MySQL Editions and Support- what do I get with community?

The new licensing that was announced by Oracle earlier this month caused some FUD in the community that was addressed last week in an updated graphic comparing support and binary options and blog post from Oracle.  However, one of our customers sent me this earlier this week —

We are now re-evaluating whether we want to renew our MySQL Enterprise License.  As hard as I tried, I am still confused at what we get from the license we paid other than professional support.

In other words, I don’t know whether we are paying for the binary (for features not found in the Community version) or for the Service? I thought they are two different things. But it is just not clear on their Website.

Do you have some insight into MySQL Enterprise Licensing issue? I mean if it is a matter of buying support, can Blue Gecko provide similar type of Professional Service?

Blue Gecko most often manages MySQL Community Edition and so I spent some time talking to one of the MySQL sales staff members to understand if anything has changed in this edition under this new support structure.  I’m happy to say that the Community Edition is alive well, and just as we left it in late October.   It still has partitioning, InnoDB and all your favorite engines available in it.  There is a new MySQL Cluster Community Edition that has been separated (though still freely available) to parallel the MySQL Cluster Carrier Grade Edition.

What Oracle has changed is to offer MySQL Enterprise Monitor, Enterprise Backup (formerly InnoDB hotbackup), and Cluster Manager software packaged at different levels in addition to Oracle Premier Support.

So, to get to my favorite portion of the question above “Can Blue Gecko provide a similar type of Professional Support?” — The answer is yes and no.

Yes!

Blue Gecko provides operational support and monitoring 24/7 on your databases.  Our support encompasses proactive work, maintenance outages, unplanned outages, and performance tuning.  We work with existing database staff as either or both front line monitoring response and deep bench technical support.  We can also work with a development staff as completely outsourced operations staff.  I think by working more closely with a smaller group of clients, we are able to troubleshoot more effectively than an Oracle PS staff member who has never connected to your database.

The “no” portion of the answer is that Blue Gecko does not modify or develop patches to MySQL code.  We work with other firms if we find a customer needs a custom patch.  Though, as operational DBAs with decades of experience on small and large databases however they’re measured we have found that custom forks and custom patches are seldom the only solution and are most certainly not for the faint of heart.

Blue Gecko’s support is always month-to-month and includes a number of hours each month for the work I outlined above and our staff will be happy to work at odd and inconvenient hours on scheduled and unscheduled work.

You go enjoy your turkey, we’ll be watching your systems.