Question

Why would a site want to have a TWO_TASK configuration (with the Oracle data on a server separate from the Aleph application software and tables)?

Answer

1. Local security policy may allow access to servers containing data via internal IP-addresses only (no external IP access). This can be achieved if the data is on a server separate from the application.

2. Oracle licensing:  If the site has a general license with Oracle and pays based on the number of processors which the server containing the Oracle data resides on has; the site pays less because the database-only server has fewer processors than a combined application/database server.  Note:  Most Aleph sites do *not* have a general license and pay Oracle only indirectly through Ex Libris.

Assuming that the single machine would have the same processing power, memory, and disk as the two machines in the TWO_TASK configuration *combined*, there would be no performance advantage to the TWO_TASK configuration.

• Article last edited: 24-May-2017