Whether you are a Web developer, CNESM, or a dedicated network administrator with an interest in building database applications, MySQL is easy to use, yet extremely powerful, secure, and scalable. And because of its small size and speed, it is the ideal database solution for Web sites.
Some of its advantages include the following:
It's easy to use: While a basic knowledge of SQL is required—and most relational databases require the same knowledge—MySQL is very easy to use. With only a few simple SQL statements, you can build and interact with MySQL.
It's secure: MySQL includes solid data security layers that protect sensitive data from intruders. Rights can be set to allow some or all privileges to individuals. Passwords are encrypted.
It's inexpensive: MySQL is included for free with NetWare® 6.5 and available by free download from MySQL Web site.
It's fast: In the interest of speed, MySQL designers made the decision to offer fewer features than other major database competitors, such as Sybase* and Oracle*. However, despite having fewer features than the other commercial database products, MySQL still offers all of the features required by most database developers.
It's scalable: MySQL can handle almost any amount of data, up to as much as 50 million rows or more. The default file size limit is about 4 GB. However, you can increase this number to a theoretical limit of 8 TB of data.
It manages memory very well: MySQL server has been thoroughly tested to prevent memory leaks.
It supports Novell Cluster Services: MySQL on NetWare runs effectively with Novell® Cluster Services™, letting you add your database solution to a Novell cluster. If one server goes down, MySQL on an alternate server takes over and your customers won't know that anything happened.
It runs on many operating systems: MySQL runs on many operating systems, including Novell NetWare, Windows* Linux*, many varieties of UNIX* (such as Sun* Solaris*, AIX, and DEC* UNIX), OS/2, FreeBSD*, and others.
It supports several development interfaces: Development interfaces include JDBC, ODBC, and scripting (PHP and Perl), letting you create database solutions that run not only in your NetWare 6.5 environment, but across all major platforms, including Linux, UNIX, and Windows.