Re: on call support when your system breaks constantly

  • From: Robyn <robyn.sands@xxxxxxxxx>
  • To: cicciuxdba@xxxxxxxxx
  • Date: Thu, 21 May 2009 13:57:42 -0400

I've worked in environments like that before. My way of coping was to start
a project to eliminate the source of the reoccurring problems.   Management
was very supportive - especially after I gave them a detailed list of the
interruptions we were forced to handle when our time was supposed to
allocated to new projects. (New projects make money, maintenance doesn't)
 DBA's and developers were supportive - the stated purpose was to reduce the
number of after hours calls. Best of all, it worked - the number of calls
dropped dramatically in a short period of time.
The project was a subtopic in my paper.  It's the current issue of Select
and should be on the IOUG site soon.  Dan Fink was also kind enough to host
it on his site.

www.optimaldba.com/papers/IEDBMgmt.pdf

Robyn

On Wed, May 20, 2009 at 7:25 PM, Guillermo Alan Bort
<cicciuxdba@xxxxxxxxx>wrote:

> I am in a place like that now. We are a large team and are slowly
> stabilizing the systems... but there were week when I wouldn't sleep... I
> know people *expected* me to show up the next day, but if I had a rough
> night, I would just turn off the phone durin regular work hours and sleep.
> Nobody ever complained, but I was the only one of the team that did this. Of
> course, the first thing I suggested was: if you need 24x7 converage on the
> DBs and need to perform regular maintenance tasks off hours, hire more DBAs
> and spread their shifts so we have 24x7 covered. On-call is *only* for
> issues that have impact on the business.
>
> hth
> Alan Bort
> Oracle Certified Professional
>
>
>
> On Wed, May 20, 2009 at 4:26 PM, 
> <Michael.Coll-Barth@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>wrote:
>
>>
>>
>> > From: oracle-l-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
>> >
>> > I have had to carry a pager before and been on call. I have
>> > never been in a place where so many things break that you are
>> > up all night for a week and expected to come to work the next
>> > day. Users can do whatever they want in production so there
>> > are lock issues many times a day. Users can run whatever
>> > queries they want so you have long running sessions that need
>> > t be killed. The on call person has to monitor the
>> > application too. The applications(there are about 20 of them)
>> > have a crash 5-10 times/day and all night.
>> >
>> > anyone ever been in a place like this?
>> >
>>
>>
>>
>> "Yeah, um, I'm going to need you to come in on Saturday."
>>
>> The "pager/on call part", yes.  The work all night, come into the office
>> the next, Hell no!
>>
>> I had a manager try that one time.  I just didn't go in.  I sent him and
>> my group an email, telling them that I had been up all night and that I
>> was sleeping.  The next day, he asked what happened, where was I.  I
>> simply told him I that I do need to sleep.  He did eventually get
>> promoted, but away from any systems or personnel.
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
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>>
>


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