Re: VLDB implementation

I'm a DBA for an Oracle system with around 120 GB of DBs. It will be 150+. It runs on the following:

   Servers:

        2 IBM RISC 6000 570  
        120 + RAID LEVEL 5
        2 8MM DRIVES - (APPROX. 35 GB PER TAPE.)
        1 IBM 3590 TAPE DRIVE /10 TAPE AUTO LOADER-(APPROX. 35 GB PER TAPE)
        1 3480 TAPE DRIVE / 5 TAPE AUTO LOADER - ( APPROX. 220 MB PER TAPE)
        2 UPS SYSTEMS
        1 HIGH SPEED SERIAL PRINTER AND 30 HP LASERS ON ACCROSS THE LAN
        1 X-TERMINAL
        2 CONSOLE TERMINALS
        IBM UNIX 3.2.5
        TCP/IP
        NFS
        X

    Client & CDE app. server:
        486-586 PCs /16+ MB/ 500+ MB DISK
        Applications and Oracle CDE tools on Novell Netware 3.12 LAN
     
    Oracle software:      
        ORACLE 7.1.4
        ORACLE FINANCIALS (server based - application forms 2.3 ---etc.)
        ORACLE CDE UNIX AND WINDOWS TOOLS
        DISTRIBUTED OPTION
        SQL-NET 2.1  ( client and server)

GENERAL NOTES AND OPINIONS:
  We have multiple SIDs - DEV,TST AND PRD.   LIMIT YOUR SIDs !!! At least, shut them down if no ones using them.   We were going to run UNIX CDE tools (only) but found that   it puts too much of a load on the server. (Memory and CPU)   We got the Windows client/server CDE tools and things are much better.
( Note: Clients must at least be : 486, 16 MB RAM, 500 MB disk)
  We limited the system to 160 attached users.   It will probably max out at 70 concurrent DB users.   The majority of the data is from mainframe extracts. This data is   scanned by batch processes and reviewed online by investigators.   The accounting system tracks the results and other agency $   transactions.
  My largest table has 24 million records.

  Oracle Financials - No comment - !_at_#$%!@#$

In general the above system works fine.

Conclusion and suggestions:
  Get references and call them before you buy.   Check your dependencies before you up grade software.   Work your system or It will work you.   Get a good DBA and training.
  Don't go cheap or you will pay.
  Don't buy version 1.0 HW or SW.
  Get upper management's support or go do something else.   Get as much memory on the server and pcs as you can.
( 1 GB ON EACH SERVER AND 32 MB ON EACH PC WOULD BE NICE)
  Get a good Defrag. tool and test it.
  Do not do batch processing accross the network.   Forget raw disk devices for DB.
  Test your server and DB backups.
  Plan before you start.

(Note: All of the above is my personal opinion.)  Good luck.