Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)


What is ScaleDB?

ScaleDB is a shared-disk storage engine that enables you to create a cluster containing multiple database nodes that all have full access to the entire collection of data. If you are using MySQL, simply replace the native storage engine with ScaleDB and it turns your database into a shared-disk cluster, whlie supporting your existing MySQL applications and tools.

Is ScaleDB right for me?

If your application requires high-availability, cloud elasticity, improved scalability, support for complex queries or high-volume concurrent usage, then ScaleDB is right for you. If you find it difficult to partition your data, ScaleDB is an excellent choice, since it eliminates the need to partition.

When will ScaleDB for MySQL be available?

The beta version is available now!

Can I join the beta program?

We’re looking for more beta customers that fit our profile. Please complete the form here to apply for our beta program.

What operating systems are supported by ScaleDB?

You can run ScaleDB on any operating system as long as it is Linux. We will support additional operating systems in the future based upon business rationale.

Can I run ScaleDB without MySQL?

Yes, ScaleDB publishes an API that any application can use to exploit ScaleDB. In addition, ScaleDB provides connectors for MySQL (and other DBMS coming soon) in open source that you can download and modify/use here. There is also a generic connector that enables your application to directly access ScaleDB without a DBMS.

What changes are needed to port an existing MySQL application to ScaleDB?

There is no change to your application. ScaleDB provides tools to install, configure and lunahc your ScaleDB cluster, as well as load and reindex your data.

What can ScaleDB do for my application?

- Faster & easier clustering: no partitioning, routing tables or slave configuration, just Plug-andCluster™
- Faster development time and lower maintenance costs reduce your Total Cost of Ownership (TCO)
- High-availability through master-only clusters

What are the main advantages of the ScaleDB shared-disk architecture?

There are many advantages including faster development, no need to partition your data, improved data consistency, easier expansion/reduction of the number of nodes in the cluster, cloud elasticity, enterprise-class high-availability, improved scalability and lower TCO. You can find more information here.

What is SaleDB’s Multi-Table Index?

B-tree is a single table index, it doesn’t have knowledge about the relationships between tables. ScaleDB’s multi-table index understands the relationships between tables, so it delivers single-table performance across multi-table queries (using joins).

How can I achieve data locality?

Data locality, sending similar database requests to specific database nodes, can be achieved in a number of ways. The application can use routing code, similar to what they do for sharding (although flexible to change the routing criteria on the fly). Another approach is to use a SQL-aware routing tool like Citrix Netscaler or Scalarc.

What are the advantages of ScaleDB's cache/storage solution: Cache Accelerator Server (CAS)?

CAS provides a few advantages: (1) it eliminates the requirement for high-cost SAN/NAS servers, which other shared-disk databases still require; (2) It eliminates the need/cost/complexity/overhead of a cluster file system; (3) It works with clouds storage (e.g. Amazon's EBS) which require attaching to only one cloud instance, while still servicing the entire cluster; (4) Data intensive processing can be shipped to the CAS for processing against local data, in parallel across CAS pairs, sending only the results back to the database node. This improves efficiency. Oracle Exadata does a similar thing to improve efficiency; (5) CAS provides sharing of data between database nodes while minimizing or eliminating the use of disk, thereby improving performance.