it up-to-date, we strongly recommend it. Once installed, it has good value for database administrators and has the scalability to handle dozens of databases. It has a sophisticated alert-propagation engine and it keeps track of installed software. GC is invaluable for managing RAC: it can handle ASM, clusterware, services, etc. And it's free. The OEM can detect and alert ongoing performance problems, but it does so at macro level. When it comes to finer levels of details, it shows a lack of functionality. This is, supposedly, where the premium packs should take over. Lab128 shines in this area - it is a performance troubleshooting tool. Once you learn that the instance is having a problem, you can switch to Lab128 and continue troubleshooting in this tool. In general, Lab128 competes with the Oracle Diagnostic and Tuning packs. It is difficult to compare it with the packs, because Lab128 pursues a very different philosophy in both the approach to troubleshooting and the user interface. Even in areas of similar functionality, you can monitor and explore performance data in the OEM premium packs, but doing the same in Lab128 is simpler, faster, and more informative, eventually saving you time and effort. There is also a large area of performance troubleshooting that is unique to Lab128 and not covered by OEM. (See also What makes Lab128 a unique tool?) Lab128 also has a more extensive implementation of ASH and AWR, providing a much higher resolution of recorded data. Try both tools and you will see the difference. If you don't like the limitations of the HTML interface in OEM, you will likely prefer Lab128. If you find OEM is still shallow and sloppy in collecting and presenting performance data, Lab128 is probably for you. Hey, did we mention OEM premium packs cost a bunch of green when compared to Lab128?

What are the System requirements for Lab128?

CPU: 586-compatible or later (Intel, AMD etc.);
1024 x 768 monitor or better. Lab128 presents a lot of graphical information and a monitor with high number of pixels is suggested;
MS Windows NT, 2000, XP, Vista, Windows 7;
Oracle Client software with Oracle Call Interface (OCI) installed (OCI is installed by default for all latest Oracle clients). Oracle client version 10g Release 2 (10.2.x.x) is highly recommended because it is the best client Oracle ever released with many bugs fixed. This client version is compatible and supports server versions starting with 8.1.7. Also see Oracle client-related question;
Oracle Database Server, versions supported: 8, 8i, 9i, 10g, 11g.

Versions of Oracle Database Server supported by Lab128.
Oracle Database Server, versions supported: 8, 8i, 9i, 10g, 11g.

Can I make suggestions for the future versions?
Absolutely. You can vote for new features and provide your feedback using this link. Also visit Lab128 Forum. Or send us e-mail message to support AT lab128.com

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Can I get a notification message when a new version is released?
Yes. When you request a trial key, you will have a chance to opt in for the future notification. When you purchase a license, your e-mail address is automatically added to the mailing list for such notifications. You may opt out later if you want your e-mail address removed from the list. See more about our Privacy Policy.

Licensing Lab128.

How much does Lab128 cost?
Lab128's feature set exceeds many commercial products, at a fraction of their cost. If compared with Oracle OEM, Quest Spotlight for Oracle, CA Unicenter, Lab128 costs only about 10-15% of their cost for the average setup and even less for the large Oracle servers. Press here to see Lab128 pricing: License Types and Costs.

What are the limitations of the trial version?
The trial version is not limited in any way in terms of functionality. The trial version is limited by the time you can use it - 30 days since the day when the trial authorization key was issued.

How much does it cost to upgrade to the future versions?
You will be entitled to receive free upgrades for one year after the purchase date. After that, you can upgrade to a new version for 50% of the nominal price.

Is there a volume discount available?
In most cases not. We are trying to keep operational overhead at minimum preferring automated purchasing at the fixed price. We are sharing these savings with you in the form of lower price. At the same time we recognize that purchasing decision in your organization may depend on established practicies. If you have doubts, please send as a message.

Can I "earn" a free copy?
Possibly, although we do not promise anything. If you like Lab128 and have a genuine interest in improving the program, send us feedback. Tell us what you want to see in the future releases, what you don't like, and what you find as confusing. We are really interested in the collaboration and will appreciate your help.

Technical Questions.

How do I get the best results with 1024x768 screen resolution?
We suggest turning off the Toolbar and Taskbar: Main menu: Options | Lab128 Options - uncheck "Show Toolbar" and "Show Taskbar" boxes. This will increase the space available for the application.

I changed the refresh rate in the Sessions window, but the locks data is updated with a different rate. Why? How can I change it?
There are independent queries running at their own rate to v$session, v$sesstat, v$lock, v$session_longops, v$session_wait views that provide data to the Session screen. The application makes all necessary joins and refreshes data as soon as it becomes available. The refresh rate on the Sessions window controls only the v$session query. If you need to change the rate of other queries, open the Query Editor: Main menu: Measurements | Edit Query; uncheck "User Defined only" and "Time Series only" boxes; locate the query in the table; edit the value in the "Time Between Measurements" box; click "Save Changes". If you need to disable the query, type 'disable' in the "Time Between Measurements" box; click "Save Changes".

The same is true for other pages. To find a list of queries feeding the screen, see the Help (F1) for that screen.

How do I group graphical charts from different places into one window?
In the Main window, click on a graphical chart. It should open the Detailed Chart window (#1). Don't close this window and return back to the Main window. Click on another graphical chart. Another Detailed Chart window should open (#2). Right click in this window (#2) and select "Merge Graph to Other Page". Select the first chart window in the list and press OK. Now you should have two graphical charts in one window. You can close second window. There is a shortcut to add a new chart to an already open chart window from the Main window: press and hold Shift or Ctrl and click on the graphical chart in the Main window. For graphical charts in other screens, use the popup menu items "Merge Graph to Other Page" or "Merge All to Other Page".

How Lab128 should be used with Oracle cluster databases (RAC)?
Currently, all real time windows are RAC-enabled, but historical data is recorded for the connected instance only. It is recommended to open a monitor for each instance. Don't use connect strings or TNS names configured for failover. Create a TNS name or connect string for each intance. You can also specify the instance name to ensure connection to a particular instance.

Example:
For the instance 'my_instance1' running on 'my_hostname1':
(DESCRIPTION=(ADDRESS_LIST=(ADDRESS=(PROTOCOL=TCP) (HOST=my_hostname1) (PORT=1521))) (CONNECT_DATA=(SERVICE_NAME=my_sname) (INSTANCE_NAME=my_instance1)))

For the instance 'my_instance2' running on 'my_hostname2':
(DESCRIPTION=(ADDRESS_LIST=(ADDRESS=(PROTOCOL=TCP) (HOST=my_hostname2) (PORT=1521))) (CONNECT_DATA=(SERVICE_NAME=my_sname) (INSTANCE_NAME=my_instance2)))

If you save performance data to disk, it is advisable to specify a dedicated directory for each instance.

I have a computer with no Oracle software / Oracle client installed. What options do I have to get Lab128 running?
Lab128 uses Oracle Call Interface (OCI) to connect to Oracle server. The OCI is a part of Oracle client software. If Oracle client is not installed or installing Oracle software is not desired, there is a workaround. All Lab128 needs is two DLL (Dynamic Link Library) files from Oracle Instant Client package: oci.dll and oraociicus10.dll (or oraociicus11.dll for version 11). These two files should be placed into the directory where Lab128 is installed.

Note that this option can be used even when Oracle client is already installed, for example some old version. We strongly advise to use Oracle client 10 or higher because older versions had multi-thread related bugs. Oracle client 10g can work with older Oracle servers (from 8.1.7). If you have old Oracle client, this can be a good option. You can obtain these two DLLs by downloading Oracle Instant Client from Oracle site and then extracting files from the ZIP file, or you can download these DLLs from our site:

Version 10.2.0.1: oci10.zip - 6,635,306 bytes
Version 11.1.0.1: oci11.zip - 10,283,780 bytes

Lab128 Frequently Asked Questions.

Questions

General Information.

Licensing Lab128.

Technical Questions.

Answers

General Information

Licensing Lab128.

Technical Questions.