RFI - OS Choices

Raftsman · Post by **Raftsman** » Mon Apr 03, 2006 8:21 am

Hi all,

We are in the procurement process for DataStage EE and would like to know what is the optimal choice between Unix and Windows. Looking at most posts, a larger number of installations use Unix. What are some of the reasons for choosing Unix over Windows. We were headingtowards the Windows version and we are now having doubts. Could someone please shed some light on the situation.

Thanks

ArndW · Post by **ArndW** » Mon Apr 03, 2006 9:00 am

There are no absolutes to make this choice.

If the site has already invested in UNIX hardware and infrastructure, putting in a Windows-based solution would not be a good idea; conversely a Windows shop shouldn't throw in a couple of "rogue" UNIX servers unless there are other reasons to do so.

If neither hardware infrastructure (and concommitant knowledge base) exists then factors such as price (hardware & software) / scalability / planned sizes & throughputs all play a bigger role.

It is somewhat similar to purchasing a vehicle and making a choice between a diesel or gasoline car - unless there are other deciding factors that we know nothing about there is no "right" or "wrong" answer.

It is a very fundamental choice to make as it will make a profound difference in how you work in the future.

Raftsman · Post by **Raftsman** » Mon Apr 03, 2006 9:31 am

The reason I ask this question is that I heard through others that the Windows based DS is not as stable as the Unix based software. If DS works well on both OS's, then we will make the decision based on cost factors. We just want to make sure that there are no surprise down the road due to the OS.

ArndW · Post by **ArndW** » Mon Apr 03, 2006 9:38 am

DataStage servers residing on Windows platforms are much less of a problem than the other components involved - mainly the database. Historically Windows has been seen as a "immature" OS trying to live up to it's more mature UNIX sibling. This has certainly changed in the past couple of years, but I think that the top-end data warehouses still tend to reside on mainframe or UNIX based systems and their ETL systems tend to be on the same platform family as their databases.

shawn_ramsey · Post by **shawn_ramsey** » Mon Apr 03, 2006 10:22 am

Raftsman wrote:The reason I ask this question is that I heard through others that the Windows based DS is not as stable as the Unix based software. If DS works well on both OS's, then we will make the decision based on cost factors. We just want to make sure that there are no surprise down the road due to the OS.

My local sales folk have told me on several occasions that the current Windows EE version is not compatible with any other DataStage modules (SOA, Quality Stage, etc.). It is my understanding that the Hawk (Version 8 ) will be fully compatible with the other modules.