PostgreSQL Database Now Runs Natively on Windows

by Alex Woodie

The new version of the open-source PostgreSQL object-relational database now runs natively on Windows servers for the first time, PostgreSQL Global Development Group announced last week. With PostgreSQL 8.0, the developers have eliminated the requirement for an emulation layer to run on Windows machines, making it substantially faster. Additionally, Windows users wary of supporting open-source software themselves have a new option for buying a commercialized version of PostgreSQL.

PostgreSQL is a mature database management system that has been used on Unix platforms for nearly 20 years. It was originally developed as an offshoot of the University of California at Berkeley's Postgres database project, and is still distributed via the Berkeley System Design (BSD) license, which means that it's entirely free and the source code is modifiable by both private users and commercial vendors who want to build proprietary products around it.

Previous versions of PostgreSQL required an emulation layer--the Unix Cygwin framework--to run on Windows, and as such Windows performance was decidedly hampered. With PostgreSQL 8.0, the database can now be implemented on all 32-bit versions of Windows 2000, XP, and Server 2003. It will also run on Windows NT 4.0, although the installation is bit more complex, and it hasn't been tested much on this platform, according to the group.

One of the software vendors excited about the new Windows support is Javier Soltero, chief architect at Hyperic, a San Francisco developer of systems management tools supporting all of today's major middleware stacks. "Having PostgreSQL 8.0 supported natively on Windows means we can now bundle PostgreSQL in our product," Soltero says.

Another vendor looking to capitalize on the liberal BSD license and sell a commercialized version of the PostgreSQL database is Pervasive Software, the Austin, Texas, software developer traded on the Nasdaq stock market.

Pervasive announced earlier this month that it will be selling a version of the PostgreSQL database as its own database product, called Pervasive.SQL. Pervasive plans to make its variant of PostgreSQL available for Windows and Linux servers in February. Two support packages will be available, the first of which will provide basic updates for $99 per server, per year, and a second that offers premium, two-tiered, 24/7 support for $4,999 per server, per year.

In addition to native Windows support, Version 8.0 bolsters the already considerable feature set of the PostgreSQL database with several other important new functions, including support for savepoints, point-in-time recovery, tablespaces, and improved memory and I/O use.

Support for savepoints will enable better error recovery within database transactions, while the point-in-time recovery feature will enable continuous backups of data and provide an alternative to hourly or daily backups. Data warehousing environments benefit the most from tablespaces, which improve query performance by putting large tables and indexes on their own individual disks or disk arrays. Finally, performance during peak-use periods will be more consistent and more predictable due to a new Adaptive Replacement Cache algorithm, a new background writer, and the new vacuum delay feature.

PostgreSQL 8.0 can be downloaded to Windows servers from PostgreSQL Global Development Group's Web site, at www.postgresql.org.