Systems and Storage Solutions for MySQL From Sun

Sun Microsystems, Inc. announced Sun Systems for MySQL, a set of solutions designed to radically change the economics of Web service delivery for enterprise customers deploying MySQL-based Web Infrastructure on Sun servers.

Proven customer deployments have shown the ability to improve performance by 300 percent, reduce power consumption by 83 percent and offer up to 10 times better price/performance, with higher system reliability and faster time to market. The new solutions integrate MySQL with other innovations from Sun, enabling customers to get to market faster by using Sun’s open software, extensive code samples with MySQL, and documented best practices. Using Sun’s Try and Buy program, users can evaluate the new Sun Systems for MySQL in their own environment for 60 days at no cost and no risk with full technical support, and then buy the systems for up to 40 percent off list price. In addition, Sun Systems for MySQL is available via the Sun Startup Essentials program with substantial discounts for qualifying customers. (To view a video of John Fowler, executive vice president of Sun’s Systems Group, and Marten Mickos, senior vice president of Sun’s Database Group, discussing the new solutions)

Sun’s new solutions for MySQL were developed to address key customer issues in the areas of x86 performance, virtualization, multi-tier deployment, rich media storage and back-up,  while reducing costs in addition to power and space consumption. The combination of MySQL with Sun systems, software and services empowers customers to grow through every stage of the web services lifecycle, using x64 (x86, 64-bit) or SPARC architectures, and gives customers the option of running the Solaris Operating System (OS), OpenSolaris, Linux or Windows.
 
"Sun’s leadership in open source database software, combined with our innovation in systems technology, gives our customers the advantage of lowered costs, better ease-of-use and advanced scalability," said Lisa Sieker, vice president of marketing for the Systems Group, Sun Microsystems. "No other systems vendor can provide all of this under one roof, while also giving customers the choice of running Solaris and OpenSolaris, Linux or Windows."
 
Solutions announced today include Sun Systems for MySQL in the following environments:

• x86 Performance: Changing the economics of Web services delivery. Sun Systems for MySQL x86 Performance includes a MySQL Enterprise Gold subscription with Sun Fire x64 servers, Open Storage, comprehensive services, and a no-risk, free-trial program — allowing users to build a complete solution based on Open Source software from Sun. This Open Source software, combined with Sun Fire X4150 servers, produced the best published price/performance score on the industry-standard SPECjAppServer2004 benchmark. This result undercuts the best-performing competitive solutions by up to 53 times on acquisition costs and demonstrates up to 13 times better price/performance versus proprietary offerings from HP and Dell (Details of pricing information and competitive comparisons). In addition, preliminary testing demonstrates that customers in the future can take advantage of the latest storage innovations such as SSDs, supporting up to 7.5 times the number of transactions and up to 60 times faster response times than traditional disk drives with MySQL workloads, while consuming only 3W of power.
• Virtualization: Scaling while overcoming power, cooling and space constraints. Sun Systems for MySQL Virtualization includes Sun’s CoolThreads systems and Open Storage technologies running the Solaris OS and enables users to consolidate and scale their MySQL-based web services for breakthrough eco-efficiency and cost-effectiveness at the highest volumes. Using CoolThreads servers, companies have seen close to five times higher MySQL throughput with four times less power and space and 10 times improvements in price/performance. As an example of near-linear vertical scalability, the SugarCRM application runs very well under the Solaris OS with the MySQL database. Using the standard benchmarking kit available from Sugar, CoolThreads-based Sun SPARC Enterprise servers configured with Logical Domains (LDOMs) were able to support 3,200 SugarCRM users with four CPUs, 1,600 users with two CPUs and 900 users with one CPU, allowing customers to select a complete Open Source solution that best fits their needs.
•  Multi-tier Deployment: Simple and predictable scaling supports massive increases in user and data volumes. Sun Systems for MySQL Multi-tier Deployment is a collection of code samples and published best practices, including pre-optimized, pre-integrated AMP-stack software components and sample Web 2.0 implementations.
• Rich Media Storage: Handling explosion in data volume and unstructured data to deliver value-added services to users. Sun Systems for MySQL Rich Media Storage combines MySQL with the Sun Fire X4540 storage server, JBODs, OpenSolaris and Solaris ZFS, which allows customers to host their media-rich data on a single integrated platform that offers up to three times denser storage than competitors, at half the cost.
• Back-up: Managing growth in data volumes and ever shrinking back-up windows. Sun Systems for MySQL Back-up provides the Sun Fire X4540 server and Zmanda Recovery Manager for back-up and recovery of MySQL applications. Customers deploying this solution can save 15 percent in costs and have twice the density compared to HP, and save 10 percent in costs and have almost three times the density compared to Dell. Customers can also save 40-70 percent on power and cooling consumption compared to competitive offerings.

Sun customers deploying these Sun Systems for MySQL solutions have seen significant advantages and power/cost savings. For example, DigiTar reduced power consumption by 83 percent and improved price/performance by a factor of 10 using the Sun Systems for MySQL Virtualization solution. Other Sun customers deploying Sun systems to run MySQL include 6.cn, Fotolog, Last.fm and LinkedIn.
 
"We are using the Sun Fire X4250 server for a MySQL database and chose this combination because I’m not aware of any other server on the market that will give me the storage density of 16 internal disks in a 2u form factor," said Mike Brodbelt, Director of Technical Operations and Infrastructure, Last.fm. "To do the same thing with other vendors, we’d be consuming more power."
 
Availability and Pricing
Sun Systems for MySQL are available now with prices starting from $1,200.