Best Practices Guide for deploying MariaDB Enterprise Server on IBM Power with Red Hat Enterprise Linux
In today's data-driven world, businesses require robust database solutions that deliver exceptional performance and cost-effectiveness. This best practice guide explores the powerful combination of MariaDB® Enterprise Server on IBM® Power® with Red Hat® Enterprise Linux®. This deployment strategy unlocks significant cost savings while unleashing superior performance per core compared to traditional x86 platforms. We'll delve into the configuration steps for both on-premises and off-premises deployments, leveraging IBM Power Virtual Server for maximum flexibility. Get ready to optimize your database infrastructure and empower your applications with unmatched efficiency.
Background
MariaDB Enterprise Server is a modern relational database management system (RDBMS) supporting ACID-compliant transactions, analytics, data warehousing, and distributed SQL. For more information, refer to the MariaDB Enterprise Server Technical Documentation.
IBM Power is a family of servers designed to provide the agility, reliability, and sustainability organizations require. For more information, refer to the IBM Power Facts and Features Documentation.
Configuration
Running MariaDB on IBM Power offers substantial cost reductions and up to 4.2x superior performance per core compared to the x86 platform. See the MariaDB Performance Benchmarking on Linux on Power for more detailed performance results. To achieve optimal performance results, follow these steps.
Environmental setup
- Decide on deploying Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform on-premises or off-premises with IBM Power Virtual Server in the IBM Cloud.
- Install Red Hat Enterprise Linux CoreOS, which includes Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4.x, on the prepared hardware.
Configure MariaDB database to run on-premises
Leverage IBM Power's scalability and performance for demanding workloads. Its exceptional virtualization and management features enhance flexibility, security, and isolation, with an integrated stack for seamless operation. Additionally, IBM Power boasts a leading reliability rating for 14 consecutive years, translating to a distinct total cost of ownership (TCO) advantage.
Follow these steps to configure the database to run on IBM Power:
- Primary/Replica deployment: To install MariaDB Enterprise in a Primary/Replica architecture, refer to the Deploy Primary/Replica Topology with Enterprise Server 10.6 documentation.
- Install Enterprise Server on each database node:
- Retrieve your MariaDB Enterprise Download Token.
- Configure the repository using mariadb_es_repo_setup command.
- Install MariaDB Enterprise Server with the package manager.
- Configure the primary database node:
- Configure memory settings for optimal performance and stability (refer to the Memory configuration section).
- Create a replication user.
- Create a MaxScale user.
- Configure the replica database nodes and start replication:
- Configure memory settings as on the previous step.
- Create the replication and MaxScale users.
- Start replication.
- Test the database nodes and replication:
- Test the Enterprise Server service.
- Test local client connections.
- Verify replication status.
- Test Data Definition Language (DDL) and Data Manipulation Language (DML) operations.
- Install MaxScale on each MaxScale node:
- Use mariadb_es_repo_setup with your MariaDB Enterprise Download Token to configure the repository.
- Install MaxScale using the package manager.
- Configure MaxScale to manage the database nodes:
- Configure server objects.
- Configure MariaDB monitor.
- Choose and configure a MaxScale router.
- Configure a listener.
- Test MaxScale:
- Verify global configuration.
- Check server, monitor, and service configurations.
Memory configuration for optimal performance and stability
Refer to the following resources for in-depth configuration guides:
Configure MariaDB memory usage:
- Check the available RAM on the server.
- Determine concurrency requirements - expected maximum simultaneous connections.
- Calculate potential total RAM usage for connections.
- Calculate RAM usage by the OS.
- Configure the InnoDB buffer pool to utilize the remaining available RAM.
Configure Linux for MariaDB:
- Check the disk IO scheduler and adjust if necessary.
- Check the open files limit.
- Set the open files limit using the appropriate method:
- For system: Edit mariadb.service.
- For mysqld_safe: Edit the server configuration file.
- For MySQL user: Edit the limits.conf file.
- Configure swappiness: Set to a low number or disable it entirely.
Configure MariaDB database to run off-premises with IBM Power Virtual Server
IBM Power Virtual Server is a Power Systems offering. Power Virtual Servers are located in the IBM data centers, distinct from the IBM Cloud servers, with separate networks and direct-attached storage. You can use the Power Virtual Servers to deploy a virtual server, also known as a logical partition (LPAR), within minutes. Power Virtual Server LPARs align with MariaDB certified on-premises LPAR configuration.
For detailed instructions on how to set up IBM Power Virtual Server for installing Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform, refer to the Set up IBM Power Virtual Server for installing Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform documentation.
For detailed instructions on how to deploy Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform on IBM Power Virtual Server using user-provisioned infrastructure installation, refer to the Deploy Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform on IBM Power Virtual Server using user-provisioned infrastructure installation documentation.
Conclusion
Implement these best practices and witness the performance and cost benefits of deploying MariaDB Enterprise Server on IBM Power with Red Hat Enterprise Linux. Empower your applications with a robust database foundation.