Oracle, HP team up to provide support

Oracle and Hewlett-Packard have begun extensive efforts to boost support of Oracle databases running on HP hardware, offering joint customer support and a hardware-software bundle.

By late 1998 the two companies will offer the Mission-Critical Server Suite to US audiences. Its features include two HP K-class Unix servers; the Oracle Parallel Server database; HP's MC/ServiceGuard software, for switching between servers during system failures; and an HP AutoRAID system for disk storage.

The services program, which also debuts in the US later this year, is called the HP and Oracle Mission-Critical Service Integration Program. It features a single point of contact for users, as well as preventive and proactive maintenance efforts.

Initial support offerings will be for Unix systems, but the companies plan to extend them to Windows NT systems later.

Other support offerings will cover the Oracle Application Server, for Web-based application deployment, and coordinated patch delivery and phone services. Joint support for Oracle applications is also planned at some point.

The two companies also announced software to integrate HP's OmniBack backup software, Oracle's database, and EMC disk storage systems. The software will be shipped as part of Omniback.

HP and Oracle also are working to tweak Oracle Parallel Server for the HP-UX Unix platform, to ensure the best performance, officials at the two companies said.