Re: Unisys Unixware vs W2000

> For a couple of years we have been running Oracle on NT on a Unisys
> server. We are in the process of acquiring a new server (ES7000) and I am
> pushing for the move to Unix. Now, out of the blue, the Unisys rep is
> now trying to move us to W2000 instead of Unixware. His claim is that
> Oracle is starting to pay more attention to Intel machines and W2000 and
> is improving the performance of Oracle on such platforms.
> I'll spare you all the prattle ...
>
> It seems to me to be a big red flag when the vender tries to steer us away
> from one of their own products, saying that they are 'focusing on W2000
> rather than Unixware'.
>
> Question: Is Oracle really increasing the effort it puts into the W2000
> platform? I am tired of being at the bottom of the list for patches.
> Question: If we are locked into a Unisys machine (which we are) would
> W2000 truly be a better choice than Unixware ?
> Question: Do I smell a rat?

Unisys has a partnership with M$ to sell boxes running windog. There was an interesting flap recently when the M$/Unisys web server touting their windog solution was found to be running Apache+mod_perl :-)

Unisys has had a lot of trouble competing in the marketplace againsed Sun, HP, and IBM. Net result is that they are switching to M$ platforms. This has nothing to do with what they think is better, it's a marketing decision. In two years they might switch back.

Oracle has announced that they are going straight-up linux. Sun was not particularly happy with this, but Oracle has gone off on tangents before and survived.

Of the customers I serve in data warehousing, none of them use windog for their server platforms. It simply is not dependable enough. One problem is crashes. Another is that the "real" operations are buried under so many layers of menus that noone can really diagnose what is going on in many cases. Net result is that sites trying to use NT/Dos based systems get way too many "we just can't figure it out, I clicked on the <whatsis> and it says the thing is OK." Well, if you have a down database you want it fixed, not telling you that thing should be working.

When NT was released as a microkernel it could have given *NIX a run for the money. Sadly, it has degraded into a bloated mess of spagetti that is simply isn't manageable enough for heavy-use database systems.

There is one nice, stable system that a recent US Gov't study said is helping the DoD keep things running. It is also the platform for HP's recent sale of the world's largest supercomputer to the HIH/CDC. So far as I know it runs nicely on Unisys boxes and is portable to other platforms if you want to branch out.

You guessed it: linux.

Call Red Hat or Linux Care and see what a 7x24 service contract would cost with consulting for the installation and transition. You'll probably find that it's cheaper than Unisis or M$ licensing fees. You also save big time paying for support (at a level you determine is useful) rather than paying for licensing (fees determined by the vendor). You can also get Oracle support for linux, check w/ your Oracle sales rep and see what they have to say about it.

enjoi.

--
Steven Lembark                               2930 W. Palmer
Workhorse Computing                       Chicago, IL 60647
                                            +1 800 762 1582
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Author: Steven Lembark
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