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Linux will gain another enterprise boost this week as Oracle Corp. announces additional database support for the operating system.
The Redwood Shores, Calif., company is expected to unveil a bundle that will feature its RAC (Real Application Clusters) database technology running on Red Hat Inc.s recently released Red Hat Linux Advanced Server distribution on Dell Computer Corp. hardware, sources said. RAC is the clustering feature in Oracle9i that the company has trumpeted as part of its “unbreakable” claim. The latest combination will be touted as “unbreakable Linux.”
Oracle users, such as database consultant Mike Wessler, said they want to have the capability to use Linux for Oracle database clustering because it offers a less expensive alternative to RAC on other platforms, such as Solaris. “People have been running Oracle on Linux fairly happily,” said Wessler, of Perpetual Technologies Inc., in Indianapolis. “If they could go ahead and take a step further and get benefit out of RAC without having to shell out the big price tag, I could see how that would be very attractive to a lot of small and midsize companies.”
Giga Information Group Inc. analyst Terilyn Palanca said she expects the companies to announce a certification for using RAC with Red Hat and Dell. Palanca said she will be skeptical of RAC on Linux until Oracle shows some customers. “Weve had a lot of noise from Oracle about RAC moving along and getting certified, yet we dont see a lot of customers,” said Palanca, in Cambridge, Mass.
Oracle declined to comment.