Triton Migration Scheduled for November 18, 2007
Note: The time for the migration changed since this notice was initially sent out. The note below includes the updated time.
Greetings,
My name is Dan Young and I manage the Enterprise Database Management Team at Indiana University. You are receiving this notice because you are the owner or contact person of an account on mysql.iu.edu, commonly known as Triton. I am writing you today to let you know of some forthcoming changes to the MySQL Database services which are utilized in conjunction with the Veritas and Champion Web Hosting Environment. I will briefly try to describe the changes and the rationale for these decisions below:
Goal of the Change
With as little impact as possible to both customers and business process, migrate the MySQL Database environments to a virtualized Linux platform.
Systems Impacted by the Change and Change Dates
The MySQL database services hosted on 'mysql.iu.edu'. The changes for
'mysql.iu.edu' will take place on November 18th, starting at 12:00 AM and
are expected to be completed by 9:00 AM. During this time the 'mysql.iu.edu' service will not be available. Any web content that relies on data stored on Triton will also be unavailable during this time.
Change Description
The current hardware used to host the MySQL database service, which is part of the larger IU Web Hosting Environment, has effectively reached 'end-of-life' and is scheduled to be decommissioned. As part of the IU initiative to standardize and consolidate our technical service offerings, ownership of the MySQL database service has been assumed by my team and we will be migrating the service to Linux-based server environment. We have been testing this migration for several weeks, completed the migration of the test MySQL Service ('mysql-test.iu.edu') and are now ready to implement this into production on November 18th.
Change Strategy and Planned Steps
Beginning at 12:00 AM on November 18th, the existing 'mysql.iu.edu'
server,
commonly known as Triton, will be shutdown. The production MySQL databases will then be migrated to the new Linux platform and the 'mysql.iu.edu' server name will be redirected to the new platform. Once the 'mysql.iu.edu' name change has been propagated to the appropriate servers, the production MySQL databases will be restarted on the new Linux platform. Once the production databases are ready, the Web servers should be able reconnect and resume business as usual.
Your Role in this Change
There are a couple of noteworthy items which you should be aware of as the result of this migration.
1) To log on to the new 'mysql.iu.edu' server with tools such as SSH, you will use the same user name, just as you have done the past. However, you will now be required to enter your network passphrase to gain access to the server. For example, if your login name were 'purchasing', then you would need to log on using the network passphrase for the 'purchasing' group account. If the passphrase is unknown or forgotten, the owner of the account may request a passphrase reset by following the instructions found in this Knowledge Base document:
http://kb.iu.edu/data/agib.html
If you have questions about the change to network passphrases or if you need assistance determining who is listed as the owner of an account, please contact the IU Webmaster.
To reiterate, you will not be able to log on at the Linux level to the new 'mysql.iu.edu' server without a network passphrase beginning on November 18th.
2) Once you have been able to log on to the new server, your MySQL services should be virtually the same as previously configured. You will log into MySQL in the same manner as before, you will be able to stop and start your services, etc. We anticipate very little change to how the actual individual MySQL databases are operated on the new server. You can also expect that items such as automatic startup, shut down, etc. will also be available.
3) If you utilized an IP address rather than the server name 'mysql.iu.edu' in code you have written to connect to the database, your application will NOT connect successfully. The IP Address for the new server is different than the old server and program code will need to be updated accordingly. It is highly recommend that you not hard-code IP Address in programs but rather, that you use server names when connecting to the database.
4) We would appreciate any and all feedback you can provide us regarding this migration. If you experience significant difficulty in utilizing the new server, please let us know by sending a message to dba-request@indiana.edu and we will address your issue as soon as possible.
Future of the MySQL Database Service
Once the server migrations to Linux have been completed, the Enterprise Database Team is very interested in implementing the following enhancements to the environments:
a) Facilitate a migration to MySQL 5.X.
b) Open the server to the IU network in such a manner that desktop tools can be utilized to manage individual MySQL databases. (Examples include:
MySQL Administrator, SQLyog, and Navicat.)
c) Further streamline the account creation and review process.
d) Formalize a MySQL backup policy, to assist customers in choosing an appropriate backup strategy.
This is an exciting time to be a MySQL user at Indiana University. My team and I look forward to serving you and thank you for your understanding and patience as we position ourselves for future growth and advancement.
Regards,
Dan
Dan Young
Manager of Database Administration
Office of the VP for Research & Information Technology University Information Technology Services
2711 East Tenth Street, Building E2
Bloomington, IN 47408
