Re: [PERFORM] Which plattform do you recommend I run PostgreSQL for best performance?

[Christopher Browne]

In an attempt to throw the authorities off his trail, [EMAIL PROTECTED] transmitted:
> I am doing a comparison between MySQL and PostgreSQL.
>
> In the MySQL manual it says that MySQL performs best with Linux 2.4 with
> ReiserFS on x86. Can anyone official, or in the know, give similar
> information regarding PostgreSQL?

The fastest I have ever seen PostgreSQL run is on an IBM pSeries 650
system using AIX 5.1 and JFS2.  There aren't many Linux systems that
are anywhere _near_ as fast as that.

There's some indication that FreeBSD 4.9, running the Berkeley FFS
filesystem might be the quickest way of utilizing pedestrian IA-32
hardware, although it is _much_ more important to have a system for
which you have a competent sysadmin than it is to have some
"tweaked-out" OS configuration.

In practice, competent people generally prefer to have systems that
hum along nicely as opposed to systems that have ben "tweaked out"
such that any little change will cause them to cave in.  

Benchmarks are useful in determining:

  a) Whether or not it is realistic to attempt a project, and

  b) Whether or not you have made conspicuous errors in configuring
 your systems.

They are notoriously BAD as predictive tools, as the benchmarks
sponsored by vendors get tweaked to make the vendors' products look
good, as opposed to being written to be useful for prediction.

See if you see anything useful from MySQL in this regard:


> Also, any links to benchmarking tests available on the internet
> between MySQL and PostgreSQL would be appreciated.

Most database vendors have licenses that specifically forbid
publishing benchmarks.
-- 
(reverse (concatenate 'string "gro.mca" "@" "enworbbc"))
http://www3.sympatico.ca/cbbrowne/oses.html
Do you know where your towel is?

---(end of broadcast)---
TIP 7: don't forget to increase your free space map settings

Re: [PERFORM] Which plattform do you recommend I run PostgreSQL for best performance?

[Josh Berkus]

Tim,

> In the MySQL manual it says that MySQL performs best with Linux 2.4 with
> ReiserFS on x86. Can anyone official, or in the know, give similar
> information regarding PostgreSQL?

PostgreSQL runs on a lot more platforms than MySQL; it's not even reasonable 
to compare some of them, like rtLinux, AIX or Cygwin.   The only reasonable 
comparative testing that's been done seems to indicate that:
Linux 2.6 is more efficient than FreeBSD which is more efficient than Linux 
2.4 all of which are significantly more efficient than Solaris, and
ReiserFS, XFS and JFS *seem* to outperform other Linux journalling FSes.

However, as others have said, configuration and hardware will probably make 
more difference than your choice of OS except in extreme cases.   And all of 
the above is being further tested, particularly the filesystems.

-- 
--Josh

Josh Berkus
Aglio Database Solutions
San Francisco

---(end of broadcast)---
TIP 3: if posting/reading through Usenet, please send an appropriate
  subscribe-nomail command to [EMAIL PROTECTED] so that your
  message can get through to the mailing list cleanly