Using this book, database professionals can dramatically improve the performance and cost-effectiveness of virtually any database application running on the Solaris(R) platform. Solaris database optimization specialist Allan Packer presents start-to-finish guidance on optimizing all four leading Solaris databases: Oracle, DB2, Sybase, and Informix. Configuring and Tuning Databases on the Solaris Platform brings together best-practice guidelines for every aspect of database tuning on Sun servers. Drawing on years of expertise as a Sun consultant, Packer presents detailed recommendations for data layout, CPU and memory configuration, and system sizing. He introduces a systematic, drill-down monitoring approach designed to help database professionals identify and resolve system bottlenecks that inhibit database performance. Packer demystifies database tuning by providing a quick primer that explains database architecture, key database concepts, and how to use key subsystems such as query optimizers and buffer cache. He describes and critiques each leading database benchmark, offering guidance for using benchmarks -- and not misusing them.