Blog

Our team of MySQL database experts regularly blogs on topics that range from MySQL availability, MySQL replication, multi-master MySQL, and MySQL-aware proxies, all the way through to ‘how to’ content for our solutions: Tungsten Clustering, Tungsten Replicator and Tungsten Proxy.

Zero Downtime DDL Changes Using the Tungsten Replicator Filters

In this blog we explore the process for renaming columns on large tables, with zero downtime, by utilizing the advanced filtering features of Tungsten Replicator.

Advanced Replication, Database Administration, Zero Downtime Maintenance

Xtrabackup Failing: An Elusive Server Change

A concise troubleshooting guide explaining why XtraBackup fails during Tungsten provisioning due to missing MySQL socket paths, how TCP fallback works, and how to permanently fix the issue via my.cnf client configuration.

Tungsten University, Database Administration

MySQL Clustering with Docker vs. Kubernetes: What You Need to Know

A practical comparison of running MySQL clusters using Docker and Kubernetes, covering persistence, failover, scaling, automation, and when each platform is the right fit for production workloads.

Continuent Team

Cluster Management, Database Administration

Trust but Verify: A Playbook for Database Consistency Checks

Technical walkthrough of database consistency verification using Tungsten Replicator, including checksum-based table scans, targeted row validation with limits, operational risks, and performance best practices.

Cluster Management, Database Administration, Monitoring and Observability

Guardrails for Tungsten Maintenance: Using Ansible Like a Pro for Safe Changes

Practical guide to using Ansible safely with Tungsten Clustering, including outage analysis, maintenance mode usage, rolling database operations, and automation guardrails to prevent cascading failures in production MySQL clusters.

Chris Parker and Eric M. Stone

Tungsten University

Comparing MySQL Operators on Kubernetes: Which One Fits Your Workloads?

Compare leading MySQL Operators for Kubernetes, including Oracle, Percona, KubeDB, and Tungsten Operator. Learn how they differ in replication, failover, backups, zero-downtime operations, and which operator best fits your MySQL workloads.

Cluster Management

Real-World SaaS Multi-Region MySQL: Tungsten Cluster Implementation Guide

Comprehensive guide to implementing a real-world multi-region MySQL SaaS deployment with Tungsten Cluster, covering architecture design, automation, monitoring, and operational best practices.

Continuent Team

Tungsten University, Cluster Management, Deployment, Zero Downtime Maintenance

Simplified: Upgrade Non-SSL-enabled Tungsten v6 to SSL-enabled Tungsten v8

Step-by-step guide to upgrading Tungsten Clustering and Replicator from version 6 (non-SSL) to version 8 (SSL-enabled). Learn how to enable SSL for MySQL, Tungsten Connectors, and REST APIs with minimal downtime and maximum data security.

Cluster Management, Security, Zero Downtime Maintenance

Zero-Downtime MySQL Certificate Rotation

Learn how to rotate MySQL SSL/TLS certificates with zero downtime using Tungsten Clustering 7.2.0/8.0.1 and the tpm cert tool, including generating certs, dual-alias rollout, safe node-by-node restarts, SELinux fixes, and cleanup to retire old aliases without interrupting production.

Tungsten University, Database Administration, Security, Zero Downtime Maintenance

What the AWS Outage Showed Us: Resilience is Built Across Clouds

An analysis of the AWS outage and how cross-cloud continuity ensures uptime across cloud providers using solutions like Tungsten Cluster.

Cloud, Multi-Cloud, Hybrid-Cloud, Geographic Distribution and Geo-Scale, Zero Downtime Maintenance

SaaS Multi-Region MySQL: Operational Excellence & Monitoring

A deep dive into operational excellence and monitoring strategies for multi-region MySQL in SaaS environments — including deployment automation, observability, compliance, and recovery best practices.

Continuent Team

Tungsten University, Database Administration, Monitoring and Observability, Performance

Why MySQL on Kubernetes Fails Without the Right Operator

Challenges of running MySQL on Kubernetes and how Operators ensure reliability through replication, failover, and observability.

Cluster Management