Introduction
Often people in newsgroups ask for a comparison of Oracle and DB2. In this article, I compare Oracle 9i Database with DB2 Universal Database version 8.1 regarding price, performance, platforms supported, SQL dialectsand products limits.
Platform comparison
Both Oracle 9i Database and DB2 Universal Database version 8.1 supportall known platforms, including Windows-based platforms, AIX-Based Systems,HP-UX systems, Linux Intel, Sun Solaris and so on.
Hardware requirements
To install Oracle 9i under the Windows-based platforms, you should havethe following hardware:
| Hardware | Requirements |
|---|---|
| Processor | Pentium 166 MHz or higher |
| Memory | RAM: 128 MB (256 MB recommended) Virtual Memory: Initial Size 200 MB, Maximum Size 400 MB |
| Hard disk space | 140 MB on the System Drive plus 4.5 GB for the Oracle Home Drive (FAT) or 2.8 GB for the Oracle Home Drive (NTFS) |
To install Oracle 9i Database under the UNIX Systems, such as AIX-BasedSystems, Compaq Tru64 UNIX, HP 9000 Series HP-UX, Linux Intel, and SunSolaris, you should have the following hardware:
| Hardware | Requirements |
|---|---|
| Memory | A minimum of 512 MB RAM |
| Swap Space | A minimum of 2 x RAM or 400 MB, whichever is greater |
| Hard disk space | 4.5 GB |
To install DB2 Universal Database v8.1 under the Windows-based platforms,you should have the following hardware:
| Hardware | Requirements |
|---|---|
| Processor | Pentium or Pentium compatible CPU |
| Memory | RAM: 256 MB minimum, additional memory may be required. |
| Hard disk space | Typical installation: 350 Mb minimum Compact installation: 100 Mb minimum Custom installation: 100 Mb minimum. Additional disk space may be required |
To install DB2 Universal Database v8.1 under the UNIX Systems, suchas AIX-based systems, HP-UX systems, Linux and Sun Solaris, you shouldhave the following hardware:
| Hardware | Requirements |
|---|---|
| Processor | For AIX: IBM RISC/6000 or eServer pSeries. For HP-UX: For Linux: For Solaris: |
| Memory | RAM: 256 MB minimum, additional memory may be required. |
| Hard disk space | Typical installation: 450 to 550 Mb minimum Compact installation: 350 to 400 Mb minimum Custom installation: 350 to 700 Mb minimum. |
Software requirements
Oracle 9i Database comes in three editions: Enterprise, Standard and Personaland requires the following software:
| Platform | Operating System Version | Required Patches |
|---|---|---|
| Windows-based | Windows NT 4.0 | Service Pack 5 |
| Windows-based | Windows 2000 | Service Pack 1 |
| Windows-based | Windows XP | Not Necessary |
| AIX-Based | AIX 4.3.3 | Maintenance Level 09 and IY24568, IY25282, IY27614, IY30151 |
| AIX-Based | AIX 5.1 | AIX 5L release 5.1 ML01+ (IY22854), IY26778, IY28766, IY28949, IY29965, IY30150 |
| Compaq Tru64 UNIX | Tru64 5.1 | 5.1 patchkit 4 |
| Compaq Tru64 UNIX | Tru64 5.1A | 5.1A patchkit 1 |
| HP-UX | HP-UX version 11.0 (64-bit) | Sept. 2001 Quality Pack, PHCO_23792, PHCO_24148, PHKL_24268, PHKL_24729, PHKL_ 25475, PHKL_25525, PHNE_24715, PHSS_23670, PHSS_24301, PHSS_24303, PHSS_24627, PHSS_22868 |
| Linux | SuSE Linux Enterprise Server 7 (or SLES-7) with kernel 2.4.7, and glibc 2.2.2 | Not Necessary |
| Sun Solaris | Solaris 32-Bit 2.6 (5.6), 7 (5.7) or 8 (5.8) | Not Necessary |
| Sun Solaris | Solaris 64-Bit 8 (5.8) | Update 5 |
DB2 Universal Database v8.1 comes in six editions:7 DB2 Enterprise Server Edition (ESE)7 DB2 Workgroup Server Edition (WSE)7 DB2 Workgroup Server Unlimited Edition (WSUE)7 DB2 Personal Edition (PE)7 DB2 Universal Developer’s Edition (UDE)7 DB2 Personal Developer’s Edition (PDE)and requires the following software:
| Platform | Operating System Version | Required Patches |
|---|---|---|
| Windows-based | Windows NT 4.0 | Service Pack 6a or higher |
| Windows-based | Windows 2000 | Service Pack 2 is required for Windows Terminal Server |
| Windows-based | Windows XP | Not Necessary |
| AIX-Based | AIX 4.3.3 (32-bit) | Maintenance Level 9 or later, and APARs IY22308, Y32690, and IY33024 |
| AIX-Based | AIX 5L (32-bit) | Maintenance Level 2 or later |
| AIX-Based | AIX 5.1.0 (32-bit) | Maintenance Level 2 or later, and APARs IY31254, IY32217, IY32905, IY33023, and IY29345 |
| AIX-Based | AIX 5.1.0 (64-bit) | Maintenance Level 2 or later, and APARs IY31254, IY32217, IY32905, Y33023, and IY32466 |
| HP-UX | HP-UX 11i | December 2001 GOLDBASE11i, December 2001 GOLDAPPS11i bundles |
| Linux | For Intel 32-bit: 7 kernel level 2.4.9 or later 7 glibc 2.2.4 or later 7 RPM 3 or later For Intel 64-bit and z-Series: 7 Red Hat Linux 7.2 7 SuSE Linux SLES-7 | Not Necessary |
| Sun Solaris | Solaris 7 (32-bit) | patch 106327-10 |
| Sun Solaris | Solaris 7 (64-bit) | patch 106300-11 |
| Sun Solaris | Solaris 8 (32-bit) | patch 108434-03 and 108528-12 |
| Sun Solaris | Solaris 8 (64-bit) | patch 108435-03 and 108528-12 |
| Sun Solaris | Solaris 9 | Not Necessary |