Re: Unixware 2.1/7.0 vs NT 4.0 for Oracle 7.3/8.0

I can't say what the consensus is, but from my own experience Unixware's a great platform for modestly-sized databases. I've used Oracle7.0 on Unixware 1.1 and 2.03, and Oracle7.3 on Unixware2.1.2. They've been rock-solid.

In article <357DAC4A.FF64535A_at_mediaone.net>,   Aaron Buhr <aaronmb_at_mediaone.net> wrote:
>
> What is the consensus for using NT vs. Unixware 2.1 or 7.0 for an
> Oracle 7.3/8.0 database server? Our database is not very large, so I am
> not as concerned about performance as I am about reliability. As a
> matter of fact, I wouldn't mind getting feedback about the the criteria
> I plan to use when evaluating the two:
>
> Stability
> Performance

These have been just fine. No server creashes related to the OS or Oracle. (Netscape, like most bloatware, will occasionally knock us down.)

> Maintainability:
> Easy & efficiency of administration

I've never much cared for Oracle's installer, but I've had no trouble administering the Oracle server from the command line and also using the Tk-based Motif GUI interface, which is nice.

> Availability of third-party utility & driver software
> Availability of third-party support

I use Java JDBC and Perl DBI drivers to access the DB from our web server, all freely available. Client apps on NT, such as Powerbuilder, also access it just fine (in my case, with a little ODBC manager/driver/sqlnet version tweaking.)
Oracle's the most widely supported DBMS, and I've always found lots of stuff for Unixware.

> Need for regular patching

Haven't patched, other than what came with our original Oracle media.

> Flexibility - what other server applications can the platform
> support?

Tons of free/open source stuff runs great on Unixware (web, etc.)

> Ease & efficiency of application development

Nothin' like UNIX for app developers like me. Tons of easy to use freeware tools and libraries, too.

> Security

Again, UNIX security (in my experience and opinion) is simpler to administer, more flexible, and less buggy than NT's. Unixware supports ACLs, if you need them (but doesn't have multiple ACLs for every damn thing you do). Oracle's security seems pretty much the same regardless of platform.

> Cost - both software & licensing as well as resource requirements

Not too bad for a small company, you can spend as much as you want on hardware (I've run this configuration just fine on a 486 w/ 32M RAM.)

> And I intend to keep in mind the impact of future developments in
> the two OS's on the above.

I have been unable to find out ANYTHING about Oracle8 support for Unixware, other than:

1. There is currently no planned schedule for Oracle8 on Unixware.
2. Oracle8 will only be ported (if it is) onto Unixware7, no earlier versions.

Nobody at either company can give me any kind of estimate, time frame or grounds for hope on this. I'm still trying. Oracle8 is currently available for NT, of course.

> Those of you that have used both Unixware and NT, what have your
> experiences been?

So, I'm a long-time UNIX geek. But, as an administrator, developer, and user, I've tried to give NT every fair chance to surprise and please me. UNIX still beats NT for me every time in terms of stability, efficiency and flexibility of development, scalability, and so on. NT wins on availability of cheap, sophisticated GUI development tools (like VC++ and Powerbuilder), and ease of use and sophistication of the GUI admin tools for Oracle (like the Enterprise Manager).

> Thanks.
> Aaron Buhr

Just my opinions, hope they are of interest. Rob Roselius

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