Oracle 5.0 Reference Manual page 2909

no single node group has all its nodes alive, in which case network partitioning (the "split-brain"
scenario) becomes possible. Then an arbitrator is required. All cluster nodes recognize the same
node as the arbitrator, which is normally the management server; however, it is possible to configure
any of the MySQL Servers in the cluster to act as the arbitrator instead. The arbitrator accepts the
first set of cluster nodes to contact it, and tells the remaining set to shut down. Arbitrator selection is
controlled by the
ArbitrationRank
server nodes. For more information about this parameter, see
Cluster Management Server".
The role of arbitrator does not in and of itself impose any heavy demands upon the host so designated,
and thus the arbitrator host does not need to be particularly fast or to have extra memory especially for
this purpose.
B.10.27: What data types are supported by MySQL Cluster?
In MySQL 5.0;, MySQL Cluster supports all of the usual MySQL data types, including (beginning with
MySQL 5.0.16) those associated with MySQL's spatial extensions; however, the
does not support spatial indexes. (Spatial indexes are supported only by MyISAM; see
"Spatial Extensions", for more information.) In addition, there are some differences with regard to
indexes when used with
Note
In MySQL 5.0, MySQL Cluster tables (that is, tables created with
or ENGINE=NDBCLUSTER) have only fixed-width rows. This means that (for
example) each record containing a
for 255 characters (as required for the character set and collation being used
for the table), regardless of the actual number of characters stored therein. This
issue is fixed in MySQL 5.1 and later; however, we do not plan to backport this
functionality to MySQL 5.0.
See Section 17.1.5, "Known Limitations of MySQL
B.10.28: How do I start and stop MySQL Cluster?
It is necessary to start each node in the cluster separately, in the following order:
1. Start the management node, using the
You must include the
where its configuration file can be found.
2. Start each data node with the
Each data node must be started with the
that the data node knows how to connect to the management server.
3. Start each MySQL Server (SQL node) using your preferred startup script, such as mysqld_safe.
Each MySQL Server must be started with the
[1610]
connectstring
engine support and how to connect to the management server.
Each of these commands must be run from a system shell on the machine housing the affected node.
(You do not have to be physically present at the machine—a remote login shell can be used for this
purpose.) You can verify that the cluster is running by starting the
the machine housing the management node and issuing the
To shut down a running cluster, issue the command
you may enter the following command in a system shell:
shell> ndb_mgm -e "SHUTDOWN"
MySQL 5.0 FAQ: MySQL Cluster
configuration parameter for MySQL Server and management
tables.
NDB
ndb_mgmd
[1624] or
-f --config-file
command.
ndbd
-c
options. These options cause mysqld to enable
2889
Section 17.3.2.4, "Defining a MySQL
VARCHAR(255)
Cluster", for more information about these issues.
command.
[1624] option to tell the management node
[1651] or
--ndb-connectstring
[1610]
--ndbcluster
management client
NDB
or
SHOW ALL STATUS
in the management client. Alternatively,
SHUTDOWN
storage engine
NDB
Section 12.16,
ENGINE=NDB
column will require space
[1651] option so
and
--ndb-
storage
NDBCLUSTER
ndb_mgm
command.
on