Tag: MariaDB

Posted in Amazon, Amazon, AWS, Cloud, Database, DBA, MariaDB, MariaDB, MySQL, MySQL, RDS

Amazon RDS for MariaDB

Posted on by rwjordan

Amazon RDS for MariaDB Finally! I have been broadcasting for sometime that the reason that Amazon has not moved RDS MySQL from it’s 5.6.x version, was due to the belief that Oracle was intending to charge an arm-and-a-leg from AWS for the privilege of doing the upgrade to 5.7.x. I was of the opinion that this was the initial reason for AWS Aurora, to have an alternative both to arm twist Oracle into a better deal for MySQL 5.7, but also a fallback position should Oracle refuse to bargain.

Now that whole subject has been rendered null and void with this announcement. The MySQL community will now have a direct replacement, with improvements, from the 5.6.x installations into MariaDB 10.x and the Oracle (toll booth) issue can now be side stepped entirely.

I have already indicated to my management that this move should be undertaken as soon as is viable.

Posted in Amazon, Cloud, Database

The Future of Aurora

Posted on by rwjordan

Amazon Aurora for the RDS is more or less on hold for the company I’m working for, it looks like it works, but it’s not a consistent performance across all the SQL that is deployed here. Having said that if you are starting a project, this might be a functional alternative to MySQL. But at this point neither the increase performance shown, on only part of our BI queries, and the massive down time in any attempt to to move to Aurora from MySQL does not merit a change. Should things change, like Oracle forcing a pricing change on Amazon, this option will be reconsidered. I just wish that AWS would consider implementation of MariaDB within the RDS environment.

Posted in Amazon, Database, DBA, RDS

Amazon Aurora for the RDS

Posted on by rwjordan

Being a user of MySQL (5.6) on the Amazon RDS I was impressed with the announcement of Aurora. Having said that I was also suspicious as to it’s providence. Nowhere were there references to it’s origins or engines. Databases and database systems don’t just drop out of the sky.

Amazon were also was making comparisons to MySQL version 5.6, not the newest version 5.7.x. This is interesting as I have been fighting I/O issues in the RDS implementations of MySQL 5.6.x for sometime. Version 5.6 has serious Mutex issues in I/O and from my reading MySQL 5.7 has managed to improve that situation. But the Amazon folks have not managed that upgrade yet.

Software politics being what it is, especially with regards to Oracle, whom own MySQL, indicates that there will be licensing issues with the release of MySQL 5.7.x. Issues that Amazon may be seeking to side step or ameliorate with the threat of Aurora (or MariaDB).

Having said that, many of the DB community seem to be of the opinion that Aurora does not offer anything that can’t be found within the MySQL 5.7 upgrade, as far as performance is concerned.

What does concern me is the lack of transparency about the nature of Aurora. What I see is smoke and mirrors. And frankly in the DB community, that does not lend trust to the Aurora project of Amazon’s. Not a good thing where trust, and dependability are Keys. (pun intended)