Microsoft wraps up code for 'supercomputer' Windows

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Appearance of Impropriety

When management requires Microsoft there is a defacto appearance of impropriety. This a criminal organization being reformed after all. But it happens nonetheless.

There are multiple examples of Oracle and other databases, which cluster naturally on Unix/Linux, that are hampered by Microsoft's "marketing" to those ameanable to a culture of corruption. My most recent experience involved Oracle.

The request for proposeal required that the database product operate on Windows 2000 using IBM servers. Oracle obliged with a clustering solution and was awarded the bid.

During installation it was discovered that a rather expensive fiber optic device that was not included in the bid would be required to cluster the IBM servers. The Oracle representative may or may not have been aware of that fact at the time of the bid. In anycase an alternative solution was found.

The alternative was to nuke Windows 2000 and instead use Unix/Linux. Several reverences to other Oracle customers were provided by Oracle to management but management to my knowledge didn't bother to investigate instead requiring its IT staff to implement Oracle in a non clustered fashion with backups being done using Datagard.

I was able to get the decision maker to tell me that "there is always a side deal" but whatever that deal was is unknown. Clearly the deal was that Microsoft Windows would run on the database server, perhaps preserving the possiblity of Microsoft SQL Server being deployed on the same hardware years later or perhaps the deal was to wait until Oracle and other database vendors could work Microsoft management into doing what they have done today.

This same mananager is now retired. I refuse to judge him. It professionals operate in an ecosystem that is Microsoft. We just need to be aware and use what ever influence we have from technical knowledge to get the vendors (especially Microsoft) to work together on our behalf.

Frank L. Mighetto CCP

Posted by: mighetto   Posted on: 06/09/06 You are currently: a Guest | Members login | Terms of Use

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