>I don't know anything about RMS, but ORACLE uses raw disk for a
>reason..... To avoid letting layering give you the worst performance
>aspects of two storage models combined.
but he can't be allowed to get away with this. first of all, Oracle
delicately point out there are some real headaches associated with
using raw partitions (i.e. character device files) that crop up when
one of their data files fills up. backup issues also become more
complex. anyone who's administered complex oracle db's knows the kind
of thing i'm referring to: not insoluble, but worthy of note.
secondly, there is some interesting work going on in the research
community (i know of at least one set of work at OGI, and there's lots
more elsewhere i know nothing about except that it exists) to actually
allow the OS filesystem layer to help Oracle and related systems get
*better* performance by going through the filesystem than it could get
by going directly from the disk (but without having Oracle understand
the actual disk hardware, which the OS can easily handle).
so i think its unfair to claim that layering access models will
inevitably lead to worse performance, or even to imply that
performance is all that matters.
--p
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