Is Linux Ready for the Database?

As Oracle Corp. girds for the upcoming release of its Oracle 10G database next month, the company is cranking up the G-for-grid part of the message for this major update.

According to beta users, the update will feature easier-to-configure grid capabilities. But a big part of Oracle's RAC (Real Application Clusters) message for the past year has been about Linux, which may shave the cost of the platform by up to five-sixths, according to Wim Coekaerts, director of Linux engineering for Oracle, of Redwood Shores, Calif.

One question remains: Is Linux really enterprise-database-ready? Some experts say no, pointing to the fact that the operating system was designed as a version of Unix that would run on a 486 PC, not as the platform for an enterprise-level database, never mind a whole grid of enterprise databases.

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