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Conference ulysse::rdb_vms_competition

Title:DEC Rdb against the World
Moderator:HERON::GODFRIND
Created:Fri Jun 12 1987
Last Modified:Thu Feb 23 1995
Last Successful Update:Fri Jun 06 1997
Number of topics:1348
Total number of notes:5438

856.0. "How much Ingres takes advantage of SMP?" by ZPOVC::JEFFREYCHOY (Love the Sinners hate the sins) Thu Jan 31 1991 08:01

    Hi
    
    Appreciate any feedback on how much Ingres takes advantage of
    SMP ?
    
    When we say Rdb optimises on VAX, exatcly what are we implying
    in the context of Rdb versus Ingres ?
    
    Thanks in advance for any response.
    
    
    -----Jeffrey
    
    
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856.1Shallow vs deep portingBEAGLE::GODFRINDTSCG, Valbonne VBO1-2/B15 DTN 828-5163Fri Feb 01 1991 12:5034
>    Appreciate any feedback on how much Ingres takes advantage of
>    SMP ?

Well, Ingres is a client/server type of architecture. All db activity happens
in separate server processes.

So you could say : Ingres takes advantage of SMP machines, because, with
multiple dbms servers, you could have a server active concurrently on each
processor.

>    When we say Rdb optimises on VAX, exatcly what are we implying
>    in the context of Rdb versus Ingres ?

Well, Ingres has to hide the specifics of a particular machine architecture
(VAX/VMS for example) in a layer of code specific to that architecture. When
they port their code to some other environment (for example Risc/Ultrix) they
have to modify this 'compatibility library' whithout changing the rest of the
code. Their interest is to keep this 'library' as small as possible to reduce
porting efforts. In essence it means that they are obliged to restrict
themselves to the 'lowest common denominator' of the features of the various
platforms they run on. In marketspeak, this is the concept of 'shallow'
porting.

This means also that the majority of the code does not take advantage of the
specifics of the underlying machine/op.system architecture. 

Rdb on the contrary knows everything about the VAX/VMS architecture everywhere
in the code, so it can use any tricks available (even undocumented ones). Of
course that does not make Rdb very portable. 

I am sure your friendly neighborhood marketeer can expand on the benefits of
'deep' porting vs 'shallow' porting ;-) ;-)

/albert
856.2Ingres sounds great with SMPZPOVC::JEFFREYCHOYLove the Sinners hate the sinsMon Feb 04 1991 07:3014
    Albert,
    
    Appreciate your reply. With regards to Ingres taking advantage of SMP,
    is there any mark differences between how Rdb does it versus Ingres ?
    Looks like using mutliple server is a great advantage, an advancement
    in technology. I have done a benchmark and won against Ingres.
    
    I am trying to explain why Rdb won. I thought Rdb take better advantage
    of SMP compares to Ingres so I hope to find out some supporting points
    to convince my case to the customer management.
    
    
    Rgds, Jeff
    
856.3How about LockingCIMNET::BOURDEAURich Bourdeau CIM Product MarketingTue Feb 05 1991 23:003
    There could be a variety of reasons why Rdb beat Ingres in a given
    benchmark.  However, One major factor might have been row-level locking
    Ingres only has page level locking.
856.4SMP concernZPOVC::JEFFREYCHOYLove the Sinners hate the sinsSun Feb 10 1991 08:3812
    Re .3)
    
    Record locking and other good Rdb features had been put up
    but I want to know more in the area of SMP, esp how much Ingres can 
    take advantage as compared to Rdb. In the past 3rd party databases do
    not take advantage of SMP by utilising a mainstream database server.
    
    Now with multiple database servers implementation, they do take advantage
    of SMP but the question is how much?
    
    Regards, Jeff