Confio Software released version 8.3 of its Ignite database performance monitoring software at COLLABORATE 13 this week. Ignite 8.3 enhancements were developed specifically to address the needs of DBAs with very large database deployments spread out geographically as well as enterprise-level requirements for security and compliance, Don Bergal, chief marketing officer of Confio, tells DBTA.
Beyond enabling Oracle DBAs to better manage and monitor their global enterprise database environments, Ignite 8.3 provides tools to enable greater collaboration between development teams and operations. Ignite provides database developers with visibility to production, staging and test servers so they can witness the real behavior of their code hitting loaded databases. This level of visibility makes developers self-sufficient – removing the need for a DBA middle man – and ensures that performance considerations are built-in to all new developments so the end result is reliable for users.
Ignite Central Creates a Unified Dashboard
Key new features in Ignite 8.3 include Ignite Central, which provides a unified dashboard of both database performance and alert status across all database servers. Ignite Central creates a hierarchy, says Bergal. All of the Ignite installations still do what they normally do and provide detail for the people who are most concerned with instances being monitored, but information is also fed upstream to Ignite Central so at a higher level, someone can make sure that everything is working properly and get a view of what is happening in different locations, as well as potentially pass responsibility across geographies with time zones.
In addition, the ability to create an alert group simplifies the maintenance of alerts, while ensuring consistent alerting across multiple database instances. For very large companies, Bergal notes, it is much easier to have people be grouped together logically.
With Ignite 8.3, Confio also introduces new preconfigured alerts, allowing Oracle DBAs to quickly select and implement an alert, saving them valuable time and improving process standardization.
Support for Windows Server Active Directory
And, for companies that have embraced Windows Server Active Directory to manage domain users and security settings, Ignite 8.3 integrates directly to allow domain users to log in and use Ignite, simplifying the authentication process. In the past, Ignite had its own log in and its own password system which was outside of the normal enterprise and compliance system, explains Bergal. Now, he notes, there is the option to have Ignite can be part of the Active Directory infrastructure and it fits in like any other Active Directory-compliant application.
Using Ignite, says Bergal, Confio customer Indiana University (IU) has been able to unite its performance management into one comprehensive view so that the university can share performance information among DBAs, developers and system administrators. The thing that Dan Young [manager of enterprise database administration at IU] particularly liked, says Bergal, is that they were able to achieve a single pane view of all of their systems – both at the physical and virtual layers. Rather than have to try piece together bits of information from disparate sources, Ignite simplified it and gave him everything they needed on one screen.
Confio is demonstrating the features of Ignite 8.3 at booth No. 813 this week at COLLABORATE 13.
For more information visit www.confio.com.