Which oracle server ?

[Murtix Van Basten]

Hi all,

I will deploy a database project to an Oracle server, but I could not
figure out which version of Oracle should I get. Here is my configuration:
Hardware:
Dell 1750 Dual Xeon 3.2Ghz, 2GB Ram, 3x36GB Hdd on Raid 5
Operating System: Redhat Linux 9

I will deploy only 1 database for the application. Only 1 DBA will use the
Oracle server when necessary. When the database once deployed, Only 1
application will reach it to read and write data. There will not be any
other database in the server. The server will be used for only this purpose,
nothing else.

From Oracle's website, I see there are Enterprise, Standard and Standard One
level of purchasing options. In this case, which should I go with ?

Thank you for answers.

Murtix Van Basten.

[HansF]

Re: Which oracle server ?

On Wed, 08 Dec 2004 11:40:14 -0500, Murtix Van Basten wrote:

Hi all,
>
I will deploy a database project to an Oracle server, but I could not
figure out which version of Oracle should I get. Here is my configuration:
Hardware:
Dell 1750 Dual Xeon 3.2Ghz, 2GB Ram, 3x36GB Hdd on Raid 5
Operating System: Redhat Linux 9
>
I will deploy only 1 database for the application. Only 1 DBA will use the
Oracle server when necessary. When the database once deployed, Only 1
application will reach it to read and write data. There will not be any
other database in the server. The server will be used for only this purpose,
nothing else.
>
From Oracle's website, I see there are Enterprise, Standard and Standard One
level of purchasing options. In this case, which should I go with ?
>
Thank you for answers.
>
Murtix Van Basten.

Can't answer you question because I don't know the requirements at the
feature level. The following should help you decide for yourself...

1) Standard Edition One (SE1) is effectively the same as STandard Edition,
but limited to a single machine with one or two CPU.

2) Standard Edition has a subset of features of the Enterprise Edition and
can be installed on any machine with up to 4 CPU.

FOr Oracle Database 10g, this is extended to 'any machine or combination
of machines with up to 4 CPU in total across the machines'. Specifically
for 10g to accomodate the 'any combination' condition, Standard Edition
also permits installation of RAC at no added charge - that is not
available with SE1.

3) Enterprise Edition has a large number of scalability and high
availability (and a few functionality) capabilities not found in Standard
Edition. These are documented in the New Features document for each
database version.


If you need any features that are marked as 'Enterprise Edition', you
need that edition. Based on a message in this forum a few months back,
all other features are included in Standard.


Which Version? Personal opinion - I recommend 10g.



3) Enterprise Edition has a large number of scalability and high
availability (and a few functionality) capabilities not found in Standard
Edition. These are documented in the New Features document for each
database version. If you need any features that are marked as 'Enterprise
Edition', you need that edition. Based on a message in this forum a few
months back, all other features are included in Standard.


Which Version? Personal opinion - I recommend 10g.
I note your comment about 'only one application will ...'. Be aware that
Oracle licenses by CPU _or_ by 'named user "plus"'. Named User is
literally the name of an end user accessing the application, so a database
handling 10 users but having only one user logged on to the DB (multiplex,
or other) would still be 10 named users. License by CPU is equiv to
unlimited users.

HTH
/Hans

[Patrick SenderaKurt Kuddy]

Re: Which oracle server ?

On Wed, 08 Dec 2004 11:40:14 -0500, Murtix Van Basten wrote:

Hi all,
>
I will deploy a database project to an Oracle server, but I could not
figure out which version of Oracle should I get. Here is my configuration:
Hardware:
Dell 1750 Dual Xeon 3.2Ghz, 2GB Ram, 3x36GB Hdd on Raid 5
Operating System: Redhat Linux 9
>
I will deploy only 1 database for the application. Only 1 DBA will use the
Oracle server when necessary. When the database once deployed, Only 1
application will reach it to read and write data. There will not be any
other database in the server. The server will be used for only this purpose,
nothing else.
>
From Oracle's website, I see there are Enterprise, Standard and Standard One
level of purchasing options. In this case, which should I go with ?
>
Thank you for answers.
>
Murtix Van Basten.

You don't want to use raid 5. raid 0+1 is recommended. Suggestion: look
into using ASM (Automatic Storage Management) and 10g. Simply put, ASM is
basically a database file system. Oracle will manage the mirroring of the
database files for you transparently. You'll want to do some reading and
research on this, obviously.

[Howard J. Rogers]

Re: Which oracle server ?

Patrick SenderaKurt Kuddy wrote:

On Wed, 08 Dec 2004 11:40:14 -0500, Murtix Van Basten wrote:
>
>

>>Hi all,
>>
> I will deploy a database project to an Oracle server, but I could not
>>figure out which version of Oracle should I get. Here is my configuration:
>>Hardware:
>>Dell 1750 Dual Xeon 3.2Ghz, 2GB Ram, 3x36GB Hdd on Raid 5
>>Operating System: Redhat Linux 9
>>
>>I will deploy only 1 database for the application. Only 1 DBA will use the
>>Oracle server when necessary. When the database once deployed, Only 1
>>application will reach it to read and write data. There will not be any
>>other database in the server. The server will be used for only this purpose,
>>nothing else.
>>
>>From Oracle's website, I see there are Enterprise, Standard and Standard One
>>level of purchasing options. In this case, which should I go with ?
>>
>>Thank you for answers.
>>
>>Murtix Van Basten.

>
>
>
>
You don't want to use raid 5.

He might do.

raid 0+1 is recommended.

By whom? Oracle?? Not true, if so.

Suggestion: look
into using ASM (Automatic Storage Management) and 10g. Simply put, ASM is
basically a database file system.

Simply put, I am a Martian.

One statement is as true as the other.

Oracle will manage the mirroring of the
database files for you transparently.

ASM, of course, does no such thing. It mirrors data, not files. There's
a difference.

And only, in any case, if you ask it to.

You'll want to do some reading and
research on this, obviously.

Obviously.

By the way: how about answering the original question: does he get
Enterprise, Standard or Standard One version of 10g??

HJR

[IANAL_VISTA]

Re: Which oracle server ?

On Wed, 08 Dec 2004 11:40:14 -0500, Murtix Van Basten wrote:

>

>Hi all,
>>
> I will deploy a database project to an Oracle server, but I could
> not
>figure out which version of Oracle should I get. Here is my
>configuratio n: Hardware:
>Dell 1750 Dual Xeon 3.2Ghz, 2GB Ram, 3x36GB Hdd on Raid 5
>Operating System: Redhat Linux 9
>>
>I will deploy only 1 database for the application. Only 1 DBA will
>use the Oracle server when necessary. When the database once
>deployed, Only 1 application will reach it to read and write data.
>There will not be any other database in the server. The server will
>be used for only this purpose, nothing else.
>>
>From Oracle's website, I see there are Enterprise, Standard and
>Standard One level of purchasing options. In this case, which should
>I go with ?
>>
>Thank you for answers.
>>
>Murtix Van Basten.

http://baarf.com

[Howard J. Rogers]

Re: Which oracle server ?

IANAL_VISTA wrote:

>>On Wed, 08 Dec 2004 11:40:14 -0500, Murtix Van Basten wrote:
>>
>>

>>>Hi all,
>>>
>> I will deploy a database project to an Oracle server, but I could
>> not
>>>figure out which version of Oracle should I get. Here is my
>>>configuratio n: Hardware:
>>>Dell 1750 Dual Xeon 3.2Ghz, 2GB Ram, 3x36GB Hdd on Raid 5
>>>Operating System: Redhat Linux 9
>>>
>>>I will deploy only 1 database for the application. Only 1 DBA will
>>>use the Oracle server when necessary. When the database once
>>>deployed, Only 1 application will reach it to read and write data.
>>>There will not be any other database in the server. The server will
>>>be used for only this purpose, nothing else.
>>>
>>>From Oracle's website, I see there are Enterprise, Standard and
>>>Standard One level of purchasing options. In this case, which should
>>>I go with ?
>>>
>>>Thank you for answers.
>>>
>>>Murtix Van Basten.

>
>
http://baarf.com

Because you are the second person to do it, here's my tuppence-worth
before there's a third:

Before everyone else jumps in and says "Raid 5 is evil" or "use RAID
0+1", how about *looking* at his proposed configuration: he has a cheap,
rather low-end server, and the additional disks involved in RAID 0+1
(for example) would rather be out of character with the rest of his
system. What's more, he's got a fairly low amount of RAM, and he's not
proposing to use a certified operating system.

So, wouldn't it be at least as productive (and probably cheaper for him)
to point him towards increasing his RAM? Or to suggest deploying a
certified version of Red Hat?

And rather more productive still, how about answering his actual question?

Just telling him "no RAID 5" doesn't help answer his actual question; is
quite possibly inappropriate for him and his circumstances in any case;
and misses one or two other more glaring issues that I'd suggest get
sorted first.

And my answer to the OP would therefore be: define the purpose of this
database. Then read

http://download-west.oracle.com/docs/cd/B14117_01/license.101/b13552/toc.htm

(Specifically, the Oracle Database Product Family bit).

....and see how your defined functional requirements best match Oracle's
licensing options. If there is anything in table 1-1, for example, that
you think you need or must have, then it will have to be the Enterprise
Edition (and if you're not sure what a feature is, ask here).

Some bits of functionality will depend on ultimate database size as well
as purpose, to some extent. For example, I wouldn't like to live without
parallel database recovery in RMAN -but I could happily do so if my
database was only (say) 10GB in size. But if it was 100GB, I think
parallel recovery operations would become something of a must (your
thoughts might be different, of course). Or another example: Flashback
database is worth it's weight in metaphorical gold, but if you actually
have to part with physical hard cash for it, it might be a different story.

If you cannot work out what features you need, or do not already know,
then your best bet is to visit http://technet.oracle.com, download the
relevant version for free, and start experimenting with Oracle
functionality until you can decide on how to distinguish the
absolute-musts from the nice-to-haves.

Once you've decided that, then it might be time to look at your hardware
and O/S configuration -and at that point, what others have said about
the problems of RAID5 is well worth taking on board. But you have at
least one more pressing issue to deal with: your choice of O/S is
unsupported. And I suspect 2GB of RAM will become a severe limitation
long before your choice of RAID will.

Regards
HJR

[Christopher Jung]

Re: Which oracle server ?

Given the specification of your machine, you probably won't be doing
anything that absolutely requires partitioning and can probably live without
other Enterprise only features.
Standard Edition One looks like it may be suitable to me.
You mentioned one application... is it a batch job, client server, or web
app? How many total users? How many con-current users?
It would be appropriate to verify with Oracle that your usage will fall
within limits of Standard Edition One license.
Also, Redhat Linux 9 isn't a certified operating system.
Fine for development, but for production you need some certified os, because
Oracle says so.
Marketing-wise Oracle recommends you get Redhat Enterprise.
In practice Suse seems to actually be more co-opertaive in getting Oracle
installed and working.
10g installs pretty easily on Red Hat Enterprise 3 though.

"Murtix Van Basten" <murtix@murtix. comwrote in message
news:41b72ea1$1 _2@alt.athenane ws.com...

Hi all,
>
I will deploy a database project to an Oracle server, but I could not
figure out which version of Oracle should I get. Here is my configuration:
Hardware:
Dell 1750 Dual Xeon 3.2Ghz, 2GB Ram, 3x36GB Hdd on Raid 5
Operating System: Redhat Linux 9
>
I will deploy only 1 database for the application. Only 1 DBA will use the
Oracle server when necessary. When the database once deployed, Only 1
application will reach it to read and write data. There will not be any
other database in the server. The server will be used for only this

purpose,

nothing else.
>
From Oracle's website, I see there are Enterprise, Standard and Standard

One

level of purchasing options. In this case, which should I go with ?
>
Thank you for answers.
>
Murtix Van Basten.
>
>
>

[DA Morgan]

Re: Which oracle server ?

Howard J. Rogers wrote:

>You don't want to use raid 5.

>
He might do.
>
HJR

Source:

http://download-west.oracle.com/docs/cd/B14117_01/server.101/b10752/instance_tune.htm#23421

Quote:
"Move the redo logs to faster disks or a faster I/O subsystem (for
example, switch from RAID 5 to RAID 1)."

Source:

http://download-west.oracle.com/docs/cd/B14117_01/server.101/b10752/iodesign.htm#26022

Quote:
"Avoiding the use of RAID 5 for redo logs."

Source:

http://download-west.oracle.com/docs/html/B13831_01/tuning.htm#sthref531

Quote:
"Striping data across a number of disks is one example of a redundant
array of inexpensive disks (RAID). There are several different types of
RAID, also referred to as RAID levels, ranging from high performance to
high reliability. The three most common RAID levels in Oracle Database
installations are RAID-0, RAID-1, and RAID-5. Descriptions of each RAID
level follow Table 7-2, which shows each level's read and write penalties.

RAID Level Read Penalty Write Penalty
0 (Disk Striping) 1:1 1:1
1 (Disk Mirroring) 1:1 2:1
0 + 1 1:1 2:1
5 (Distributed Data Gathering) 1:1 4:1"
... and ..
"The write penalty of 4:1 results from 2 reads and 2 writes during
parity calculation."

Source:

http://download-west.oracle.com/docs/cd/B10501_01/server.920/a96533/iodesign.htm#22610

Quote:
"RAID 0+1: Striping and Mirroring

This level combines the technologies of RAID 0 and RAID 1. It is widely
used because it provides good reliability and better read and write
performance than RAID 1."
and
"RAID 5 striping is similar to striping in RAID 0 ... while write
performance can suffer. This configuration might not be ideal for
write-intensive applications."

You are, of course, correct as always and I have obviously
misunderstood. Thank you, in advance, for correcting both me and Oracle.
--
Daniel A. Morgan
University of Washington
damorgan@x.wash ington.edu
(replace 'x' with 'u' to respond)