Hi! I'm your Oracle DBA.
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Re: Amazon uses MySql
Check out the Oracle customer Case Sutdy:
http://www.oracle.com/customers/snapshots/amazon-oracle-berkeley-db-casestudy.pdf
And one for Automatic Failover
http://www.oracle.com/technology/deploy/availability/pdf/FastStartFailoverProfile.pdf
And running on Linux with Oracle RAC
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Found this site through William Robertson's site (
http://www.williamrobertson.net/), saw this thread and just *HAD* to reply.Been doing the wannabe DBA thing for about three years now, after a four year stint on z/OS.
Some points :
Just got through a large (120 instances) migration/upgrade project, and I can say that an install of the Oracle 10.2 or 9.2 binaries has never taken me more than an hour. Before we install the binaries, we tend to read the docs - in particular the prerequisites, so that those who have root (I don't) can do their kernel parameters thing. We have the CDs/DVDs mounted, we have enough space and we have the patches already on the server.
MySQL runs really well. Support is good. Security is good. Lots of examples of problems and their solutions in the wild. I like it. But I've tested it, and I don't like the fact that I can delete a datafile and the instance just keeps on running until its memory is full. It will get to 'Enterprise' level eventually, but its not there yet. As an aside, did a restore recently - the binlogs (archivelogs) are ace !!
Our SQL Server DBA wants to swap jobs with me for a few months. From what I've seen of SQL Server (2000 and 2005) the Server isn't the problem - its the OS. Easy to setup basic stuff, but we're having problems due to SOx security requirements.
With what software do you use 100% of the functionality? Word ? Excel ? We don't use RAC (looking into DataGuard) but I reckon in the 120 instances (over 200 apps) that we use about 95% of Enterprise Edition functionality.
I'm confused about the complexity issues people have. The install even asks if you want a database created - and what type - and it gives a brief explanation of the types. The use of Web-based tools like DBCA, Grid Control or DBConsole, mean that one never has to use an SQL*Plus prompt for admin tasks. The advisors in 10g are pretty good as well - although you can really get deep into the technical stuff very quickly.
Oracle (at least the versions we're using) seems pretty reasonably priced for the work done by it where I am. We've had a few issues, but stability hasn't been one of them. As mentioned above, in over 200 apps, we use it in many different ways (well mostly as a decent RDBMS actually).
We have quite a few people who know Oracle, and Solaris, and Websphere AS. To suddenly start ripping out the Sparc boxes, using Tomcat (or JBoss or whatever) and Postgresql or MySQL just isn't an acceptable solution. Due to volume, it actually works out cheaper for a new project to have (for example) a schema in an Oracle instance than a MySQL database. What's the client going to choose ? Duh ? There are quite a few apps that have grown over the years and with Oracle you can provide new/more/better functionality without having to change much. It isn't about trying to look big league - its about planning for future growth/change/markets.
From my limited Telecoms experience, billing in terms of call time used on your network was one of the largest DB users. Joe Bloggs used Cable and Wireless' network between Romford and Brentwood for three seconds during his call to Jane Doe on Thursday the 15th - type of thing.
If *I* can learn RMAN and how to backup a database - ANYONE can. Company deserves to go out of business if it can't find people who know how to backup a database - Cold backup even ?
I'm no guru, I can't program ANY language to save my life, I've been lucky enough to have had good, enthusiastic teachers/gurus who told me the good and bad way to do things. Oracle Fanboy? So be it. I'm earning a good salary, able to keep a family fed, have nice holidays and I learn something new everyday. If software didn't have problems then they'd outsource IT jobs to third world countries and any Tom, Dick or Sohail would be able to run it. DOH !! ;-)
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What funny about having an oracle server that continuously runs 500-1000 queries without a skip is the hardware that you need to do it. I can achieve greater than that with mysql on a PENTIUM 2 with 256 megs of ram. It might be a tad slow (actually it isnt, i can vouch), but it still works just as good.
Why buy a Product that
a) Has some of the WORST, least descriptive error messenges EVER
b) Costs thousands of dollars per C P U. (umm why per CPU?)
c) Crashes when running too many malformed SQL queries (10g). You can take out an oracle 10g server running on a pentium 4 3.0 with a gig of ram with 30 people runnign malformed sql. WTF. Dont say "Well you should be running better hardware."
d) Horribly high system requirements
e) On a MASSIVE system manages to keep up with a mysql server running on a pentium 2.
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@bejayel said:
f) Why look at the dates on posts? Obviously reviving a dead thread with a barely comprehensible, ranting post is much better!
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@Your Oracle DBA said:
<font face="Verdana"><font size="2">About me: I work for a Fortune 100 company, I work with heavy duty stuff. I don't do blog installs and little bitty web sites. I architect and build large-scale enterprise databases and the hardware that goes along with it. Nothing I touch runs on hardware that costs less than $500K. The software and support licenses can add 50% to that cost. Some of my systems run on $7 mil+ in server hardware + SAN. My development and test lab environments are far more powerful than most production systems. I have systems that can churn 500-1000 transactions per second, 24x7x365 and never miss a beat. Which is good, because when some of them are down, my company can lose tens of thousands of dollars per minute. I have 10 years of experience working with Oracle. I'm a talented engineer, and I know what I'm doing.
That's it for now. Bring on the hate! </font></font><I'm not worthy>Sorry but even for an Oracle DBA... You disappeared up your own arse many moons ago... Congrats... Good effort... It's a superb effort... </I'm not worthy>
B-R-A-V-O!!
