Tips on a highly available & scalable dbms needed

We are trying to select a relational database that will have the following properties: - Windows NT compatible: use native NT threads, and not be just a Unix-port to NT. Plus all of the product (tools, APIs, etc.) must function in the NT environment. - Scalable: up to 100 million records - Consistent: allow global transactions on entries in tables stored on different servers - Highly Available: 1) Allow portions of the database to be distributed across multiple servers. 2) Allow the data on these servers to be immediately replicated (within the context of the update transaction) to "hot standby" backup servers at another site. 3) Allow a downed server which was being replicated to be updated at startup from the backup server to which it was being replicated. 4) (Preferable) Allow access to data in tables regardless of which server in the cluster that data resides within. If that server is down, automatically access backup data in the replicated database. - Performance: high throughput must be maintained even with replication We are examining Oracle, Informix, and Sybase. Any comments as to which of these three would be a better match would be appreciated. Please email me. If there is interest, I can post a summary of the replies. Thanks! -- Dave K. Kythe, Sr. Architect HealthMagic Technology Center, Columbia, South Carolina phone: 803-748-9444, ext. 107; email: davek@healthmagic.com