Are There Large RDBMS Using Linux?

Jason Perlow of Linux Magazine writes:" With all of the recent computer press coverage of Amazon and Intel converting their web servers and other front end application servers to Linux, many of these stories neglect to mention that the back end systems these companies use still rely on commercial Unixes like Solaris, AIX and HPUX to host their RDBMSes (Oracle, DB2, Sybase, Informix) for their mission critical transactional applications and data mining. Are there any companies out there actively using Linux to host a mission-critical RDBMS ^? or looking to replace UNIX with Linux for this purpose?"

Comments

Re:Well, I'm using a Linux solution completely.

[FaRuvius]

Not only is your DB tiny, but mySQL isn't a true transactional database. It actually has very limited support for transactions(commit full-rollback?) It wouldn't even be considered for mission critical data.

The companies the poster is asking about need far more support than mySQL can offer them. It may be great for serving web pages, since in your case and most other cases the data is static and actually comes from another source.

Wrong question to ask

[f00zbll]

Although linux can run large RDBMS like Oracle, and sybase, the issue is disk storage and hardware redundancy. Things like having Veritas hooked up to a couple of large systems to handle failover is crucial. Large in my mind is systems with more than 10terabytes of data. Buying enterprise level storage solutions for solaris is more plentiful than for PC solutions. Things like getting a solid gigabit ethernet card or bonding several together has been tested on solaris longer than on linux. Who in their right mind wants to be responsible when the cheap storage device dies and failover doesn't kick in? I sure wouldn't.

Linux can run RDBMS just fine, it's all the other stuff that is lagging. Manufacturers of fiber storage and other high end products tend to focus on solaris more than linux. Large RDBMS includes a lot of other important details that need constant management and attention. Building a PC box with redudant powersource, fans, backup CPU's and motherboards gets you close to solaris prices, so enterprise projects tend to choose solaris or mainframes.

NASA & MySQL

[Whyzzi]

Did everyone forget that one? The NASA Acquisition Internet Service (NAIS) switched from Oracle to Mysql about 1 year ago. The MySQL announcement can be read here. MySQL's news page also has highlights of many companies who have made the switch.