Networks of Networked Computers

There are five major developmental trends that impact the current nature of distributed databases.  While each of these trends overlapped, each was the natural successor to the one it preceded and improved in some manner over the earlier technology:

1960's            Monolithic databases

1970's            Distributed databases

1980's            Personal databases

1980's            Networks of databases

1990's            Networked Networks of databases

It is important to contrast the differences between distributed databases and centralized databases.  In a centralized database, the database software maintains tight control over the data, both in terms of security and access.  The system can be backed up and recovered as a single unit, and foremost of all, the business relationships between the data items are controlled and maintained.

Centralized databases have been criticized for having a single point of failure.  It is argued that a centralized data repository is at the mercy of the single processor.  On the other hand, a failure of a single processor in a distributed network will leave the other remaining database nodes intact and running.  This is compelling reason to use Net8 to isolate and distribute business databases on separate processors.

The final frontier of networks of networked computers is also another evolution of the personal computer revolution.  As personal computers appeared on everyone's desk, LAN managers were created to link them together, and with gateways to the midrange and mainframe systems, the desktop workstation has become a mere vehicle for exploring cyberspace.  This is most dramatically demonstrated with the Internet. 

With tens of thousand of participating computers, and new nodes being added at a rate of 200 each day, the Internet is the ultimate in distributed databases.   Oracle has addressed this need with Oracle8i and the Oracle WebServer.