Re: How to deploy a 24hrs , 7 days a week kind of database environment?

I hardly want to ignite the old NT vs. UNIX war but we have 24X7 mission critical Oracle databases host on NT 4.0; we have never regretted the decision
nor had the slightest problem. If you use top of the line equipment (like the dirt cheap Intel nightshade dual Pentium mb) that is certified for NT 4.0, you will not have problems. I still prefer UNIX for very large databases where scaling issues may occur, though.

It is true that approximately once a month we reboot the machines (which I also
insist we do with our UNIX machines as well, to document that they are bootable still).
And yes, NT machines are more prone to memory leaks, but we tend not to see them so much on machines dedicated (mostly) to hosting Oracle.

The strategy I recommend to eliminate downtime in 24X7 is exactly the same we use with UNIX - NEVER reply on a single machine/database, which of course will someday fail. Particularly with NT being so cheap, have two machines and develop a plan (depending upon your situation) using replication, duplication, or cold backups to keep a spare machine ready at all times.

Steve

Dan wrote in message <3648A397.5CB60C3C_at_exesolutions.com>...
>> This is a first time that our company are deploying a 24hrs , 7 days a
week
>> kind of database environment.
>> Can anyone pls tell me what type of strategies shall I use in order not
to
>> have any downtime?
>> What are the recommended backup strategies?
>> Can Oracle running on NT server have this type of reliability?
>
>Oracle will not have any problems but NT is hardly ready for mission
critical
>applications. You would have done far better putting Solaris or Linux on
the
>box.
>
>But given that you probably don't have that option I would suggest that you
>schedule a window (not a Microsoft Window) during which you down the
server.
>Down NT (before it does so on its own). Turn off the machine. And than
restart
>everything. This will solve the problem of NT leaking memory. Depending on
>usage I would do it no less than once a month and possibly every Sunday
night
>or early Monday morning (before the employees show up).
>
>Daniel A. Morgan
>
Received on Tue Nov 10 1998 - 16:54:38 CST