Robustness of MySQL

I have a quick question on the current robustness of MySQL. About a decade ago, I built an enterprise application for Verizon for bulk testing DSL circuits. Early in the project, we attempted to implement MySQL for the back end database with the software. The application was multi-threaded, with the ability to concurrently run a large batch of bulk tests, and at that time, MySQL simply couldn't keep up. Threads would simply drop, and the data not written. We ended up having to use Oracle 8i. Well, that was some time ago, and MySQL has evolved over the years.

So, the question is, how well does MySQL perform in handling the very large number of transactions that can be imposed on an MMORPG?

Replies (5)

RE: Robustness of MySQL - Added by ragnar-gd over 7 years ago

Dear tldamico,

i watched (played/installed) MYSQL as the central database of these (mostly OpenSource) MMORPGs:
- Arianne/Marauroa
- Ryzom
- PlaneShift
(- WorldForge)

All of these projects suffered from a fair amount of stability problems, sooner or later.
Ryzom and Arianne are quite stable overall now, PlaneShift suffers from occasional hiccups, and WorldForge simply isn't an operational MMORPG at the moment, but rather a very advanced framework/work in progress.

But MySQL, to my best knowledge, did not add to any problem, but, on the contrary, rather is a stable and acknowledged base.
There are good arguments for and against MySQL, but stability is not among them.

regards,
Ragnar G.D.

RE: Robustness of MySQL - Added by sfb over 7 years ago

tldamico,

MySQL is so seldom used in Ryzom its performance is the least of your concerns. To understand why you should simply look at the schema that we use. You'll find out quickly that MySQL is used almost solely for shard administration and user administration. All of the persistent data in the world is stored in PDR (Persistent Data Records) on the shard. These files are essentially binary files that contain the serialized instances of persistent game objects. This is why MySQL will never be a performance bottleneck for Ryzom.

I'd also like to note that unlike most of the MMOs that ragnar listed Ryzom Core is the basis behind one very large commercial MMORPG. I think it'd been road tested. (;
HTH,

sfb
/s

RE: Robustness of MySQL - Added by tldamico over 7 years ago

sfb,

Sounds great. The system I built for Verizon was for bulk testing of DSL circuits, and had to communicate with numerous other databases, and ran many concurrent tests. The odd behavior was that it would seem to drop threads unexpectedly and without warning. But, that was some time ago, and I'm sure MySQL has improved greatly since then. Good to see your implementation is robust, and not tied to database performance.

I downloaded all the code, but haven't had a chance to start studying the code yet. I've been spending my time right now refreshing on C++ before I dig into the code.

I'm currently deployed in Afghanistan, but I retire in about 6 months, so will have lots of time to contribute.

Regards,

Terin

RE: Robustness of MySQL - Added by ragnar-gd over 7 years ago

sfb wrote:

I'd also like to note that unlike most of the MMOs that ragnar listed Ryzom Core is the basis behind one very large commercial MMORPG. I think it'd been road tested. (;

I'd really like to know how many people are playing Ryzom right now... the more there are, the better for us.

ragnar g.d.

RE: Robustness of MySQL - Added by vl over 7 years ago

Indeed Ryzom is using mysql only for some basic purpose like login and things like that. It cannot be a bottleneck.

By Mysql is very strong, just look at who use it... Twitter just to take one

"MySQL handled 2,400 requests per second... 1 MySQL Server (one big 8 core box) and 1 slave. Slave is read only for statistics and reporting."

http://highscalability.com/scaling-twitter-making-twitter-10000-percent-faster

So even for biggest project with tons of request, mysql can do the work.

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