clustering postgresql with ExtenDB

Discussion in 'Linux / Unix Discussion' started by ffreeloader, Mar 9, 2006.

  1. ffreeloader

    ffreeloader Terabyte Poster

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    Has anyone around here used ExtenDB?

    I'm looking at needing to have a database cluster up and running in a few months and was wondering if anyone around here has used it or seen it in use?
     
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  2. Bluerinse
    Honorary Member

    Bluerinse Exabyte Poster

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    Never even heard of it Freddy, but you have got to love that price comparison :D
     
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  3. hbroomhall

    hbroomhall Petabyte Poster Gold Member

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    I've not heard of that, but my suggestion would be to join the Pg mailing lists here , particularly the pgsql-general one, and ask there.

    The general list has a large number of people who use Pg on *big* machines, and they will have a better idea of what works.

    There hasn't been mention of this recently, but that doesn't mean that there won't be people who know about it.

    Harry.
     
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  4. ffreeloader

    ffreeloader Terabyte Poster

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    Good idea Harry. I already subscribe to that mailing list, or did anyway. I can't remember if I dropped my subscription or not when I dropped a few other mailing list subscriptions. I'll have to wait until this weekend to see when I get home.
     
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  5. hbroomhall

    hbroomhall Petabyte Poster Gold Member

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    I'm somewhat surprised to see that you got no public response to your request on that list.

    Perhaps it is because nobody on the list uses it, which, of course, is a comment in itself!

    Knowing that list it might be worth waiting a few days and asking again. That may get some out of hiding to say *why* they were silent the first time!

    Harry.
     
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  6. d-Faktor
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    d-Faktor R.I.P - gone but never forgotten.

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    i've seen it a lot, but i never actually worked with it. sorry.
    but if you have a specific question, i may try to get in touch with my former colleague, who was administering it. no guarantees, though.
     
  7. ffreeloader

    ffreeloader Terabyte Poster

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    Well, I do have a couple of specific questions.

    What environment was it being used in? IOW's, what were they using the cluster for? Datawarehousing, etc...?

    What was the reliability like?

    Just how large of a subset of the SQL language does ExtenDB support?
     
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  8. ffreeloader

    ffreeloader Terabyte Poster

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    I'm sort of surprised no has answered either. Your conclusion was the one I've been drawing too.
     
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  9. d-Faktor
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    d-Faktor R.I.P - gone but never forgotten.

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    i was working in an "outbound logistics facility" thingy. i'm sorry, my language skills fail me again, as i don't know the correct english word. anyway, the database was used for stock, automatic stock replenishment, customer orders processing, shipment, etc. the whole plant was running on this thing. actually it was pretty sweet. even the conveyor belt "ran" on it, as every section of the belt had it's own field in the database. meaning that the location of every pallet or box could be traced dynamically. then again, maybe that's normal, i don't know. i had never seen such thing, so i was pretty impressed.

    the reliability was very good. as far as i remember the database only ever went down for planned maintenance. if anything, the only problems we had were related to the crappy inhouse developed applications that were interfacing with the database.

    as for your last question. at the time my colleague told me that it supported mostly standard sql. what's it called again, sql ansi or something? we were using postgresql, and i think there were some (but by far not all) postgresql specific options that were also possible. but for verification and details, i'll have to contact him.
     
  10. hbroomhall

    hbroomhall Petabyte Poster Gold Member

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    One of the nice things about PgSQL is that it is closer to the 'standard' than many other RDBMSs. And the docs state clearly what the extensions are, and sometimes offer ways to do that in the 'standard' way if possible.

    Harry.
     
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  11. ffreeloader

    ffreeloader Terabyte Poster

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    I think we're starting to talk past each other a little bit. ExtenDB doesn't do everything that Postgresql does. For example it doesn't support stored procedures. The docs for ExtenDB also say it doesn't support all the subset of SQL that Postgresql does.
     
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  12. ffreeloader

    ffreeloader Terabyte Poster

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    Hmmm.... Are you saying they used Postgresql by itself on massive hardware, or that they clustered Postgresql using ExtenDB? I know Postgresql is pretty much ansi compliant. I was referring directly to ExtenDB in my questions as the documentation I've been reading for it says it doesn't support everything Postgres does.

    Sounds like a really sweet database system though. Funny how they could have such a great database system and the apps providing connection to it were buggy....
     
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  13. d-Faktor
    Honorary Member

    d-Faktor R.I.P - gone but never forgotten.

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    the individual nodes themselves were running postgresql. extendb clustered the nodes into one big virtual (?) database. sql queries had to go to or thru or via (or whatever) the extendb engine.
    but don't get techie on me. again, i didn't administer it, so i know very little about it. i already sent an email to my former colleague requesting some info.

    (as for the buggy apps: they were due to management demands for continuously new functionality)
     
  14. ffreeloader

    ffreeloader Terabyte Poster

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    Thanks d-Faktor,

    This, along with the rest of your response, pretty much answered my question.
     
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  15. ffreeloader

    ffreeloader Terabyte Poster

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    Harry,

    I ran across pgcluster today. Have you used it? It looks pretty good. It has scaleability and high availability.
     
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  16. hbroomhall

    hbroomhall Petabyte Poster Gold Member

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    I am actualy using a fairly 'pure' installation of PgSQL, as currently I don't need anything more.

    There are murmurs off-stage that I might suddenly have to deal with 10X the size of files I do now, but sufficient unto the day (etc). I might then be actively diving, like you, into the murky pools of clustering! :biggrin

    Er - short answer - no - I haven't used it! <giggle>

    Harry.
     
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