IOUG SELECT Journal Q3 2015

This is the cover of the January 1999 issue of IOUG SELECT Journal.  This is the oldest issue I could find in my collection, and is probably close to when I joined IOUG as a paid member.  At the time I would never have dreamed that I would become the Executive Editor for the magazine or get to work with some of the largest names in Oracle technology. 

Times have changed, and how we get our information has also changed.  For me one thing has not changed.  The IOUG has always been a critical part of my career.  Every paid member, and volunteer I have meet over the past 16 years is interested in the same thing. 

How can I get the best non-biased information on Oracle Technology? 

That might mean getting independent reviews, internal workings on Oracle technology, or even mentoring on technical writing, and presenting.  As much as I have become dependent on the Internet for quick answers, only though the IOUG have I been able to advance my technical communication skills.  Knowing something is important, but being able to communicate it is business.

With the 87^th issue of SELECT Journal, we are going to do something we have never done before (to my knowledge).  We are giving away this issue to everyone. The Journal is just one of the benefit to paid members.  In this case we hope that by making this issue widely available, everyone can see some of the benefits the IOUG brings to it’s paid members. 

Every author in the Journal was just like you.  At some point they had not presented to a crowed, they had not authored a blog, they had not written an article, they had not worked with editors, and they had not been published.  Growing acumen in technical spaces requires not just detailed knowledge, but the ability to apply it, and therefore communicate it.

I’m lucky enough as Executive Editor to help grow new authors and work with a great set of volunteer editors.  I’m always excited to work with new authors, and I know they are excited to see their work published.

As Alex says in his column on personal resiliency, “get out of your comfort zone.”  Join us at IOUG.

The issue Q3 2015 issue is now available at:
http://www.ioug.org/p/cm/ld/fid=1132 

Have comments, contact me at editor@ioug.org

Or leave your comments bellow.

Oracle VM - SSL server probably obsolete

Users of Oracle Virtual Machine for x86 technology may be encountering a interesting problem.  The issue lies in the management tool OVMM or Oracle Virtual Machine Manager or OVM Manager access.

This affects users of the stand alone Oracle VM for x86, as well as users of the engineered systems Oracle Virtual Compute Appliance (VCA), Oracle Private Cloud Appliance (PCA), Exalogic in virtual configurations, Exadata in virtual configurations, and Oracle Database Appliance (ODA) in a virtual configuration.

When trying to use the latest browsers to navigate to the HTTPS protected version of the OVMM tool you will encounter errors such as:

• SSL server probably obsolete.  (ERR_SSL_FALLBACK_BEYOND_MINIMUM_VERSION)
• Secure Connection Failed (Error code: ssl_error_no_cypher_overlap) 

The issue can occur in Google Chrome, Firefox, and Internet Explorer.  I'm sure Safari won't be far behind.

This is due to changes in how secure socket layer is being communicated and basically de-supporting older versions.  The root of this problem is in the WebLogic layer that is used to host OVMM.

A good place to start is looking for help is at My Oracle Support (MOS) note:

Oracle VM: Connecting to Oracle VM Manager 3.2.x Results in "ssl_error_no_cypher_overlap" Error Message ( Doc ID 1997431.1 )

There may be related issues with older version of Oracle Enterprise Manager 11g, again caused by the configuration of WebLogic.

Initial workarounds include:

• Using a previous version of the browser (such as Google Chrome prior to version 45, we are having good luck with version 41)
• Use the non-secure connection to the tool (use HTTP vs. HTTPS), but be aware that passwords and other data will be transmitted over your network un-encrypted.
• Look for patches / updates from Oracle for your specific tool / product.

I'm sure there will be much more fall out and updates from this.  I'm not a SSL or HTTPS expert, but I think this is affecting or will affect a lot of Oracle customers as we all work through the transition.

If you have other input / suggestions please add comments to the blog.

Gary