Oracle, Dell, Red Hat Team On Linux Database Solutions

Oracle Red Hat Dell Computer

Dell will certify its PowerEdge servers for Red Hat Advanced Server operating system and Release 2, which officially debuts today. (See related story.)

Dell can also resell Oracle licenses, which will then be supported by Oracle, the companies said in an event here Wednesday. The three companies are also working together to run Oracle's Real Application Clusters (RAC) on Linux, which brings a lot of the databases power to commodity hardware, a key Oracle initiative.

"A cluster of four Linux machines is more reliable than a single IBM mainframe," said Oracle Chairman and CEO Larry Ellison.

Oracle partners concurred that pairing Oracle's database talents with Linux could be a winner.

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"There is a lot of renewed hope around Linux based on increasing ambivalence toward Microsoft," said Rich Niemiec, CEO of TUSC, a Lombard, Ill.-based Oracle integrator.

The company has been moving to fully embrace Linux for some time, which has raised eyebrows given its long relationship with Sun Microsystems. Many large Oracle shops run the database on Sun Solaris. But even Sun is feeling the pressure from Linux.

"Some of this momentum is because of volume economics," said Stacey Quandt, an analyst at Giga Information Group. Linux, an open-source operating system, is a low-cost alternative to Solaris and other flavors of Unix as well as Windows 2000, observers have said.

To date, "they've been seen as Oracle on Sun. IBM has been 'the' platform on Linux, and this is the counter to that," said Mark Shainman, an analyst at Meta Group.

Dan Kusnetzky, an analyst at IDC, agreed. "This could be a big deal for Oracle users looking for ways to cut hardware and software costs on the server side," he said.

At the event, Ellison said Oracle has no plans to abandon its strong relationship with Sun and pointed out Sun is moving toward Linux as well. "We love Sun," he said "We think Sun is destined to be the lowest-cost provider of high-end servers."

Oracle itself, however, has been under fire for what critics call its high-priced database. IBM and Microsoft have both sought to undercut Oracle pricing while adding functionality to their offerings.