Is it possible to place MySql on its own dedicated server and what would be the pros and cons of doing so. I'm asking this from a Web Hosting point of view. My thinking is that if the MySql server and Email server were on a seperate dedicated server that this would be better than placing them all on the same machine (Better for the users).

Thanks!!!

I have been thinking of doing this for quite some time now.

I already have a reliable email server and a web server + a seperate box for mySQL would ensure top notch reliable hosting experience for the customer.

The only downside is the cost

h-sphere is the only control panel I know of which supports a distributed hosting environment like this

Cheers
Balaji

You could also look at it this way:

There are twice as many servers that can crash, get hacked or otherwise give problems. When you are hosting many sites that use mysql this should be a serious risk that should be looked into :)

T_E_O

The mySQL server need not be connected to the internet.. just to the webserver; and this way needs 0 bandwidth too.

much less security risk if you ask me... difficult for the dB to be hacked

Cheers
Balaji

Greetings:

You can have mySQL on a totally separate server.

ODBC has to be set up within the mysql rights database.

And your connection string would use the primary IP address of the server that has mySQL located on it.

If your host can set up a virtual local area network (VLAN), then generally there are no bandwidth concerns and the speed is very high.

Otherwise, you have to consider speed and bandwidth issues.

Than kyou.

Couple things here...

If mySQL db is on a different server, then you have to permit remote login (some hosts don't allow remote login).

Your request/response/site will be slower due the the fact that when you/users request for data, it travels out to the mySQL server, grabs the data and comes back. It's faster if it's local.

:rolleyes:

Greetings:

There is no need for remote log in, shell, etc. to the mySQL server.

Install PHPmyadmin or similar ;-)

Understood.

I was talking about have a script or something on one server and trying to get the data from the other server.

:rolleyes:

yup. more than possible.


i'm doing that right now as i move to a new server.


database is on new server, scripts are on old server. it's a bit slower, but works perfect for moving a database over almost seamlessly.

my setup i wouldn't do as a perm solution, but yeah, works fine for me.

way to go...

:rolleyes:

We do this with our mail server right now -- all mail is handled by the mail server (which is backed up daily) while the webservers only deal with web serving, no POP/IMAP/SMTP processing. While it's true that we have an extra server to 'deal with', if a webserver were to go down for any reason, mail would stay flowing, and vise-versa. We have an active backup mail server in case the main one goes down for whatever reason.

Pros:
- Distributed processing -- the mail server keeps the web servers from the burden of processing mail (which isn't much, but hey...)
- Theoretically better overall service uptime -- mail is down, web stays up; web goes down, mail stays up. The webservers are much more likely to go down than the mail server, thus having a mail system off the server that is down is always nice. :)
- Easier mail management (spam, virii, mail updates like POP-SSL and IMAP-SSL or other features).

Cons:
- If your server is listed on a blacklist, it affects all your users, not just one web server's group.
- If the mail server goes down, all of your users (or whatever portion is on that one server) go down instead of just a small group on a select web server running its own mail system.

There are other cons that I can't remember, but are small in comparison to the pros...

I feel the pros outweigh the cons, personally. Others will disagree; there isn't a "right" way. Just be prepared when server downtimes happen and you should be fine no matter what you choose.

CMIIW, but I think the throughput of a LAN is of the order of 10mbps and the slight performace deficiency due to accessing a second box for data may be more than compensated by the query execution speed on a dedicated box. It all depends on the application..

if your app has some 500,000 records and many joins on your queries then a dedicated dB box is in order..

if your dB has 1000-2000 records then it may not be worth it

Cheers
Balaji

Originally posted by footprints
Understood.

I was talking about have a script or something on one server and trying to get the data from the other server.

:rolleyes:

You can setup mysql to allow only connections from your web server or local LAN. this way there is no direct connection needed from outside Internet.

Thanks to all that took the time to post a reply.

It is for some of the reasons that "allera" stated, that I am considering the idea of placing both the Email and MySql server on a different server than the one that would be used for the actual web sites.

It is my thinking (Which may be wrong), that a lot of people that have web sites, don't use or need MySql (Except perhaps for forums). I'm just trying to come up with an environment that gives the best service possible for people wanting a web presence. If MySql is on a seperate server and that server goes down, then not ALL sites would be affected. ??

Again, thanks for your replies!!!!!!!!!!!!

Originally posted by masood


You can setup mysql to allow only connections from your web server or local LAN. this way there is no direct connection needed from outside Internet.

sure thing.

:rolleyes: