Re: Client/Server & ORACLE

Email to David bounced, so regarding:
<1992Jul17.152818.15763_at_alw.nih.gov> des_at_helix.nih.gov (David E. Scheim):
> What kind of workstations do you use, and how many per server? What kind
> of transactions does the system perform? Roughly how does the application
> distribute processing between the clients and servers? -- David Scheim

All database servers are 2-16 users and are SUN 4 except for 2 DEC RISC servers. Workstations are all SUN 4. It is UNIX os, tcp/ip network.

Activity is a mixture of heavy insert/delete and select, depending on the server. We do very few updates.

Once the database host and clients are configured for sql*net, there is nothing you have to do to the application itself to distribute processing. You specify the database host in the connect string. For example, instead of doing this:

     sqlplus scott/tiger

you would do this:

     sqlplus scott/tiger_at_t:zippo:oracle

which would connect you to the "oracle" instance on host "zippo" going across a tcp/ip network.

At least for UNIX, Oracle operates in what it calls a "two task" environment. For every "frontend" application, such as SQL*Plus or SQL*Forms or a PRO*C application, there is a corresponding backend process ORACLE calls a "shadow process". This is true even if you are not doing client/server computing. So the step to distributed processing is natural.

Now that I've paid attention to the original question, there are some articles in the March 1992 issue of Database Programming & Design (Vol 5, #3). Titles include "A Client for Your Server" and "Lions, Tigers, and Downsizing". If you are interested in back issues, call (800)289-0169.

In April, DBMS magazine changed its sub-banner from "Developing Corporate Applications" to "Client/Server Computing". :-) The June 1992 (Vol 5, #6) issue has a nice article showing how PC applications talk to an ORACLE UNIX server. It has a nice picture and description of how the connection occurs using ORACLE Card as an example. For copies, call (800)456-1859.

regards,

 --jean

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