Subject: Re: MySQL usage?
From: Arthur Corliss (corliss@odinicfoundation.org)
Date: Sat Oct 27 2001 - 22:18:43 AKDT
On Thu, 25 Oct 2001, Christopher E. Brown wrote:
> It is not high connection loads, it is the type of querys
> involved.
Not according to the tests I've read. Even in query sets favourible to MySQL,
there is definitely a thresh-hold at which point it ceases to scale well.
> It is still apples and rocks here. If your app requires
> certain things you write your app properly to use the type of DB you
> need. MySQL will handle extreme loads and complex issues as well as
> Oracle while providing the required data protection, *if* your apps
> useage fits with the MySQL model.
I agree with you about 90%. If you don't need the features of a real RDBMS,
then MySQL is great, but for *really* high traffic sites, there will be a
point in which you're going to want something capable of enterprise-class
loads, and MySQL isn't it. Will MySQL work fine for 99% of the sites out
there? Yes. Which is why we use it as well. But let's be realistic. The
only time I would even consider sticking with MySQL for a truly massive high
traffic site is if you're going to use some aggressive caching servers
upstream of the web/sql servers.
> Exactly, the comparison does not really work, for some models,
> even high load ones MySQL will outrun Oracle, for others Oracle will
> do better. It is a tradeoff of higher overhead for extra abilities.
> If you need those things then you need them, if you don't, you don't.
>
>
> The simple thing being, a high volume logging system, radius back end,
> etc... does not need Oracle and will runs 3 - 5 times faster on the
> same hardware with MySQL, if you write it correctly. If you *need*
> transactions and multiversioning (for example a real time accounting
> system that *must* always respond in real time even during complex
> updates) then use Oracle, it will be much slower initially, but will
> degrade much more gracefully.
I don't know how many times I can reiterate this: that's not always the case.
MySQL will break down in scalability before Oracle will. Practically
speaking, most sites will never hit those limits, but that doesn't remove the
fact from existence.
> As to ACID, it has come a long way in the currect versions, and with
> the new transactional tables is nearly there. (IIRC multiversioning
> is in the works on a page instead of row basis, all of the benifits of
> row bases until you get really granular, without all the overhead).
I like MySQL, don't get me wrong, and I'm looking forward to the day I have
the whole set of RDBMS features available. I certainly would use them if they
were available. Partial implementations are only so useful, though.
--Arthur Corliss
Bolverk's Lair -- http://www.odinicfoundation.org/arthur/
"Live Free or Die, the Only Way to Live" -- NH State Motto
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