Beginning Oracle Database 11g Administration: From Novice to Professional

CHAPTER 10Monitoring

BEHOLD, the fool saith, "Put not all thine eggs in the one basket"—which is but a manner of saying, "Scatter your money and your attention;" but the wise man saith, "Put all your eggs in the one basket and—WATCH THAT BASKET."—Pudd'nhead Wilson's Calendar.

—The Tragedy of Pudd'nhead Wilson by Mark Twain

When I was growing up, I was sometimes awoken at night by the sound of a walking stick tapping on the ground—it was the night watchman patrolling the neighborhood. He would have had a better chance of surprising any burglars if he'd crept up on them quietly, but I never questioned why he advertised his presence so loudly. Armed only with a walking stick, he would have had to rely on strong lungs to wake up the neighborhood ...