Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!usc!sdd.hp.com!ucsd!pacbell.com!tandem!netcom!tilman
From: tilman@netcom.UUCP (Tilman Spokert)
Newsgroups: comp.databases
Subject: Re: Why is Oracle better than Ingres
Message-ID: <17960@netcom.UUCP>
Date: 3 Dec 90 05:41:31 GMT
References: <734@keele.keele.ac.uk> <5550@avocado20.UUCP> <1990Dec2.080257.21343@odi.com>
Organization: Netcom- The Bay Area's Public Access Unix System {408 241-9760 guest}
Lines: 32

In article <1990Dec2.080257.21343@odi.com> dlw@odi.com writes:
>In article <5550@avocado20.UUCP> palat@motcid.UUCP (Mohan Palat) writes:
>
>	   Oracle uses an unusual process architecture (in UNIX). Several 
>	   processes have to be started up before one can even access a 
>	   database. Ingres does not require any such initialization. 
>

This message, and the previous one (...never lost any data because of crash...)
must be talking about pre-INGRES 6. INGRES 6 is now a server architecture,
and you have to start 4+ processes before anything goes. Sometimes these
processes don't start because of a previous crash (like everything was
hosed, so you had to kill the dbms server...), and you are left with an
un-accessible database. The manual says "This should not happen, call 
Tech-Support if it happens". Haha. We had to do that twice in the last
couple of month, and they give you two options:
- Restore from the last backup or checkpoint
- Take the risk of having screwed-up data and "force" the database to
  be marked as consistent again. As they say "please check all your records
  carefully...".

Very nice, indeed.

>Is this really a practical drawback to Oracle?  That is, can't the
>startup of these processes be arranged to be completely transparent
>and automatic?
Not practical. With INGRES 6.3 on a Sun4, we either have a dead (hanging)
process or a core dump from one of them at least once a day. Requires
manual intervention to get them going again.
-- 
Tilman Sporkert, apple!netcom!tilman or tilman@netcom.uucp 
          - I don't need a Nintendo. I got a SparcStation... -


Brought to you by Super Global Mega Corp .com