Pre-defined hardware and software bundle ready for database applications

• US 20040153438A1
• Filed: 01/21/2004
• Published: 08/05/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 01/29/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Oracle International Corporation (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Oracle International Corporation (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Olagappan, Muthu, Chen, Jane, Ou, Yuanjiang, Malla, Venkat, Venkataraman, Ramkumar, Rossiter, Jay, Bhaduri, Pari, Sivakumar, Thivakaram Prakash, Stowell, David
• Granted Patent: US 7,752,164 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/21 Design, administration or maintenance of databases
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/70 Software maintenance or management
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/46 Multiprogramming arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99932 Access augmentation or optimizing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99953 Recoverability

Abstract

A database system that incorporates numerous features that reduce the total cost of maintaining the database system is provided. The database system includes a database appliance that executes a database server on a platform that includes a special purpose operating system specifically tailored to the services required by the database server. The hardware may also be specially tailored to the services required by the database server. The database sever may be generated from another database server by modifying the code of the other database server optimize the code for execution on said database appliance. According to another aspect, the database appliance includes an operating system and a database server generated from another database server by modifying the code of the other database server optimize the code for execution on said database appliance.

Claims

1. A database appliance, comprising:

a database server; and

a special purpose operating system, generated by modifying a general purpose operating system, whose configuration is dictated based on a set of services required by the database server.

2. The database appliance of claim 1, wherein the database server was generated from another database server by modifying the code of the other database server to optimize the code for execution on said database appliance.

5. The database appliance of claim 1, wherein the database server is a special purpose database server, wherein features and configuration of the special purpose operating system are dictated by the special purpose database server and supporting components, and wherein the special purpose database server is specially adapted based upon the services required by a specific type of database usage.

6. The database appliance of claim 1, wherein the special purpose operating system performs process scheduling based on shares of CPU time.

7. The database appliance of claim 1, further comprising:

a self-configuration module that is capable of performing the steps of;

detecting an environment in which the database appliance is being used; and

configuring the database appliance based upon the detected environment.

8. The database appliance of claim 1, wherein the special purpose operating system employs a microkernal and an associated service module.

9. The database appliance of claim 1, wherein the database server includes a mechanism for reading resource information within an address space of a kernal of the operating system without causing a context switch to the operating system kernal address space.

10. The database appliance of claim 5, wherein said type of database usage is one of an online transaction processing application and an online analytical processing application, wherein said database appliance is configured with an amount of resources dedicated to I/O services that is based on whether said specific type of database usage is an online transaction processing application or an online analytical processing application, and wherein said database appliance is configured with an amount of resources dedicated to computational services that is based upon whether said specific type of database usage is an online transaction processing application or an online analytical processing application.

11. The database appliance of claim 5, wherein said specific type of database usage is an online transaction processing application and said database appliance is configured with relatively more resources dedicated to 1/O services and relatively fewer resources dedicated to computational services.

3. The database appliance of Clam 1, wherein the hardware for said database appliance is selected and configured to optimize performance of one or more services to be performed by the database server.

4. The database appliance of Clam 1, wherein the hardware for said database appliance is selected and configured to optimize a cache hit ratio experienced by the database appliance.

12. A database appliance, comprising:

an operating system; and

a database server generated from another database server by modifying the code of said other database server to optimize the code for execution on said database appliance,

wherein the database server obtains services of said operating system by making calls to said operating system during execution of said database server.

13. The database appliance of claim 12, wherein said operating system is a special purpose operation system whose code has been optimized for use as part of said database appliance.

14. The database appliance of claim 12, further comprising:

a self-configuration module that is capable of performing the steps of;

detecting an environment in which the database appliance is being used; and

configuring the database appliance based upon the detected environment.

15. The database appliance of claim 12, wherein the database appliance allocates a CPU share for a process and assigns a priority to the process based on the changing resource demands associated with the process.

16. A method for constructing a database appliance, comprising:

installing on a computer readable medium accessible to one or more processors a database server; and

installing on the computer readable medium a special purpose operating system, generated by modifying a general purpose operating system, whose configuration is dictated based on a set of services required by the database server.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the database server was generated from another database server by modifying the code of the other database server to optimize the code for execution on said database appliance.

20. The method of claim 16, wherein the database server is a special purpose database server, wherein features and configuration of the special purpose operating system are dictated by the special purpose database server and supporting components, and wherein the special purpose database server is specially adapted based upon the services required by a specific type of database usage.

21. The method of claim 16, wherein the special purpose operating system performs process scheduling based on shares of CPU time.

22. The method of claim 16, wherein the method further comprises:

installing on the computer readable medium a self-configuration module that is capable of performing the steps of;

detecting an environment in which the database appliance is being used; and

configuring the database appliance based upon the detected environment.

23. The method of claim 16, wherein the special purpose operating system employs a microkernal and an associated service module.

24. The method of claim 16, wherein the database server includes a mechanism for reading resource information within an address space of a kernal of the operating system without causing a context switch to the operating system kernal address space.

25. The method of claim 20, wherein said type of database usage is one of an online transaction processing application and an online analytical processing application, wherein said database appliance is configured with an amount of resources dedicated to 1/O services that is based on whether said specific type of database usage is an online transaction processing application or an online analytical processing application, and wherein said database appliance is configured with an amount of resources dedicated to computational services that is based upon whether said specific type of database usage is an online transaction processing application or an online analytical processing application.

26. The method of claim 20, wherein said specific type of database usage is an online transaction processing application and said database appliance is configured with relatively more resources dedicated to I/O services and relatively fewer resources dedicated to computational services.

18. The method of Clam 16, wherein the hardware for said database appliance is selected and configured to optimize performance of one or more services to be performed by the database server.

19. The method of Clam 16, wherein the hardware for said database appliance is selected and configured to optimize a cache hit ratio experienced by the database appliance.

27. A method for constructing a database appliance, comprising:

installing on a computer readable medium accessible to one or more processors an operating system; and

installing on the computer readable medium a database server generated from another database server by modifying the code of said other database server to optimize the code for execution on said database appliance,

wherein the database server obtains services of said operating system by making calls to said operating system during execution of said database server.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein said operating system is a special purpose operation system whose code has been optimized for use as part of said database appliance.

29. The method of claim 27, wherein the method further comprises:

installing on the computer readable medium a self-configuration module that is capable of performing the steps of;

detecting an environment in which the database appliance is being used; and

configuring the database appliance based upon the detected environment.

30. The method of claim 27, wherein the database appliance allocates a CPU share for a process and assigns a priority to the process based on the changing resource demands associated with the process.