MySQL AB, developer of the world's most popular open source database, today launched MySQL Cluster, a new open source database clustering technology for applications requiring continuous availability. MySQL Cluster combines the MySQL® database with a clustering architecture to deliver 99.999 percent availability to mission-critical database applications. It is the first affordable, enterprise-scale database clustering software.

“The increasing volume of critical data, transactions and users in today’s ‘always on’ Internet and networked environments has made high availability a necessity for companies,” said Mårten Mickos, MySQL AB CEO. “MySQL Cluster has the availability, scalability and throughput for the most demanding applications, and its affordability makes clustering an option for any organization. This product demonstrates our commitment to make superior database management available and affordable to all.”

High Availability Version of World’s Most Popular Open Source Database

MySQL Cluster features the MySQL database coupled with a distributed, in-memory clustering architecture to maximize the availability and throughput of critical data. In a database cluster, data is distributed over a group of inter-connected databases residing on multiple servers, or nodes. With MySQL Cluster, the databases in the cluster work as one powerful, fault-tolerant database running on low-cost commodity hardware and software.

“MySQL has come a long way in offering a reliable open source DBMS to the community, and with MySQL clustering product it extends its boundaries even further by addressing the higher availability and scalability requirements to support mission critical applications,” noted Noel Yuhanna, senior analyst at Forrester Research. “The new clustering solution makes MySQL look attractive to customers that are looking for enterprise level DBMS features at low cost.”

Availability
MySQL AB is offering MySQL Cluster under its "dual license" business model. It will be provided at no cost under the free software/open source GNU General Public License (GPL) for open source projects and also under a commercial license for software vendors and other commercial MySQL customers.

A preview version of MySQL Cluster is now available for download under the open source GPL license from the MySQL Web site at www.mysql.com. A production version will be available under both the GPL license and a commercial license in Q3 2004.

MySQL Cluster runs across a variety of hardware and software platforms, including the Linux, Microsoft Windows, Sun Solaris, and Mac OS X. For more information about MySQL Cluster, please go to http://www.mysql.com/cluster.