Configuring and Tuning Databases on the Solaris™ Platform

Shared-Nothing Databases on SMPs

Which is the better way to transport thirty people from Seattle to Los Angeles: in six cars with five people each or in a bus that accommodates thirty passengers? The answer, of course, is “it depends.”

What if you were offered the opportunity to direct a retail operation? Would you prefer a Wal-Mart or a shopping mall full of specialty stores like a clothing boutique, a sporting goods store, a Tandy franchise, a toy store, and a book store?

Such questions often have no right or wrong answer, although sometimes the circumstances favor one alternative over another. Each approach has its benefits and its disadvantages.

The common element between the two scenarios is the choice between managing the problem as a ...