Amazon Releases Point-and-Click Console for EC2

TECHNOLOGY
- Infrastructure
  - Network
  - Security
    - Virus
    - Intruder
    - Spyware
    - Spam
    - Theft
    - Disaster Recovery
    - Privacy
    - Regulatory Compliance
  - Client
    - Desktop
    - Laptop
    - Laptop - Macbook
    - PDA
  - Server
    - Load Balancing
  - Mobile
  - Operating Systems
    - Windows
    - Windows - Vista
    - Linux
    - Mac
    - Mac - Leopard
    - Unix
    - Other
  - Data Center
  - Virtualization
- Applications
  - SaaS
  - Cloud Computing
  - ERP
  - CRM
  - BI
  - BPM
  - KM
  - SCM
  - RFID
  - Middleware/EAI
  - Portals
    - B-to-B
    - Consumer
  - Inventory Management
  - Databases
  - Document Management
  - E-Business
  - Data Warehouse
- Development
  - Open Source
  - Eclipse
  - Java
  - .NET
  - Agile
  - Web Services
- Architecture
  - SOA
  - Enterprise Architecture
LEADERSHIP

IT DRILLDOWN

NEWSLETTERS

CIO.com updates, insights and advice on technology, management and your career.

RSS Feeds »

LEADERSHIP

CIO Executive Programs

The Leader in Face-to-Face Education for Senior Executives

Offering regional and national programs, CIO (and CSO) events bring together some of the most respected names and thought leaders in information technology and security. Presented by CIOs and other senior level executives, these invitation-only programs offer timely topics and strong networking. Learn More »

CIO Executive Council

A Peer-Advisory Service and Professional Association for CIOs

Social Responsibility's Strategic Benefits

December 15, 11:30 AM - 12:30 PM US/Eastern (GMT-5)

Join Ed Granger-Happ, CIO of Save the Children, for a discussion of how creating an organization that is socially responsible improves staffing, retention, leadership development and overall corporate health.

Working With and Communicating to Your Board of Directors

January 13, 2009, 4:00 PM - 5:00 PM US/Eastern (GMT-5)

CIO panelists who will share tips and experiences working with their boards: Twila Day of SYSCO; Jeff O'Hare, West Corp.; Marc West, formerly with H&R Block.

IT's Role in Growing Mid-Market Companies

January 14, 4:00 PM - 5:00 PM ET (GMT-5)

Mid-market Council members will share their companies' stories and challenges in driving or coping with growth. Panelists represent Veterinary Pet Insurance, Medicis Pharmaceutical, and Intrax Cultural Exchange.

More / Register »

Learn more about the CIO Executive Council »

RESOURCE CENTER

buy a link »

SUBSCRIBE TO CIO

Are you involved in setting the direction for your company's IT budget or strategy?

Apply today for a FREE subscription to CIO Magazine!

Subscription Services »

Reprints »

News

Ellison Pitches High-Speed Data Warehouse Server

Oracle saved the biggest news for last at its OpenWorld conference in San Francisco. CEO Larry Ellison took the stage Wednesday afternoon to announce two hardware products developed with Hewlett-Packard that are designed to provide very high performance for data warehousing applications.

Leave a comment

By James Niccolai and Chris Kanaracus

September 24, 2008 — IDG News Service —

Oracle saved the biggest news for last at its OpenWorld conference in San Francisco. CEO Larry Ellison took the stage Wednesday afternoon to announce two hardware products developed with Hewlett-Packard that are designed to provide very high performance for data warehousing applications.

Calling them "Oracle's first hardware products," Ellison introduced the HP Oracle Database Machine and the HP Oracle Exadata Storage Server, which are preconfigured server racks including Oracle software and HP ProLiant servers.

The Exadata Storage Server includes a dozen disk drives and two quad-core Intel processors that are used to perform database query operations on the storage equipment itself, reducing the amount of data that has to be shuttled back to the database server. This gives a 10-fold performance boost compared to Oracle's current data warehouse products, according to Ellison.

"The storage system itself runs the Oracle database's fast parallel query software, so we took the capability you normally find in the database servers and moved it into the storage server next to each and every disk drive," Ellison said.

"We're taking a tremendous load off the interconnect between the server and the storage grid, returning just the query results instead of whole data blocks. It makes a huge difference," he added.

The storage servers can be ordered separately for use with an existing Oracle data warehouse, or as part of the HP Oracle Database Machine, which includes eight Oracle database servers and 14 Exadata Storage Servers in one rack. The database servers include 64 Intel processor cores, Oracle's business intelligence software and its Real Application Clusters technology.

Each storage server is connected to the database server with two InfiniBand pipes. Each can carry data at 20G bits per second, but the speed of the system is limited to the speed of the disk drives, which limit the throughput speed to 1G bits per second, Ellison said. The Storage Servers include up to 168T bytes of storage, he said.

Ever the showman, Ellison chuckled with delight as he stood next to one of the hulking Database Machines on stage. Joking about the storage capacity, he quipped, "This is 1,400 times larger than Apple's largest iPod."

The Linux version of the Database Machine is available immediately, he said, with support for other operating systems to follow. He said the Exadata Storage Server will work with "any Oracle database server," suggesting customers won't have to be using the current 11g version for their data warehouse.

The Database Machine is priced at US$4,000 per terabyte of storage, plus the database license costs, Oracle said. The systems can be ordered from Oracle, and Oracle will be responsible for sales and support, while HP will handle the delivery and servicing of the hardware.