Unix and Windows

[Peterb7]

Ok, nows here's a question. For years our organisation has had sun servers running solaris for our data bases (oracle) (around 100 - 200 users a server max) Our applications servers have been windows (now going to 2003. The argument has always been sun / solaris is more stable and justified the cost. However we know we can run oracle happily on windows. There the extra costs in training staff in the unix arts and additional software we need to do things the windows bods can do.

So the question is, does the cost incurred with Solaris if we upgrade (inc. costs of new sun hardware + training etc) stack up? Or do we move our oracle databases to intel servers and windows?

We are being asked to justify the cost of personnel and hardware, for an organisation our size (500 users with as i say 200 users on one unix box and 50 - 70 on the other databases) Can we?

Peterb7

 

[stefanwagner]

You might consider using linux on intel, which would be an easy migration for the sun-solaris-stuff, and less costs than Win2k3.

don't visit my homepage:

http://home.arcor.de/hirnstrom/bewerbung

 

[KenCunningham]

...or even Solaris x86?

I want to be good, is that not enough?

 

[RMGBELGIUM]

have you ever seen a windows server with an uptime of a year ? I havent anyway ... I rest my case .So as suggested, linux as an alternative, or stay with Solaris.

 

[Peterb7]

Thank you for your comments, I am now looking at the linux side. We have got windows boxes that have stayed up for a year running sql (on 2000)which only makes the argument on how much we spend on sun hardware and unix skills harder to justify. Of course you dont want to throw the baby out with the bath water!!

 

[columb]

Peterb7

If you've got a Win2k server with an uptime of > 1 year you cannot have applied all the security patches. I know of at least six times in the last year that patching has required a reboot.

One of the major differences between Windows and *nix is the modularity. Quite minor amendments to the Windows environment can require a reboot whereas, unless you are upgrading the kernel, *nix can be upgraded without rebooting.

From an admin point of view, but I know that this doesn't carry much weight with management, *nix has much better scripting built in. Standard housekeeping (delete all files over a week old in this directory structure) is *nix 101 and complicated in Windows (or it was in the days when I worked on Windows NT)

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Columb Healy