Oracle + Open Source » mysql

DBJ – MySQL Hotbackups with Xtrabackup

Sean Hull — Tue, 16 Nov 2010 13:00:28 +0000

The open-source xtrabackup tool from Percona brings much needed hot backup functionality to MySQL deployments. In this database journal article we discuss logical, cold, and hot backups, then explain how to use xtrabackup on your MyISAM, InnoDB, and XtraDB tables to create at-the-ready backups. We then take you through the step-by-step process to restore them, and even the process of point-in-time recovery too.

Database Journal – Hotbackups with Percona’s Xtrabackup

DBJ – MySQL Character Sets

Sean Hull — Fri, 15 Oct 2010 17:00:39 +0000

In our latest article at Database Journal we talk about Character Sets in MySQL. What are they? How do they affect searching? How do they affect data that is inserted or updated? How can I set and control the for an application or globally in my database? And what pre-tell is collation? We answer all these questions and more.

Database Journal – Understanding MySQL Character Sets

DBJ: MySQL Benchmarking

Sean Hull — Tue, 12 Oct 2010 17:00:58 +0000

Benchmarking is liking running your system through it’s paces. You don’t know how fast your software and hardware are until you’ve put some pressure on them. Benchmarking tools allow you to do just that. We use sysbench to look at the operating system and mysqlslap to run queries in the MySQL database.

Database Journal – MySQL Server Benchmarking 101

DBJ: Inside MySQL Binary Logs

Sean Hull — Thu, 16 Sep 2010 13:00:53 +0000

MySQL’s binary logs are an important part of a properly functioning database. They facility point-in-time recovery, and allow replication to operation. We dig into these files, and look at what’s inside them, and how they work.

An Inside Look at the MySQL Binary Log Files

DBJ – Mult-master MySQL Improves Manageability

Sean Hull — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 13:00:32 +0000

Multi-master MySQL, with the MMM management software brings a whole host of new features, and manageability to your MySQL deployments. Run backups, alter tables, perform upgrades all without slowing down your production users.

DBJ: Introduction to Multi-Master MySQL

Sean Hull — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 15:00:10 +0000

This month on Database Journal we talk about multi-master MySQL using circular replication to achieve high availability.

DBJ – Wonders of Maatkit for MySQL

Sean Hull — Tue, 18 May 2010 13:00:38 +0000

If you’re new to the MySQL DBA role, you’ll be excited to learn about the Maatkit toolset. It provides a whole host of valuable functionality and fills many of the DBAs day-to-day needs.

DatabaseJournal – Wonders of Maatkit

DBJ – Exotic Storage Engines for MySQL

Sean Hull — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 13:00:23 +0000

In our March DBJ article we talked about some of the storage engines to choose from with MySQL. With it’s plugin storage engine architecture, you have a range of options. In our April article we continue to discuss a further selection of storage engines, and what features they offer to the DBA and database architect.

Database Journal – Exotic Storage Engines

Surveying MySQL’s Popular Storage Engines

Sean Hull — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 13:00:35 +0000

In this month’s Database Journal piece we look at the spectrum of MySQL storage engines available, and examine what some of their strengths and weaknesses are.

View the article here: Survey of MySQL Storage Engines

webcast – DRBD & MySQL High Availability

Sean Hull — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 13:00:53 +0000

I recently presented a webcast hosted by O’Reilly and Webex. In it I take you on a step-by-step installation of DRBD and MySQL. I start by using Sun’s Virtualbox to create to virtual machines running CentOS. I then explain how to configure them with virtual external drives to use for DRBD. I next configure the network interfaces to support routed packets into and out of the boxes. Then I install various packages with yum, configure drbd and finally install MySQL as the last step. You can follow along at the command line and do it yourself on a Windows, Mac or Linux box.

DBJ – Heartbeat Setup

Sean Hull — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 13:00:52 +0000

In the last of our three part series on MySQL high availability we discuss the Linux Heartbeat project, and how it can be used to automate failover between two MySQL databases.

Heartbeat exposes a virtual IP address for use by the database, and manages it as well. In the event that one server becomes unavailable, Heartbeat will revoke primary control of DRBD from that node, hand over the IP address to the alternate node, mount the DRBD device, and start MySQL. MySQL’s InnoDB engine will then perform crash recovery, rollback uncommitted transactions, and startup.

Read the full article at Database Journal – DRBD & MySQL, Heartbeat Setup

DBJ: DRBD & Virtualbox Setup

Sean Hull — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 13:00:33 +0000

In part two of our article on DRBD and High Availability, we take you step-by-step through setting up Sun’s Virtualbox software, creating a couple of VMs, and then installing CentOS on those. These two virtual Linux boxes then serve as two nodes in our DRBD mirrored disk setup which we use as a platform to install MySQL.

DRBD, MySQL and the Virtualbox Setup – Database Journal

Keep on the lookout for our third part in the series next month. In that issue we’ll explain how the Linux Heartbeat project can be used to control the whole setup, and provide automatic failover in the event that one node goes down.

DBJ: DRBD Makes Excellent Low-cost HA Soln for MySQL

Sean Hull — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 23:49:35 +0000

With all the trouble keeping MySQLs built-in replication running, some folks are looking for alternatives. DRBD provides a distributed block level device, which can provide the sort of database mirroring we need, below the filesystem. That makes it transparent to MySQL, but nevertheless a great complimentary solution. In this article we’ll discuss the pros and cons, and then part two will take you step by step through a basic setup.

Read the article on Database Journal – DRBD and MySQL – Excellent Low-cost HA Solution

webcast – DRBD and MySQL

Sean Hull — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 23:31:45 +0000

I’ve teamed up with O’Reilly once again to do another webcast this coming January. In it, I’ll provide a step-by-step live tutorial of setting up DRBD with MySQL on a couple of virtual servers. After the live demo there will be time for Q&A as well, so hope you all can tune in.

DBJ: Scaling Faster & Stronger MySQL

Sean Hull — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 13:00:39 +0000

Sometimes terms like scaling are – as the brits like to say – bandied about, without everyone agreeing on what they mean. That’s because scaling is an insiders term, a technical term thought to carry great weight, but nevertheless often misunderstood.So I wanted to write an article about this interesting and important topic, while sticking to terms that everyone *can* agree on. This is the first in a two part series where I discuss various ways to make your database scale. But I talk in terms of faster, stronger, bigger and better because I think we can all agree that’s what we’re really trying to achieve! Database Journal: Faster & Stronger MySQL