A
database system that incorporates numerous features that reduce the total cost of maintaining the
database system is provided. That
database system includes a database appliance that executes a
database server on a platform that includes a special purpose
operating system specifically tailored to the services required by the
database server. The database appliance configures itself by detecting the environment in which it resides and setting operational parameters based on the detected environment. The configuration
metadata of all components of the system are stored in a centralized repository which itself may reside external to the system. Both the
database server configuration and the
operating system configuration are managed by a remotely located integrated management console, which interacts with and configures the system at the database
system level, the
operating system level and, optionally, at the hardware subsystem level.
Backup management may also be performed remotely. The remote components, such as the integrated management console, the
backup server, and the configuration repository, may communicate with the system through a
wide area network, such as
the Internet, or directly through a dial-up connection.