Re: Linux betas NT in TPC testing, running Oracle8

On Wed, 12 May 1999 03:49:40 GMT, r.e.ballard_at_usa.net <r.e.ballard_at_usa.net> posted:
>Until actual verified legitimate numbers are published, Linux $/TPM are
>up for grabs. You can get some pretty cheap hard drives, some pretty
>cheap transaction monitors, and some pretty cheap LAN cards and create
>a pretty incredible system for very little money. Back in the days when
>you needed 10 drives to get a 20 gig database, it was a challenge.
>Today, with 16gig drives, RAID in software, and cheap DIMM memory, it's
>not that hard to come up with some respectable numbers.

Excuse me, you forgot to mention the names of the "cheap transaction monitors."

TPC-D numbers aren't legitimate without the pricing of the TPM and the DBMS being published.

As far as I have seen in any TPC-D material I've seen, the cost of the OS barely enters into the equation, being vastly overshadowed by:

a) The cost of hardware,
b) The cost of the RDBMS license, and maintenance fees,
c) Ditto, for the TPM.

I'm not aware of there being any RDBMS/TPM combinations that are "free," or even vaguely near so. The likely options will involve some combination of *EXPENSIVE* RDBMS systems (Oracle is seldom accused of being cheap), and fairly expensive TP systems (e.g. - something like Tuxedo).

Feel free to name the RDBMS that is freely (or extremely cheaply) redeployable for commercial purposes that provides an XA interface. That would represent a counterexample.

Of course, that is of little value unless it comes along with a TP monitor that knows how to speak to that database via XA. Claims of free RDBMSes that do not come along with suitable documentation of a readily integrable TP monitor are liable to be considered worthless.

• Tuxedo hasn't been officially released on Linux.
• There doesn't exist an MQSeries server that runs on Linux.
• I've not heard any rumor of Transarc doing any Linux releases.
• Of what does appear to be available, such as TIBCO and OM3, there is no evidence thus far of them being "cheap for Linux."

"Cheap TPM are up for grabs" is only "up for grabs" if *ALL* of the necessary components are available cheaply.

-- 
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-- Henry Spencer          <http://www.hex.net/~cbbrowne/lsf.html>
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