Comment oracle on solaris vs Linux (Score 1) 243
Well... I've actually read through most of the posts here.. there were a couple (really only a couple) that did not strike me as being simply religios OS wars/opinions..
oo.. guess I better give some creds.. I am currently a Solaris admin.. as a job.. therefore I have a bit of a bias towards solaris.. although I do use Linux at home.. and a bit at work as well.. (all workstations and one email based paging server)
In terms of Oracle Creds.. 95% of all sites I work at are running large oracle servers.. not some piddly little 1-5G servers.. but large.. ie: more than 40K online users.. anwhere from 60G - 1.5T datasets.. These are enterprise systems.. low end enterprise systems...
now.. I've done alot of PC mashing (both in the past and present) so I've experience in that world as well..
now..
COST: a comparable hardware base.. you can only talk PC's or low end sparcs.. These are the only common hardware platforms for Linux and Solaris. Quite honestly.. they're very close in cost.. if you spend the money on the quality PC parts to get the BEST hardware stability and options you are only saving yourself 10-20% vs buying sun hardware. (if you're running Solarisx86 you're crazy.. it's good for a desktop and an intro to solaris, but it does not have the support that solaris/sparc does.)
On the above note and the above note only, you can begin to answer the question. Is your Database going to be small enough to run on a PC based solution? if not, then you're going to go Solaris over Linux. Sun enterprise architecture, as a hardware platform, is MUCH more reliable and scalable than any intel based platform. If your database is able to (and always will be) small enough to run on a PC based platform.. keep reading..
SUPPORT: only 1 or 2 posts have addressed this.. This must be the people that actually work in the "REAL" world.. support is one of the TOP things to consider when thinking about a *PRODUCTION* system.. If your sysadmin takes a hike, what do you do? if you lose your unix GURU you need to have alternatives.. or you pay HUGE dollars to hire a new one..
Solaris: well.. I've dealt with just about every support group out there.. and I have to hand it to sun.. they're the best in that sense.. combined hardware and OS support for the same high price.. well worth it.
Linux: hmmm... RedHat's support is not bad.. not quite up to the SUN support system, but not as bad as some other's I've dealt with. Unfortunately, that's the only one I've tried.. RedHat does NOT do hardware support..
ok.. Got to give this one to Solaris.. if you're running on SPARC hardware, you have access to SUN's support system for both the OS and the hardware.. all the same place.. think about this.. you've got a flaky disk.. gonna call RedHat?? (no)
Since you now have different support contracts.. you need a more skilled internal technical person that can at least determine where to go for support.. otherwise you waste precious time during an outage trying to track down who you call..
If you have, or you are a Linux advocate who has alot of experience with it (and if you're an advocate, you do) Then you're going to try to get linux into your workplace. What happens to the company when you get bored of supporting their financials database running on linux? Now they have to hire someone new, who may or may not know linux.
linux CURRENTLY does not have the support system behind it that sun does.. it's starting, but it's NOT THERE... Until it IS there, I would not recommend to run a *HIGH AVAILABLILTY/PRODUCTION/MISSION CRITICAL* server on that platform..
Who knows though... hopefully in time, the support end for linux will meet that of sun.. when it does, I'll be the first to change my tune.. until then.. don't think like a techie.. think like a business owner.. that makes the choice alot easier..
Having said all that.. before anyone flames me because of my own strong opinion. Linux does have a place in the commercial world.. we need to get more people more aware of all that it can do.. we need to start paying money for the support (to make the support better..) and eventually, it will become a big player in something other than the small server/desktop world.. It has a WAY better chance of that than NT does...
jkelly
Technical Consultant
oo.. guess I better give some creds.. I am currently a Solaris admin.. as a job.. therefore I have a bit of a bias towards solaris.. although I do use Linux at home.. and a bit at work as well.. (all workstations and one email based paging server)
In terms of Oracle Creds.. 95% of all sites I work at are running large oracle servers.. not some piddly little 1-5G servers.. but large.. ie: more than 40K online users.. anwhere from 60G - 1.5T datasets.. These are enterprise systems.. low end enterprise systems...
now.. I've done alot of PC mashing (both in the past and present) so I've experience in that world as well..
now..
COST: a comparable hardware base.. you can only talk PC's or low end sparcs.. These are the only common hardware platforms for Linux and Solaris. Quite honestly.. they're very close in cost.. if you spend the money on the quality PC parts to get the BEST hardware stability and options you are only saving yourself 10-20% vs buying sun hardware. (if you're running Solarisx86 you're crazy.. it's good for a desktop and an intro to solaris, but it does not have the support that solaris/sparc does.)
On the above note and the above note only, you can begin to answer the question. Is your Database going to be small enough to run on a PC based solution? if not, then you're going to go Solaris over Linux. Sun enterprise architecture, as a hardware platform, is MUCH more reliable and scalable than any intel based platform. If your database is able to (and always will be) small enough to run on a PC based platform.. keep reading..
SUPPORT: only 1 or 2 posts have addressed this.. This must be the people that actually work in the "REAL" world.. support is one of the TOP things to consider when thinking about a *PRODUCTION* system.. If your sysadmin takes a hike, what do you do? if you lose your unix GURU you need to have alternatives.. or you pay HUGE dollars to hire a new one..
Solaris: well.. I've dealt with just about every support group out there.. and I have to hand it to sun.. they're the best in that sense.. combined hardware and OS support for the same high price.. well worth it.
Linux: hmmm... RedHat's support is not bad.. not quite up to the SUN support system, but not as bad as some other's I've dealt with. Unfortunately, that's the only one I've tried.. RedHat does NOT do hardware support..
ok.. Got to give this one to Solaris.. if you're running on SPARC hardware, you have access to SUN's support system for both the OS and the hardware.. all the same place.. think about this.. you've got a flaky disk.. gonna call RedHat?? (no)
Since you now have different support contracts.. you need a more skilled internal technical person that can at least determine where to go for support.. otherwise you waste precious time during an outage trying to track down who you call..
If you have, or you are a Linux advocate who has alot of experience with it (and if you're an advocate, you do) Then you're going to try to get linux into your workplace. What happens to the company when you get bored of supporting their financials database running on linux? Now they have to hire someone new, who may or may not know linux.
linux CURRENTLY does not have the support system behind it that sun does.. it's starting, but it's NOT THERE... Until it IS there, I would not recommend to run a *HIGH AVAILABLILTY/PRODUCTION/MISSION CRITICAL* server on that platform..
Who knows though... hopefully in time, the support end for linux will meet that of sun.. when it does, I'll be the first to change my tune.. until then.. don't think like a techie.. think like a business owner.. that makes the choice alot easier..
Having said all that.. before anyone flames me because of my own strong opinion. Linux does have a place in the commercial world.. we need to get more people more aware of all that it can do.. we need to start paying money for the support (to make the support better..) and eventually, it will become a big player in something other than the small server/desktop world.. It has a WAY better chance of that than NT does...
jkelly
Technical Consultant
