Re: Database Kernels and O_DIRECT

Tom Lane wrote:

>James Rogers <jamesr@best.com> writes:
>  
>
>>If we suddenly wanted to optimize Postgres for performance the way
>>Oracle does, we would be a lot more keen on the O_DIRECT approach.
>>    
>>
>
>This isn't ever going to happen, for the simple reason that we don't
>have Oracle's manpower.  
>
[snip - long and sensible elaboration of above statement]

I have wondered (somewhat fruitlessly) for several years about the 
possibilities of special purpose lightweight file systems that could 
relax some of the assumptions and checks used in general purpose file 
systems. Such a thing might provide most of the benefits of a "database 
kernel" without imposing anything extra on the database application layer.

Just a thought - I have no resources to make any attack on such a project.

cheers

andrew