Parallel Processing Versions of Oracle8 Prepared
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Infoworld has reported that Oracle in December will ship parallel-processing versions of its latest database, Oracle8, on both Windows NT and Unix platforms, according to company sources.

Oracle Parallel Server (OPS) for Oracle8 promises greater processing power and scalability by enabling the database to be distributed across multiple computers. Shipping since June in uniprocessor and symmetric multiprocessing modes, Oracle8 provides enhanced support for data warehousing, backup, and objects.

Because of the superior scalability of the Unix OS to NT, Oracle databases currently scale much higher on a Unix system. The Oracle7.3 database currently has been running on clusters of 128 processors on Unix, whereas NT clusters usually are limited to four boxes totaling 16 CPUs, Oracle sources said.

Releasing its newest database in a parallel edition could give Oracle an edge over competitors in the NT market.

One user said that when the time comes to distribute Oracle databases across multiple systems, Unix would be the likely platform.

"It'll be on Unix just because more of our Oracle servers are on Unix, " said Greg D. Jackson, database administrator at retailer Pier 1 Imports, in Fort Worth, Texas, adding that Unix scales better than NT.

OPS for the Oracle7.3 database on NT was released in May. Pricing of OPS for Oracle8 is expected to vary according to configuration.

Today, Microsoft supports system fail-over for its SQL Server database on NT, but it has not indicated when more complex clustering will be supported. Informix is expected to release its Online Extended Parallel Server database on NT this year. IBM plans to support multisystem parallel processing on DB2 Universal Database on NT in early 1998. Sybase also plans cluster support for NT in its Adaptive Server database.

Oracle Corp., in Redwood Shores, Calif., is at (650) 506-7000.