Many companies today make use of a MySQL database as an integral part of their business operations.  Yet, these same companies do not utilize a simple, but powerful feature of MySQL: database replication.  We see clients avoiding the use of replication all too often, and it’s worth understanding that setting up MySQL replication isn’t all [...]

Some of our clients have asked us recently for an overview of our MySQL health check service.  I wanted to take some time and summarize the MySQL health check service and some of the steps we take. Bitlancer health checks are a monthly review of one or more MySQL servers in a customer’s environment.  We [...]

Special consideration must be given when making schema changes to large tables in MySQL that use the InnoDB or MyISAM storage engines.  Specifically, both engines by default will lock the table entirely while schema changes are being performed.  We’re often asked by clients how changes to large tables can be made without blocking end user [...]

Horizontal scalability refers to the ability to spread a workload over multiple servers, rather than increasing the capacity of a single server.  This results in the ability to utilize more, less expensive pieces of hardware, rather than endlessly upgrading a single server at great cost.  Think of the Borg from Star Trek, or the concept [...]

Bitlancer offers monthly MySQL database health checks.  MySQL database errors, crashes, down time, lost data, poor performance, you name it, all cost your business dearly.  Unhealthy MySQL databases take away your valuable time, upset your customers, force you to pay emergency consulting rates, then they cause you do “damage control” with everyone who interacts with [...]