This section addresses the questions, “How stable
is MySQL Server?” and, “Can I
depend on MySQL Server in this project?” We will
try to clarify these issues and answer some important questions
that concern many potential users. The information in this section
is based on data gathered from the mailing lists, which are very
active in identifying problems as well as reporting types of use.
The original code stems back to the early 1980s. It provides a
stable code base, and the ISAM table format
used by the original storage engine remains backward-compatible.
At TcX, the predecessor of MySQL AB, MySQL code has worked in
projects since mid-1996, without any problems. When the MySQL
Database Software initially was released to a wider public, our
new users quickly found some pieces of untested code. Each new
release since then has had fewer portability problems, even though
each new release has also had many new features.
Each release of the MySQL Server has been usable. Problems have
occurred only when users try code from the “gray
zones.” Naturally, new users don't know what the gray zones
are; this section therefore attempts to document those areas that
are currently known. The descriptions mostly deal with Versions
3.23 and later of MySQL Server. All known and reported bugs are
fixed in the latest version, with the exception of those listed in
the bugs section, which are design-related. See
Section A.8, “Known Issues in MySQL”.
The MySQL Server design is multi-layered with independent modules.
Some of the newer modules are listed here with an indication of
how well-tested each of them is:
-
Replication (Stable)
Large groups of servers using replication are in production
use, with good results. Work on enhanced replication features
is continuing.
-
InnoDB tables (Stable)
The InnoDB transactional storage engine has
been stable since version 3.23.49. InnoDB
is being used in large, heavy-load production systems.
-
BDB tables (Stable)
The Berkeley DB code is very stable, but we
are still improving the BDB transactional
storage engine interface in MySQL Server.
-
Full-text searches (Stable)
Full-text searching is widely used. Important feature
enhancements were added in MySQL 4.0 and 4.1.
-
MyODBC 3.51 (Stable)
MyODBC 3.51 uses ODBC SDK 3.51 and is in
wide production use. Some issues brought up appear to be
application-related and independent of the ODBC driver or
underlying database server.
