Re: RAW partitions on Linux

From: Art S. Kagel <kagel_at_bloomberg.net>
Date: Wed, 14 Apr 1999 11:44:38 -0400
Message-ID: <3714B7E6.6DCB@bloomberg.net>

dcard2_at_maine.rr.com wrote:
>
> We are setting Oracle 8.0 up on Linux for the first time. Should we be
> installing it on RAW partitions? I know Oracle use to recommend this under
> Unix.

Linux does not have REAL RAW devices. All files on Linux, RAW or COOKED are cached in all current Linux releases. I do not know how Oracle opens RAW devices, if it does not use O_SYNC as it does for COOKED files, under the assumption that the file is not cached anyway, then using RAW devices could seriously compromise database consistency!

The debate over whether Linux needs REAL RAW devices rages on prompted by Linus' contention, admittedly relatively long ago, that there is no value to uncached RAW devices.

Art S. Kagel Received on Wed Apr 14 1999 - 10:44:38 CDT