Oracle + Open Source

Open Insights 64 – What You Value

Sean Hull — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 00:16:10 +0000

Our 64th newsletter issue is just out. In it we discuss different perspectives, and how they shape what we value as important. Understanding how each person, each client, each party at the table sees things, and values things differently is the first step in being able to deliver and speak directly to their needs.

View – newsletter 64 – What You Value

open insights 63 – Slow To Credit

Sean Hull — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 13:00:37 +0000

Everyone has experienced the phenomenon of dealing with their savings or checking account banks. When they deposit a check, the bank is quick to credit, while when they write a check, they are slow to debit. This is a phenomenon of accounting, ie take in money as quickly as possible, but dole it out as slowly as possible. At root it is at the heart of cash flow. In this month’s newsletter we discuss some of the challenges inherent in business as belts are tightened and budgets constrict.

Newsletter Issue 63 – Slow To Credit

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

Open Insights 62 – Context

Sean Hull — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 13:00:13 +0000

In our last newsletter of the decade we discuss the importance of context. Whether it is in user interface design such as priorities in the iphone and feature development, or the numbering of apartments in a new building complex, the perspective or context within which designers, architects and engineers see things, is often quite different from the day-t0-day experiences of so-called end-users. Stepping into their shoes, and being able to see things from their perspective, ie your customers perspective, is an ever present challenge in business.

Newsletter Issue 62 – Context

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: More MySQL Scaling

Sean Hull — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 13:00:40 +0000

In this second part of our piece on scaling, we talk about running more instances of MySQL either on a single server or multiple servers, to get faster overall response for your queries. This will require some work with your application making decisions about where it will find its data or where it should make changes, but with some work you can drastically improve overall response for your applications.

Bigger and Better MySQL – DatabaseJournal.com

Open Insights 61 – Medicine of Austerity

Sean Hull — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 13:00:49 +0000

In our latest newsletter we discuss what economists are dubbing the “medicine of austerity” aka paying the piper or tightening your belt. And we think that this medicine will surely include open source technologies.

Open Insights 61 – Medicine of Austerity

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

Open Insights 60 – Principal Agent

Sean Hull — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 13:00:06 +0000

Issue 60 marks our newsletter’s five year anniversary. How time flies!

This month we talk about the very prescient topic of the principal agent problem. If you’ve ever been to the mechanic and wondered about what problem your car really has, and whether the mechanic might be inflating the story to his own advantage, then this issue is for you.

Issue 60 – Principal Agent Problem

Open Insights 59 – Invisibility of Skills

Sean Hull — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 13:00:43 +0000

Our newsletter this month hits upon the topic of skills. How often are skills not obvious upon first observation of someone? We illustrate this point first by looking at some martial arts classes and then some resumes!

Issue 59 – Invisibility of Skills

DBJ: 7 Ways To Crash a Database

Sean Hull — Sat, 15 Aug 2009 13:00:13 +0000

With a tongue in cheek, humorous tone, we turn the tables upside down on database best practices, illustrating all of the things you shouldn’t do, and what might happen if you ignore those important tasks.

7 Ways To Crash A Database

Webcast: Step-by-step MySQL Clustering Setup

Sean Hull — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 13:00:16 +0000

I recently did a webcast for O’Reilly and Associates on MySQL Clustering Setup and configuration.

Click here to see a clip over at O’Reilly.

Open Insights 58 – Ownership

Sean Hull — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 13:00:39 +0000

In our latest newsletter we take a trip to the Brooklyn Flea, and talk with the purveyors not of homemade beer, but homemade beer making equipment. We share some insights at how enthusiasts, technology geeks, open source aficionados and passionate detail oriented folks in many niches share a common trait in common. That of ownership. Owning the details, the skills, and mastery over a topic or area. The proverbial “subject matter expert”.

Open Insights Newsletter Issue 58 – Ownership

DBJ: Five More Dials To Turn

Sean Hull — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 13:00:13 +0000

In this month’s article over at Database Journal we discuss more areas to tune your initial MySQL database setup including InnoDB & MyISAM buffers, hit ratios, index usage and full table scans, security, and logs. With this second article in a two part series we complete our coverage of basic tuning of a MySQL database.

MySQL: Five More Dials To Turn

Open Insights 57 – Logic Alone?

Sean Hull — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 13:00:13 +0000

In this month’s issue we discuss assessing people, and how we determine qualification. In particular we look at skills and compare the to immeasurables like drive, loyalty, and fortitude as factors which are often more difficult to measure, but perhaps more crucial to success.

Open Insights 57 – Logic Alone?

DBJ – Ten Dials To Set

Sean Hull — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 13:00:07 +0000

This month in Database Journal we start a two part article on tuning the dials of your new MySQL database. After you install and setup your first database, you’ll need to set various parameters in your my.cnf file. These control memory, logfiles, temp table usage, sorting, joins, and a whole lot more. We’ll review some of the more important wants and start you on your way to more nuanced tuning of your MySQL instance.

Read the article: Ten Dials To Set at DatabaseJournal.com

Open Insights 56 – Cui Bono – To Whose Benefit?

Sean Hull — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 20:44:18 +0000

Issue 56 – Cui Bono – To Whose Benefit?

Open Insights 55 – Preserving Optionality

Sean Hull — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 20:43:18 +0000

Issue 55 – Preserving Optionality

DBJ: Getting Started With MySQL Clustering

Sean Hull — Mon, 11 May 2009 15:00:48 +0000

If you haven’t worked with MySQL’s NDB Cluster storage engine yet, now is the time to take a peek. There is a sandbox available from serveral nines, which can be installed fairly quickly. This new article over at DatabaseJournal, MySQL Clustering In A Sandbox will have you up and running in no time.

DBJ: Five Query Optimizations in MySQL

Sean Hull — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 13:00:57 +0000

A new article is up on Database Journal where I discuss some query optimizations that work well with MySQL applications.Five Query Optimizations in MySQL

Issue 54 – Path Dependency Avoidance

Sean Hull — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 13:00:32 +0000

Path Dependence is a technical term which basically means the further along a given path you go, the more pressure there is to “stay the course”. In this months open insights issue, we discuss this phenomenon in consulting, and suggest some ways to help eliminate or reduce that dependence and make you more nimble and flexible in tight budgets, and trying economic times.Open Insights 54 – Avoiding Path Dependence

DBJ: Optimizing the MySQL Query Cache

Sean Hull — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 13:00:03 +0000

The MySQL Query Cache is a powerful piece of engineering that users of the popular open source database can take advantage of to speed up throughput of their applications. MySQL’s cache operates a little bit differently from other database engines. It does not just cache query plans, but the query data as well. What this means is that the size and number of queries that your database manages will be variables when tuning the query cache. We discuss all of these items in our new article at DatabaseJournal.

Database Journal – Optimizing the MySQL Query Cache

Open Insights 53 – Focus on Results

Sean Hull — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 21:19:48 +0000

Our latest issue of Open Insights #53 for March 2009, we discuss the idea “focus on results on process”. From buying technology hardware, to buying licenses, hiring consultants, to upgrading enterprise software, this simple maxim can provide some new insights into our decision making processes, and hopefully save us time and money in the process.Open Insights 53 – Focus on Results

DBJ – Advanced MySQL Replication – Improving Performance

Sean Hull — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 13:00:34 +0000

Our latest article over at Database Journal is hot off the presses. Advanced MySQL Replication – Improving Performance discusses some of the best ways to improve the performance of your MySQL slave setup. If the slave is constantly getting further and further behind the master database, we discuss a number of techniques which may help you bring it under control.

O’Reilly Webcast – MySQL Replication – Audit, Test & Verify

Sean Hull — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 07:56:53 +0000

My O’Reilly webcast is now online at youtube. Comments welcome!

Webcast: MySQL Replication

Sean Hull — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 01:14:43 +0000

MySQL Replication is fairly simple to setup for the first time. However over time maintenance can become troublesome. At times errors show up in the error logs, or it can stop running altogether. In fact MySQL Replication can fail in a much more insidious way, that is silently. So what to do?

As it turns out there are specific reasons and causes for MySQL replication to get out of sync. We’ll discuss what is and isn’t compliant in a MySQL Replicated environment, and then most importantly, we’ll discuss a tool that can help you verify your environment, and show you what is or isn’t in sync and why.

I’m presenting this webcast with O’Reilly on Thursday January 22. If you’re interested, click here to register.

Open Insights 51 – Stretch Your Database Dollar

Sean Hull — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 13:00:14 +0000

Over the holidays I had the chance to catch up on some podcasts I hadn’t listened to. In particular Financial Times has an excellent weekly one called “Digital Business”. In the last one for 2008, Peter Whitehead interviews a few people to get their forcasts for 2009.

Of particular interest to our readers was his mention that Open Source will continue to grow in importance, as budgets get squeezed. Limited budgets mean looking at every dollar, so this month’s Open Insights issue 51, we talk about stretching your database dollar, and where and when open source database technologies may be right for you.

DBJ: Reliable MySQL Replication

Sean Hull — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 20:18:26 +0000

Part II in our series on MySQL picks up where we left off from talking about some of the challenges, and potential issues and problems that come up with MySQL replication after you have it setup and running for some time. DBJ: Fixing MySQL Replication

In this piece we talk about some of the ways to verify your setup, and make sure your slave does not drift out of sync with the master, and to alert you if it does.

Open Insights 50 – Do Your Dishes

Sean Hull — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 23:44:46 +0000

Our 50th issue of Open Insights Newsletter is out. We think you’ll enjoy the analogy!!