PeopleSoft Oracle TruCluster Available Server DIGITAL UNIX AlphaServer 4x00 DIGITAL

This document, "DIGITAL HiTest Notes," provides a comprehensive overview and detailed technical information about the interoperability test results for the PeopleSoft Oracle TruCluster Available Server DIGITAL UNIX AlphaServer 4x00 HiTest Suite. Published in September 1997 by Digital Equipment Corporation, it serves as a guide for configuring, installing, setting up, and operating this specific HiTest Suite.

The suite focuses on providing a highly reliable and available database storage and retrieval system for financial transactions and reporting, combining PeopleSoft Financials, DIGITAL UNIX, TruCluster Available Server, and Oracle7 Database software on AlphaServer 4x00 hardware.

Key areas covered include:

• Configuration Data: Detailed specifications of hardware (AlphaServer 4x00 systems, StorageWorks arrays, SCSI disks) and software components (PeopleSoft Financials 6.0, PeopleTools 6.01, Oracle7 Server 7.3.2.3.0, DIGITAL UNIX 4.0B, TruCluster Available Server 1.4A) and their revision levels.
• System Installation and Setup: Guidance on hardware installation, configuring TruCluster Available Server (e.g., SCSI IDs, fast SCSI), disk storage setup using RAID-5 with distributed raw devices, operating system installation including swap space allocation and UNIX kernel parameter tuning (e.g., semaphores, UBC, shared memory), and Oracle initialization parameters (db_block_size, db_block_buffers, shared_pool_size, sort_area_size). It also covers PeopleSoft software installation and critical database creation considerations like raw disk handling, rollback segments, temporary tables, control files, and tablespace configurations.
• Failover Setup: Detailed procedures for configuring both member nodes and client workstations for failover, including copying listener files, creating user-defined services with asemgr, and setting up client database aliases.
• Interoperability Tests and Results: Description of the test environment (two AlphaServer 4x00 systems in a TruCluster ASE, PeopleSoft workstations) and tools (SQA Robot). It presents successful interoperability test results for PeopleSoft Financials modules (Asset Management, Accounts Payable, Accounts Receivable, General Ledger) and demonstrates error-free failover for various hardware failures, ensuring uninterrupted system and application performance.
• System Limits and Characterization Data: Analysis of performance aspects, including issues with PeopleSoft Import Manager (favoring SQL*Plus/SQLLDR for large loads), automation with SQA Robot, and the impact of CPU speed, memory size, and Oracle db_block_buffers on query performance. It highlights the importance of memory tuning and increased UNIX kernel parameters for supporting a large number of concurrent users.
• Problems and Resolutions: A section dedicated to identifying common problems encountered during testing (e.g., Oracle file protection, SQLNet connectivity, COBOL compilation issues, process scheduler hangs, disk full errors, SQL errors during database creation, tar/dump command failures, database mount/start/stop script hangs, Oracle Listener failover) and providing their respective workarounds or solutions.

The document concludes with detailed appendices on hardware configurations and test scripts used.