Re: Software requirements for cluster
Not to answer my own question, but to make sure I understand what all I just read in the forums here... I have tried to "answer my own questions".... please let me know If I am wrong....
I still need answers to Questions 3 & 4 that I orignally asked.
>Setting up my first MySql Cluster(Linux):
>Q1. For the "MySql Server" portion of the cluser, in the white paper it shows 3 >machines, can I use one primary machine and use another linux machine I have that >serves my intranet pages as a secondary "MySql Server" to prevent SPOF, or does it >HAVE to be a dedicated, identical machine?
A1.You only need a minimum of 3 machines to run the cluster: 1 "Web/App/MySql Server" and 2 Machines for a "Data Node".
>Q2.For the Management Node, that is required only for starting up the cluster >but "not essental" while the cluster is up, can I use another linux machine I have >that serves as an email server, so when it is not being a "Management Node" (sounds l>ike MOST of the time from the whitepaper) It can still be a mail server?
A2. The "Managment Node" is used at startup/shutdown/etc of the cluster only and can be run right on the 1 "Web/App/MySql Server" if nessicary since it is neither ram nor processor intensive.
>Q3.For the Data Nodes: what kind of IP space do I need, and what ports will the >interface need -- That is If I make the machine viewable from the intra/internet does >only the top level "Web/Application/Mysql Server" need to be visable, or do the >nodes need to be visable as well?
>Q4.For Replication: If setting up an Identical Cluster for replication and backup at >another site (to prevent SPOF).
>Q4A: Does the hardware need to be identical or can it be similar?
>Q4B: What kind of IP space will I need: will 2 "Web/Application/MySql Servers" need >to see eachother, or the nodes directly.
>Q4C: What is the naming convention of the machines supposed to be like: Identical, >or like Primary: "server1, node1a, node1b" / Replicated: "server2, node2a, node2b"
>Q5.What kind of hardware do I REALLY need?
>Q5A: I know cluster is a memory baised database, but WHERE does the memory need >to be? In the "Web/Application/MySql Servers" or In the Data Nodes?
>Q5B: Where does the storage really need to be -- can I do cluster with a 10 GB drive >in the "Web/Application/MySql Servers" and Multi GB RAID at the nodes or do I need >it both places?
A5A: The memory in the data nodes is used to load the database up -- in cluster it resides in memory, and is written only to the hard drive occasionally, but checkpoints are written frequently to disk.
Typical server memory requirements are nessicary on the "server" though as it still does the sorting and out putting of the data sets returned from the data nodes. From the Data Nodes point of view the Mysql server is like a client.
A5B:The server needs typical os hard drive space requirements.. none of the MySql database info is stored here tho. *(unless using this machine as the "Managment Node" in witch case the "configuration" of the cluster IS located here, but that takes little hard drive space, but does need to be backed up incase of "server failure" as it will be needed to bring the cluster back up, should it ever go down.) Scsi and raid can be used but are unnessicary. Single SATA or RAID SATA can be used, and the capacity needs be no more than the size of the portion of database (memory) the node is carying plus os space. So typically even a 20 GB hard drive would be sufficent for a node, although you can often get 80 GB and larger SATA drives for the same price as a 20 GB. Faster memory is good too because that is where the Database runs from.