RE: (Fwd) Re: (Fwd/Oracle) Does NT write to random locations on d

FYI someone mentioned RAW volumes, I tested this last year. There was NO performance improvement between NTFS and RAW, I suspect it's because this little test "server" here has IDE drives and the controller is a bottleneck.

It seems RAW would reduce the likelihood of fragmentation, if it doesn't improve performance, but then we are bypassing Microsoft's OS file system, aren't we? Why bother with an OS if you have to disable its components to make it work properly.

>From the responses so far I gather that setting autoextend is a problem in
terms of fragmentation at the OS level, plus NT's way of selecting segments to write to naturally leads to fragmentation. How often do your tablespaces grow, however. Here we don't set autoextend and people rarely reach their ceilings (this is a research environment though).

I don't know how much of an effect fragmentation in NT has on Oracle, but I know that at home I defragged my Windows95 machine and my wife noticed a difference in performance. Of course Win95 uses FAT.

If the difference is perceptible to the naked eye, it seems to me that fragmentation probably has an effect on performance, even if it is gradual.

Again for me this is a discussion, I do not recommend defragging files on a production server without doing backups, thinking about your future in IT, etc. etc.

I agree, sometimes Oracle Support clerks don't know all the answers. But they have access to the problem reports that are not posted in MetaLink, not to mention Oracle's performance labs etc. etc.. Most of the support people have been helpful, though. A few have proved outstanding.

I think the problem Oracle has is with retaining employees, imagine being able to say as a DBA that you worked for Oracle Support for 2-3 years. Even to say that you quickly scanned through a few documents in their corporate library would be an asset!

Totally OT - I always wondered if NTFS wasn't HPFS in disguise. HPFS was the OS/2 file system. The names are so similar, it's scary. I believe the early version of NT supported HPFS. Remember MS and IBM worked together to build OS/2, 1.0, then they divorced. Suddenly NT appeared and I am told it was based on VMS (?!)

If anything in here is incorrect, please point it out.

Regards,
Patrice Boivin
Systems Analyst (Oracle Certified DBA)

Systems Admin & Operations | Admin. et Exploit. des systèmes
Technology Services        | Services technologiques
Informatics Branch         | Direction de l'informatique 
Maritimes Region, DFO      | Région des Maritimes, MPO

E-Mail: boivinp_at_mar.dfo-mpo.gc.ca <mailto:boivinp_at_mar.dfo-mpo.gc.ca>

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Author: Boivin, Patrice J
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