Quest Software Inc. this week will roll out new versions of its SharePlex database tools to assist database administrators in replicating Oracle Corp. database clusters.
SharePlex for RAC/OPS (Real Application Clusters in Oracle9i and Oracle Parallel Server) 4.2, enables administrators to create a redundant version of a clustered Oracle database, said officials of the Irvine, Calif., company.
This allows IT departments running RAC and looking to update an Oracle9i database to bring down the clustered database for some time. With SharePlex for RAC/OPS 4.2, due July 15, DBAs can replicate the RAC database to the same or even another version of Oracle to stay up during the update.
While Sunda Lovett, enterprise DBA at Columbia Forest Products Inc., in Portland, Ore., isnt using Oracles OPS or RAC clustering capabilities, Lovett said the problem Quest is addressing is an important one.
“If its a production instance and youre trying to get upgraded in a specific space of time, [replication] would be crucial,” Lovett said. “The comfort of dependability or success would be everything.”
Quest is also set to ship SharePlex for Oracle 4.5 in August. Its biggest enhancement will be complete support for the Oracle11i suite of enterprise applications. In 11i, Oracle has two data types—indexed organized tables and varying arrays—that previously could not be replicated.
Along with new software versions, Quest is addressing the pricing of its products, which can be prohibitive in todays economy, officials said. Earlier this month, the company introduced a leasing option for its SharePlex database tools in which customers can purchase a license and support for 12 months. Quest also began offering usage-based pricing whereby customers using SharePlex primarily to offload reporting to a backup database can get 30 percent off the regular list price.
Customers welcomed the options. Lovett said that with the slower economy, its become much more important for her to have multiple pricing choices as she asks for funding.
“Its making it much easier to present to management to justify a capital outlay,” Lovett said.