Re: Lock-free databases

"Joe Seigh" <jseigh_01_at_xemaps.com> wrote in message news:r4mdnWBDc5K56ezenZ2dnUVZ_v6dnZ2d_at_comcast.com...
> VC wrote:
>> "Mark D Powell" <Mark.Powell_at_eds.com> wrote in message
>> news:1131475590.080140.136430_at_g47g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...
>>
>>>Technically from the theories point of view what you say is true, but I
>>>do not think you can create a db manager based on this concept that
>>>works well in a high concurrent update environment.
>>
>>
>> "ANTs 3.2 is also the only lock-free relational database management
>> system architected for popular 64-bit Linux operating system
>> implementations running on AMD Opteron and Intel Xeon platforms. The ANTs
>> Data Server sets a new precedent in the database industry, allowing large
>> OLTP, real-time analytical processing and enterprise reporting to run
>> concurrently in the same server. "
>>
>> http://www.ants.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=437&Itemid=29
>
> Saying you're lock free isn't the same as being lock-free.

You may have a point, or you may not. You just don't know whether their lock-free implentation helps the performance. They claim it does:

"The second interesting thing about ADS is that ANTs claims that it typically runs 5 to 15 times faster than standard relational databases. The fact that it offers a lock-free environment is one reason for this" ( http://www.it-director.com/article.php?articleid=12912 )

So why not give them the benefit of the doubt ? Did you run tests that would indicate their claims are false ?

>Unless
> their bottlenecks are IPC related, I don't see how their lock-free
> patented techniques would help performance.

There is some evidence (
http://www.cs.chalmers.se/~phs/TechnicalReports/SunT02_Noble.pdf ) that operations on lock-free data structures outperform similar lock-based implementations (without dragging IPC into the picture).

>
>>
>> http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1895,1845154,00.asp
>
> This article seems to point to being an in memory database
> as the main factor in performance.
>

See above.

>
>
>
> --
> Joe Seigh
>
> When you get lemons, you make lemonade.
> When you get hardware, you make software.
Received on Wed Nov 09 2005 - 05:33:46 CET