32 bit or 64 bit oracle

[fatchoy]

Hi

I running oracle 7.3.4 on hp9000 series machine.I intended to get a new hp machine running oracle9i. I came across
term like 32 bit or 64 bit oracle during my research for installation/migration. Can anyone pls advise the difference
between these two term. How can I know whether my existing oracle is 32 bit or 64 bit.

Thanks

 

[cgswong]

The difference is quite simple, 64-bit enables you to use more memory (over 4GB) and is mainly for large installations say for a datawarehouse with massive amounts of memory like 8GB+.

To tell your existing installing is also simple, if you start SQL*Plus and you don't see '64-bit Production' it's a 32-bit installation.

Cheers! The ONE ( HP-UX + Solaris + AIX + Tru64 = Unix)

 

[dspare]

Also, to use 64 bit Oracle you must be running the 64 bit version of the O/S.