Re: native Oracle-port on Linux -- what would it take?

D. Jeff Dionne <jeff_at_maribor.pfnet.com> wrote in article <34982AEE.775D2EF5_at_maribor.pfnet.com>...
> [chop]
> > > strange really; it has become a FAQ how to install SCO binaries on
> > > Linux and quite a few sources say that most large companies or
> > > companies that have anything to do with the Internet, use Linux --
> > > yet
> > > Oracle are unable to deliver a Linux version of their database.
> >
> > Linux is missing many features for any OS to be worth considering
> > as a viable database platform.
>
> Yet it runs just fine under iBCS emulation on Linux...

"fine" in your terminology probably means "just being able to pop it up".

And in any case we discuss the native Oracle port, not the one which runs under SCO libraries.

> > 1. Linux has no logical volumes layer.
> > 2. Linux has no transaction-oriented filesystem.
>
> So write support for these, however...
> It runs just fine under iBCS emulation on Linux...

see above

> > 3. Linux has no support for raw devices - hence NO even remote
> > possibility
> > to run Oracle Parallel Server.
>
> Have no idea what you mean. raw devices work just fine on Linux,
> tar -xvf /dev/fd0 for instance? Works fine.

you have no clue what "raw device" means. /dev/fd0 is block device. Oracle needs character devices for disk partitions. Do you have in Linux something like /dev/rhda1 (character device) in addition to /dev/hda1(block device?). NO. So go buy a clue, dude

> If Oracle needs raw
> partitions, no problem.

Puke

> > 4. Linux networking is flaky at best.
>
> Then the whole internet is flakey, since Linux runs on more servers
> on the net than anything else. Rock solid is more like it.
> It runs just fine under iBCS emulation on Linux...
>
> > 5. Linux OS block size is what? 512 bytes? It would make even MS
> > Access laugh and puke steam.
>
> You're thinking of (an old version of) SunOS :-)
>
> > 6. Linux SMP is rudimentary and flaky at best.
>
> It's actually not that bad in 2.1 I hear, and I fail to see how that
> affects the viability of Oracle on Linux.
>
> > 7. The same for multithreading.
>
> But it works fine under iBCS on Linux. Interesting. You're mistaken.
>
> > 8. Oracle requires efficient IPC and record-locking mechanisms. Linux
> > cannot do
> > record-locking at all, last time I checked. So Oracle would have
 to
> > write its own
> > code for that. Why would anyone sane want that?
>
> But it works fine under iBCS on Linux. Interesting. You're mistaken
>
> >
> > In fact porting Oracle to Linux would require Oracle to write its own
 Linux
> > almost
> > from scratch.
>
> But it works fine under iBCS on Linux. Interesting. You're mistaken
>
> >
> > ==> I don't see much (or rather _any) prospects for seeing Oracle on
> > Linux.
>
> That may be so, but it has nothing to do with weakness in Linux. I
> suspect it has to do with Oracle's relationship with the Big UN*X
> Vendors.
>
> >
> > Cordially,
> > Serge
>
Received on Wed Dec 17 1997 - 00:00:00 CST