Async I/O is NOT supppressed for filesystem datafiles in 8.1.5?

I've read both Metalink and Sun Blueprint documents that read how Oracle 8.1.5 and 8.1.6 will NOT use AIO on filesystem datafiles. It runs 'fstat()' to determine if the files are on filesystems, and acts accordingly (according to Oracle and Sun). Therefore, turning AIO on via 'disk_asynch_io=true' on such databases is futile, based on these two sources.

However, I have 8.1.5 running on NFS *filesystems* from NetApps, and they are, in fact, using AIO. I've verified this by running a 'truss' on the DBWR process, noticing all the LWP processes spawned to perform the user-level library AIO after a failed 'kaio()' call (tell-tale signs of AIO). The OS is Solaris 2.6 - 2.8, by the way.

So, what's the deal? Does Oracle 8.1.5 and .6 use AIO on filesystems or not? When is it that Oracle suppresses AIO on filesystems? I gotta save face here in front of my team members to whom I insisted that Oracle did away with filesystem AIO on filesystems. Please respond quickly, as I have a team meeting about this issue tomorrow.

Thanks in advance. Received on Fri Dec 28 2001 - 01:50:29 CST