Looking for Database experience - DB2 - MySQL- Postgres

Matt,

I'd thoroughly agree with their recommendation.

DB2 on Linux (especially on x86-64 boxes with dual cores) rocks.

I came from a mainframe background too, with my first experience of DB2 way back in 1989. I got into "the other DB2" before it was even known as DB2 : OS/2 Extended Edition was where it all started back in the early 90s.

DB2 for Linux, UNIX and Windows is a very powerful product. I've used it on AIX, Solaris and since it came out in a beta release at V6 level on Linux.
I've had my first production Linux site running since about 1990 (and a number more since then).

As far as high availability is concerned, you have a number of upgrade paths in DB2. You'll have to go beyond DB2 Express-C (the free version) for the best of these. In my opinion this is HADR (High Availability Disaster Recovery) which is dead easy to set up and gives exceptional resilience.

With V9 you have the full range of clustering options : a "share nothing" version (DPF = Data Partitioning Facility), range partitioning (similar to partitioning on mainframe DB2, but implemented better) and Multi-Dimensional Clustering. You can even mix all three.

Replication is also available, in two flavours. SQL based replication (which just about everybody has these days) and QRep (Queue Replication, using MQ message queues as the transport mechanism). For the latter I know of at least one banking installation doing over a million transactions an hour with this.

I've just started working, in the last few months, with RoR and DB2. I've never had any difficulties. Thankfully I have good access to the folks in the Toronto labs who develop the ibm_db2 adapter, and they have been most helpful. I've made a few adjustments to the RoR code to make generation of DB2 projects better : I've still to feed these through but I can share them with you if you want. I've also been offering suggestions for improving the ibm_db2 adapter.

If you need any more help drop me an email at teamdba@scotdb.com or scotdb@gmail.com : I'm more than willing to help.

If you are doing XML you'll also love the new hybrid relational and XML engine in Version 9. You can mix and match SQL and XQuery to your heart's content.
You can index XML documents as well as relational tables. It stores the XML in a properly parsed XML format, rather than a veneer on top of a LOB column.

Final note : the free version of DB2 is much less restrictive than the free Oracle (and SQL Server). In particular there is no limit on the database size. 4 gig of data only is a big restriction in a lot of situations, so you'd have to buy an Oracle licence a lot sooner (and at a lot more per licence too : especially if you tally up the cost of all the extras it takes to get to the equivalent DB2 functionality !!!

HTH

Phil Nelson ScotDB Limited

Philip Nelson wrote:

DB2 for Linux, UNIX and Windows is a very powerful product. I've used it on AIX, Solaris and since it came out in a beta release at V6 level on Linux. I've had my first production Linux site running since **about 1990** (and a number more since then).   

Sorry Linus, I didn't recognize you at first! Why did you ask that you want to make your operating system in June 1991 if you already had one in 1990 then?

PS: Sorry for the fun =)))

All the Best! Sergey.

Oops, that should be 2000, in case you hadn't already guessed.

It was my birthday today and I'm trying to wish away a few years, by making 6 years ago 1990.

Phil