MySQL running on Linux

[Stoney X]

I'm setting up a Linux box to run Apache and MySQL. The box is running Fedora Core 3 and I've loaded the MySQL (ver 3) from the Fedora DVD. What I've decided to do is to upgrade to MySQL 4.1 (http://dev.mysql.com/downloads/mysql/4.1.html) because I believe the table/row locking in version 4 is much better that ver 3. The existing database is empty and I'm trying to decide the best course of acions. I'm having problems with the MySQL RPM files because they require older versions of things like libstc... etc than what comes with Core 3 so using the RPM is of no use. Building from source also got me in knots. So the question is, should I uninstall the MySQL server I have and setup from the binaries provided by MySQL? Anybody got any hints or tips on doing this?

Regards
Stoney

[Evo]

Looking at http://dev.mysql.com/downloads/mysql/4.1.html. there seem to be plenty of pre-packaged versions for the assorted glibc versions, etc., so as there's no data to migrate I'd get rid of v3 and try installing a new version. http://www.rpmfind.net also lists lots of MySQL rpms.

As for tips, i've never used Fedora, but I'd usually look at it in reverse - if running a certain application was important, i'd pick a Linux flavour that it was supported and tested on, rather than pick the Linux flavour first and then trying to install the application.

[Stoney X]

Thanks Evo,

I hadn't thought of getting the operating system to fit the software before! Does my dinosaur mainframe mentality show? I think if I can get the binary to work I'll stick with that. I'm looking for a low cost (free) setup and I've already bought a Fed Core 3 book so I'm over budget :O

Regards
Stoney

[Evo]

I hadn't thought of getting the operating system to fit the software before!


It's just the reality of working with commercial software support - the first act when a problem is opened seems to be to try to find some part of the setup that is unsupported, after which they can shrug, say "sorry, you're using an unsupported environment" and return it, which at a stroke makes the fscking-expensive support contract almost worthless. I've learned to be very careful to use an environment that they publish as being supported.

Of course, you get times when a customer demands a mutually-exclusive combination of software... :{

[drauk]

Fedora 2 is an excellent base for MySQL - I've not tried Fedora 3 but I would have thought it will be absolutely fine.

Remove all the old versions of MySQL (find out what is installed: rpm -q -a | grep -i mysql then remove them in turn). Download and install the new MySQL 4.1 RPM packages. It should be completely straightforward.

[Mac the Knife]

"....if running a certain application was important, i'd pick a Linux flavour that it was supported and tested on..."

Excellent advice Evo - another argument against getting into an M$ like cycle of continual kernel upgrades.

[Stoney X]

drauk, the rpm provided by mysql.com won't install in Fed Core 3 cause the dependencies aren't met. The MySQL 4.1 rpm requires an older version of libstdc++ something or other. I spent some time trying to get around this but gave up :( When I loaded the libstdc++ from Fed Core 2 then MySQL loaded but various other apps stopped working.

I pretty much sorted the system last night by using Anancoda (the Red Hat installer) to uninstall all the MySQL stuff it had loaded, and then used the binaries provided my MySQL. So easy I'm wondering why I was even bothering with the rpm in the first place! Sorted.

Evo, there isn't an SLA or contract in sight of this machine. I build the thing by buying an empty case and throwing in old spare parts I had lying around. So if anything goes wrong there is only one person responsible and that's me. All rather liberating.

Regards
Stoney

[Evo]

Evo, there isn't an SLA or contract in sight of this machine. I build the thing by buying an empty case and throwing in old spare parts I had lying around. So if anything goes wrong there is only one person responsible and that's me. All rather liberating.


Oh, I didn't think there would be. It's just that old habits die hard, and I've had requirements -> sofware -> environment -> hardware driven into me.

Mac - from a development point of view, Linux is just as much work as supporting the assorted Windows environments, and that's if we stick to a few strictly-limited Linux flavours. Supporting them all would be a nightmare, there's just too many combinations of kernel, library, vendor-specific kernel patches and the rest. However, where it's really good is the ability to migrate across hardware platforms without changing the environment (well, too much), so you can move applications up from Intel, through the bigger powerPC boxes to things like z-Series (big, big iron) as their loads increase.

[Mac the Knife]

Interesting observations Evo

10. And the LORD spake unto the newbies. And he spake thus:
11. First shalt thou try the Knoppix, for verily, it is a piece of cake to install, yea, even that thou installeth it not.
12. Then shall thou try the RedHat, for it is easy to install, and it is said "In the site of the Amazon, in the city of Linux, are there books without end, and they mostly covereth the Redhat."
13. Or the SuSe, though it is the Devil's very own bugger to get the isos, but that thou payest.
14. Or Mandrake, if thou art French.
16: And the LORD spoke more saying: what happened to 15? Oh, never mind.
17. And when thou hast three score days uptime upone thine Redhat
18. Or SuSE.
19. Or Mandrake, if thou art French
20. Then canst thou try the Gentoo.
21. Or Debian.

Having said (or rather quited) that, I'm running MEPIS Linux (a Debian based distro) on one of the office machines and it's as nice as can be.

Using SuSE 9.2 for the main machines and I'm very happy with it.

Gave up on waiting for Matrox to release usable Linux drivers and got an 6600 GT. Still needed a bit of fiddling (for a dual-head) but at least it works (and very well too).

Anyone want a P650 and a G450?

[drauk]

Stoney X, you were a bit unlucky! I've installed MySQL on at least 6 OS since I started using it and I've yet to have a single installation problem. Sorry I said that it would work fine with Fedora 3 when it clearly didn't - that'll teach me to talk about something I've not tried (though I did say at the time I'd not tried it). Glad it's working now. It's a great bit of software - PPRuNe runs at 400 queries per second sometimes, has never lost a byte of data and has been up for getting on for 9 months. Not bad for a free database on a free OS. Of course, now I've said that the RAID controller will probably melt or something...