Oratips OR a Tips

ORAtips 4Cover Story

Page Page An Overview of Oracle Support for the Linux Operating System By Darrick Addison

Editor’s Note: Should you run your Oracle’s delivery of a complete • Oracle offers seamless support Oracle environment on a Linux plat- solution including direct techni- for the entire software stack on form? Regular ORAtips contributor, cal support of the operating system Linux, including the operating Darrick Addison, answers that ques- is critical to their customer’s suc- system. tion with: “Oracle on Linux allows cess. With technical contributions customers to consolidate on stan- to enhance Linux, with code-level • All Oracle products are available dards-based software stacks running support of the key Linux operating on Linux, and multiple industry- July 2006 Volume II Issue 3 July 2006 Volume on lower cost hardware, reducing IT systems, and with strategic partner- leading benchmarks demonstrate costs.” In short Oracle and Linux are ships, Oracle is offering an unbreak- world-record performance and good business partners, and together able Linux platform for customers scalability with Oracle running make good sense for your enterprise, to safely deploy Linux in a mission on Linux. development, and business needs. critical environment. • Oracle makes technical contributions to enhance the Linux Overview kernel. Oracle Corporation is fully committed to supporting the Linux oper- • Lastly, Oracle on Linux offers an ating system. In fact, Oracle was opportunity to modernize and the first commercial database avail- automate the customer’s data able on Linux. By supporting Linux center, while at the same time with Oracle’s industry leading prod- lowering IT costs. ucts, Oracle is enabling customers to Oracle is offering an deploy enterprise-class solutions on Key Oracle Products the lowest cost hardware and oper- unbreakable Linux Available for Linux ating system infrastructure. Oracle All key Oracle products includ- believes that Linux is more attractive platform. ing Oracle Database 10g with Real today than it ever was, as customers Application Clusters (RAC), Oracle are looking for open, cost-effective Application Server 10g, Oracle Col- solutions. laboration Suite, Oracle Developer Suite 10g, and Oracle E-Business Introduction Suite (EBS) are available for Linux. Over the past few years Oracle and its customers have learned a tremen- Additionally, Oracle Database 10g dous amount about running Oracle options are available on Linux. Ora- on Linux for enterprise class deploy- cle Database on Linux is the same ments. Advantages of Oracle on product as on Windows, UNIX, and

Journal Linux any other platform on which Oracle Combining this knowledge with Many of Oracle’s customers deploy Database is available. Oracle has the opportunity to drastically reduce Linux in their mission-critical envi- been working with strategic partners IT infrastructure costs has provided ronments. Why? such as Red Hat and Novell to make the catalyst for Oracle to move to the further enhancements to the Linux next step, which is to provide Oracle • Oracle on Linux allows custom- kernel to support enterprise class customers with seamless and com- ers to consolidate on standards- functionality and enable the Linux plete technical support for the Linux based software stacks running on operating system to effectively run operating system in addition to sup- lower cost hardware, reducing IT mission critical applications. port for the Oracle stack. costs. ORAtips ORAtips

Linux Distributions • TurboLinux Enterprise Server 8 Oracle Enhancements and

Page Page Supported by Oracle powered by UnitedLinux Linux Technology Oracle does not want to support Oracle works with the key Linux fragmentation in the Linux operating The following Oracle products are distributors to test and optimize system market. There are an indeter- certified with UnitedLinux 1.0: the OS to effectively handle mission minate number of Linux distribu- critical applications. For example, tions in the market. • Oracle9i Database (9.2.0.4) Oracle has collaborated with Red Hat and Novell to create a core set Customers have consistently asked • Oracle Collaboration Suite of enhancements in the areas of per- for stability, better performance, and (9.0.4.1) formance, reliability, clustering, and reliability of the Linux platform as manageability in order to enable well as enterprise-class support. Ora- • Oracle Application Server 10g Linux to support Oracle customers’ cle cannot be effective in servicing (9.0.4) enterprise-class deployments. customers if they attempt to support July 2006 Volume II Issue 3 July 2006 Volume a large number of different Linux • E-Business Suite 11.5.9 These efforts have been integrated distributions. into Red Hat’s enterprise distribution • Oracle Developer Suite 10g called Red Hat Enterprise Linux, as The following distributions are cer- well as into Novell’s SUSE LINUX tified and supported by Oracle: • SUSE LINUX Enterprise Server Enterprise Server. Oracle believes 8. that their work with Red Hat and • Red Hat Enterprise Linux AS Novell to enhance the Linux ker- Oracle does not have its own dis- nel benefits all Linux distributions. • ES SUSE LINUX Enterprise tribution of Linux. Oracle has deter- In addition, Oracle is actively sup- Server mined that collaborating with part- porting the Linux open source com- ners such as Red Hat and Novell is munity by contributing source code • Asianux 1.0 the best way to create a stable and for products like Oracle Cluster File supportable enterprise class Linux System, to drive development of the The products supported by Oracle, distribution. Oracle is committed to Linux operating system. as part of Asianux, include: working with the Linux community to enhance the Linux kernel. The Oracle and Linux: • Red Flag DC 4.1; AME Info URL: company works with the partners Misconceptions www.ameinfo.com/52260.html and the Linux community to add Linux is a free operating system new functionality to the kernel that and hence people expect Oracle on • Miracle Linux 3.0 Asianux is important to run mission-critical Linux to also be free as well. How- Inside applications. ever, this is not necessarily the case. If you need something that is free Oracle provides unbreakable sup- of charge, consider the following port in APAC. options:

Oracle and UnitedLinux – A free trial version of Oracle Oracle will continue to provide Oracle does not want for Linux (the commercial ver- customer support for UnitedLinux sion) can be downloaded from 1.0, throughout its life cycle, on all to support the Oracle Technology Network

Journal the existing Oracle products that are (OTN) Web site. Please go to already supported on UnitedLinux. fragmentation in the www.technet.oracle.com for details. The products supported by Oracle, as part of UnitedLinux, include: Linux operating – Download Oracle Express Edi- tion (XE). XE is a freebie, down- • Conectiva Linux Enterprise Edi- system market. loadable version of the Oracle tion powered by UnitedLinux database server that can be used on single processor machines. It • SUSE LINUX Enterprise Server can only manage up to 4 GB of 8 powered by UnitedLinux data and 1 GB of memory. ORAtips ORAtips

Oracle Technical Support member companies (Conectiva and tinues to attract Linux developers

Page Page Oracle provides direct support to TurboLinux). with database technology innovations its customers for Red Hat Enterprise that are highly available, with scal- Linux AS/ES, Novell’s SUSE LINUX able clustering technology. To date, Enterprise Server (SLES), United- more than 1.4 million copies of Oracle Linux, and Asianux. products for Linux have been downloaded from the Oracle Technology Oracle, working closely with Red Network. Why would developers not Hat, Novell, Red Flag, and Miracle develop their applications using Ora- Linux, is providing support for the cle software? Developers can down- entire software stack including the load Oracle and Linux software from operating system. As a result, Oracle Oracle’s Linux Developer Center. customers who have deployed on the For those issues of Red Hat Enterprise Linux AS/ES, Oracle Corporation Uses July 2006 Volume II Issue 3 July 2006 Volume SUSE Linux Enterprise Server, or a critical nature Linux UnitedLinux, are seeing improved In an effort to streamline and lower response and faster resolution for (P1), Oracle will the cost of their operations, Oracle critical issues. A single support orga- Corporation has deployed Linux in nization ensures the highest level of provide a fix to the various ways to make their infrastruc- support and availability to joint Ora- ture more efficient and less expensive. cle and Linux customers. customer regardless Oracle’s internal IT organization has analyzed and found that Linux based Any customer running Oracle prod- of the source of systems are one of the most cost effec- ucts on Red Hat Enterprise Linux tive ways to reduce costs for IT infra- AS/ES, SUSE SLES, UnitedLinux, the issue: Oracle structure. Oracle has a large number or Asianux should turn to Oracle for of Linux based pilots and operational support if they have an issue that product, Red Hat, systems in use today. In fact, all of prevents the smooth operation of Oracle’s recently deployed and new their Oracle implementation. Oracle SUSE United-Linux, outsourcing business runs on Linux. will diagnose the issue and work with The company runs their Application the OS partner for those cases where or Asianux product. Demo Systems and Technology Demo the operating system is suspected of Systems, which consist of several causing the issue. For those issues hundred servers, on Linux. of a critical nature (P1), Oracle will provide a fix to the customer regard- These systems are utilized by Ora- less of the source of the issue: Oracle cle’s worldwide sales organization to product, Red Hat, SUSE United- provide Oracle E-Business Suite and Linux, or Asianux product. Oracle Database with RAC demon- strations to their customers and pros- For additional support issues, pects. In addition, several of Oracle’s Oracle will collaborate with the OS Global IT systems are now running partner so the customer issue can be Linux Development on on Linux. In October 2003, over resolved jointly. In order to receive Oracle 5,000 Oracle developers migrated

Journal support from Oracle for Red Hat With Oracle8i, Oracle was the first over to use Linux as the platform on Enterprise Linux AS/ES, the Oracle database to support Linux. In 2003, which to build their Oracle E-Busi- customer must maintain Standard Linux Journal voted Oracle9i Data- ness Suite product. or Premium support contracts with base as the best database on Linux Red Hat. In order to receive support in the Editor’s Choice Award. The Conclusion from Oracle for Novell or United- journal noted that developers “can’t Oracle Corporation is fully com- Linux operating system, the Oracle ignore Oracle’s sheer performance.” mitted to supporting and enabling customer must maintain a support The same enterprise class Oracle Linux in enterprise data centers. contract with Novell or with one of products with proven track records Oracle solutions on Linux enable the other two UnitedLinux founding are available for Linux. Oracle con- customers to benefit from high - per ORAtips ORAtips

formance, complete reliability, and

Page Page data security realized on propri- etary platforms, but at a fraction of the cost. Only Oracle makes Linux unbreakable by providing support for the Linux OS, making technical contributions to the Linux kernel, and forging strategic partnerships, thereby enabling customers to deploy their mission-critical transactional and decision support applications on low-cost Linux servers.

Darrick Addison, ASC Technolo- July 2006 Volume II Issue 3 July 2006 Volume gies, LLC - Darrick works as a Senior Software Engineer/Consultant for his consulting company, ASC Technolo- gies, LLC. He has been designing and developing custom software applications since 1993. He has worked on the design and development of software ranging from database applications, network applications (TCP/IP client/server), GUI applications, and embedded systems applications in various commercial and government environments. He currently holds a BS degree in Computer Science and is pursuing his Master’s degree in Computer Science/Telecommu- nications at Johns Hopkins Univer- sity. Darrick may be contacted at [email protected]. ≈

References www.oracle.com/technologies/linux/oracle_linux_0305.pdf www.orafaq.com/faq/linux_is_a_free_operating_system_ is_oracle_for_linux_also_free www.ameinfo.com/52260.html Journal ORAtips ORAtips

The information on our website and in our publications is the copyrighted work of Klee Associates, Inc. and is owned by Klee Associates, Inc. NO WARRANTY: This documentation is delivered as is, and Klee Associates, Inc. makes no warranty as to its accuracy or use. Any use of this documentation is at the risk of the user. Although

Page Page we make every good faith effort to ensure accuracy, this document may include technical or other inaccuracies or typographical errors. Klee Associates, Inc. reserves the right to make changes without prior notice. NO AFFILIATION: Klee Associates, Inc. and this publication are not affiliated with or endorsed by Oracle Corporation. Oracle is a registered trademark of Oracle Corporation and/or its affiliates. Klee Associates, Inc. is a member of the Oracle Partner Network

This article was originally published by Klee Associates, Inc., publishers of JDEtips and SAPtips. For training, consulting, and articles on JD Edwards or SAP, please visit our websites: www.JDEtips.com and www.SAPtips.com. July 2006 Volume II Issue 3 July 2006 Volume Journal ORAtips ORAtips