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From: larry@ingres.Berkeley.EDU (Larry Rowe)
Newsgroups: comp.databases
Subject: Re: Database Machines
Message-ID: <2943@zen.berkeley.edu>
Date: Fri, 26-Jun-87 10:54:26 EDT
Article-I.D.: zen.2943
Posted: Fri Jun 26 10:54:26 1987
Date-Received: Sat, 27-Jun-87 09:46:24 EDT
References: <2861@blia.BLI.COM> <2918@zen.berkeley.edu> <2877@blia.BLI.COM>
Sender: news@zen.berkeley.edu
Reply-To: larry@ingres.Berkeley.EDU.UUCP (Larry Rowe)
Organization: University of California, Berkeley
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In article <2877@blia.BLI.COM> billc@blia.BLI.COM (Bill Coffin) writes:
>I think there is a difference between a server (hardware or software) and
>a distributed dbms.  Oracle and, I think, RTI are implementing 
>distributed dbms's.  Sybase is implementing a server.
>
[yet another minor plug (YAMP)] rti currently sells a distributed dbms
that runs on vax's under vms.  it probably runs on some of the other
systems too, but i can't keep up with them.  oracle announced a distributed
dbms at a big news conference in new york with projected delivery
dates in late 86 early 87.  in early 87 they ``withdrew the product.''
of course the press covered the first announcement but neglected to mention
the second.  so, it doesn't seem to matter whether a system actually works
as advertised... sigh!

on another point.  rti did a joint study with one of their larger customers
that built a database gateway to ibm/mvs databases.  the architecture is:

			ingres/star (dist-dbms)
		      /       |      \
		    /         |       \
		  /           |        \
		/             |         \
	     ingres	   ingres 	ibm-gateway
					    |
					    |
					    |
					db2/ims/vsam

the user enters arbitrary sql queries to ingres/star which optimizes 
and executes the query.  joins across machine boundaries worked.  
interestingly, the ibm-gateway used an ibm data extract product (DXT)
to get data out of the databases on mvs.  it worked faster than most folks
expected so that joins across machine boundaries actually ran credibly.
this system is not a product today, but i suspect rti and most relational
system vendors will be deliverying similar products over the next couple
of years.

distributed databases and gateways to other data stores (file systems
or data managers) will be very useful tools when they are widely available.
i agree with bill that it will be a couple of years before these configurations
are widely available and as reliable as single-site relationa systems are
today.  but, if your company/vendor isn't working on them today, you'll
be significantly behind and struggling to catch up.
	larry