Sun Microsystems Releases MySQL 5.1 - Boosts Performance & Simplifies Management of Large-Scale Database Applications

New Version of World’s Most Popular Open Source Database Surpasses 250,000 Downloads in First Ten Days of General Availability
SANTA CLARA, CALIF. - Sun Microsystems, Inc. (NASDAQ: JAVA) today announced the general availability of MySQL 5.1, a major new release of the world’s most popular open source database. Designed to improve performance and simplify management of large-scale database applications, the production-ready MySQL 5.1 software is available for download now at http://dev.mysql.com/downloads/.

MySQL 5.1 has been downloaded more than 250,000 times in the ten days it has been generally available. This show of community interest and adoption follows a number of well-received database announcements that Sun has made this quarter -- including Sun Systems for MySQL as well as the new MySQL Query Analyzer tool that is now part of its MySQL Enterprise subscription offering.

“MySQL 5.1’s low total cost combined with its high performance, scalability and enterprise-class features is the right database solution for many large corporations and Web companies, especially in today’s economic climate,” said Marten Mickos, senior vice president, Database Group, Sun Microsystems, Inc. “With more than a quarter of a million downloads of MySQL 5.1 in its first ten days, we are proud to deliver this robust product that is garnering such interest from the open source community.”

New industry research shows the continued growth and maturation of the market for open source database management systems (DBMS). In Gartner, Inc.’s “The Growing Maturity of Open-Source Database Management Systems”, published on November 28, 2008, Gartner Vice President and Distinguished Analyst Donald Feinberg reports that a recently conducted study by the firm demonstrated a 50% increase from 2007 to 2008 in the usage of open source DBMSs in production. The report repeats previous findings that revenue growth in the open source DBMS segment grew at a rate of 42% from 2006 to 2007, far outpacing the overall DBMS market at 13%. Moving forward, Gartner projects 40% CAGR growth in the open source DBMS segment over the next five years, resulting in an estimated $1 billion market by 2013.

Feinberg offers guidance and advice to those considering open-source DBMS products: “The cost benefits of using an open-source DBMS is increasing and the risk of using it is decreasing. Open-source DBMS engines can be used today for non-mission-critical applications with reduced risk over several years ago.” Moreover, “if the technical capabilities of the staff are strong, use of an open-source DBMS in mission-critical environments is possible now -- with obvious implications to the cost of resources to manage the DBMS and applications.” Finally, “only use an open-source DBMS engine supplied by a vendor who controls or participates in the engineering of the DBMS and always purchase subscription support when used in production environments.”

The full Gartner report is available at: http://mediaproducts.gartner.com/reprints/sunmicrosystems/volume1/article2/article2.html.

MySQL 5.1 features a number of new enterprise-class enhancements, including:

* Table and Index Partitioning - MySQL 5.1 supports five forms of horizontal data partitioning: range, hash, key, list, and composite (sub-partitioning). By partitioning table and index data, faster query response times can be achieved as only the relevant partitions of data need to be scanned, instead of the entire table or index. Further, various storage and other maintenance operations are made much easier and accomplished more quickly via partitioning.
* Row-Based and Hybrid Replication - Two new replication options are now available in MySQL 5.1. Row-based replication replicates the data changes (rather than the actual SQL statements) between a master server and its slave servers, and hybrid replication uses either statement-based or row-based replication depending on the individual SQL operations - these achieve and maintain the most efficient and safest replication scheme for the application.
* Event Scheduler - This new tool allows developers and DBAs to automatically schedule common recurring SQL-based tasks to execute on the database server. It provides greater support for database-specific tasks than is available through CRON in Linux or Unix or the Microsoft Windows task scheduler.
* New MySQL Query Analyzer - Available to premium MySQL Enterprise subscribers, Sun’s new MySQL Query Analyzer tool can dramatically improve the speed and uptime of MySQL database applications by monitoring query performance to accurately pinpoint and correct problem SQL code. Thirty-day trial subscriptions for the MySQL Enterprise service, including the new MySQL Query Analyzer, are now available free-of-charge from http://www.mysql.com/trials.

“We have tested other databases, but have not found anything as fast for our data sets as well-partitioned tables in MySQL 5.1,” said Guy Adams, Chief Technical Officer of Parallel Ltd., a provider of satellite management and network operations software to some of the world’s largest communications companies.

Platforms & Availability

MySQL 5.1 is available now for a wide variety of hardware and software platforms, including Red Hat Enterprise Linux, SuSE Enterprise Linux Server, Microsoft Windows, Solaris 10 Operating System (OS), Macintosh OS X, Free BSD, HP-UX, IBM AIX, IBM i5/OS and other popular Linux distributions.

The MySQL 5.1 GA release is available via three models to serve the unique needs of different users:

* MySQL Community Server - The freely-available, open source version of Sun’s MySQL database. Licensed under the GPL, this full-function software is targeted to a technical, do-it-yourself audience, who does not require commercial support or premium add-on services.
* MySQL Enterprise Server - Available as part of a MySQL Enterprise subscription, this is the most reliable, secure, and up-to-date version of the MySQL database, targeted to corporate IT users. Subscribers receive monthly rapid software updates and quarterly service packs with the latest fixes -- along with access to proactive monitoring tools and 24x7 production technical support.
* MySQL Embedded Server - This commercially-licensed version of the MySQL software allows ISVs and OEMs to embed or bundle a high-speed, small-footprint database with their own products, without the free-distribution requirements of the GPL license.