The open-source code, which has been accepted into the Linux 2.6.27 kernel, is designed to reduce data corruption by decreasing the potential for incorrect data to be written to disk, and decreasing application and database errors, Oracle said in a statement on Tuesday. According to the enterprise-software maker, the code helps maintain integrity as data moves from application to database, and from Linux operating system to disk storage.
The code adds metadata to data at rest or in transit, to monitor whether that data has been corrupted. It helps make sure that I/O operations are valid by looking at that metadata — which acts as verification information — exchanged during data transmissions.
Oracle said it worked in conjunction with enterprise-network company Emulex to produce the code. Scott McIntyre, Emulex vice president of product marketing, said that the code contribution was a "significant milestone" for data-integrity development.
"Data integrity is vital to any business that relies on critical records and information to function successfully," McIntyre said in a statement. "Our work with Oracle is designed to help datacenter administrators quickly identify and remediate corrupted data, thereby protecting their business' assets, while also helping prevent lengthy server downtime and associated costs."
The code contribution includes generic support for data integrity at the block and file-system layers, Oracle added. Oracle and Emulex are also running an early-adopter program to allow customers to test the data-integrity features of the code. In 2007, Oracle, Emulex, Seagate and LSI formed the Data Integrity Initiative, designed to improve the integrity of data in transit and at rest. The initiative seeks to build on the data integrity field (DIF), now known as the T10 Protection Information Model, within the SCSI standard.
