recommended hardware for dedicated db server

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mechamecha
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recommended hardware for dedicated db server

Post by mechamecha »

Hello,
I'm shopping around for a dedicated server to host my mysql database. I'm anticipating a ton of traffic to my site, so I'm looking for a beefy setup. What would you guys recommend as far as hardware? I plan on running a linux distro w/ mysql on this server.

I heard that having a 64 bit processor would be a good idea since it allows mysql to use more than 4 gigs of ram.

Thanks!
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Inkyskin
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Re: recommended hardware for dedicated db server

Post by Inkyskin »

Get a nice quad core cpu, two if you can. And as much ram as you can afford. A fast harddrive would be a good bonus.
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Christopher
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Re: recommended hardware for dedicated db server

Post by Christopher »

It depends on how the database id being used. It is mostly reading or writing? How big are the data tables?

Multiple fast SCSI drives can certainly help too.
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batfastad
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Re: recommended hardware for dedicated db server

Post by batfastad »

I've always fancied getting one of those Gigabyte i-ram things. It's a PCI card which has 4 memory slots on and just gets recognised as another drive, perfect for that DB storage!
It's battery backed-up giving you up to 12 hours of time if the power supply fails, so probably not for the faint hearted!
I'd say 12hr is fine enough to get some power into the box though.

Probably get one for nothing soon once SSD prices start dropping.
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VladSun
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Re: recommended hardware for dedicated db server

Post by VladSun »

Also, RAID storage (choose its type according to your needs) would be nice to have.
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mechamecha
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Re: recommended hardware for dedicated db server

Post by mechamecha »

Hey guys,
Thanks for the feedback!

I'm currently a customer of server beach and about to purchase a new dedicated db server from them. This is the spec on the server that they recommended:

# AMD Athlon™ 64 X2 5000+
# 1GB RAM (upgradeable to 4GB)
# 1 x 160GB HD

It's a dual core 64 bit processor. I'm thinking of jumping the gun and upgrading to 4GB.

All the tables in my db are InnoDB. My application is mostly reading the db, although it is doing a fair amount of writing due to all the logs I'm recording. When this becomes a performance issue, I plan on pushing this logging straight to disk.

Some Questions:
1. How does having multiple cores help in terms of performance? Do most distros of linux utilize dual/quad cores?
2. How would RAID storage affect performance?
3. What is a typical vertical scaling strategy? What do you absolutely need to have in the beginning and what do you add/replace as you scale?

Thanks!
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Kieran Huggins
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Re: recommended hardware for dedicated db server

Post by Kieran Huggins »

I'd feel a tad remiss here if I didn't mention Amazon's new SimpleDB service - I really like the idea of letting other people worry about scaling the hardware under my app. And Amazon is nothing if not experienced at scaling large apps.

You pay for what you use, and not much at that. Worth a look, anyway!

http://www.amazon.com/b?ie=UTF8&node=342335011
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