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MySQL 5.1 Reference Manual :: A MySQL 5.1 Frequently Asked Questions :: A.2 MySQL 5.1 FAQ — Storage Engines
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A.2. MySQL 5.1 FAQ — Storage Engines

Questions

  • 23.2.1: Are there any new storage engines in MySQL 5.1?

  • 23.2.2: Have any storage engines been removed in MySQL 5.1?

  • 23.2.3: What are the unique benefits of the ARCHIVE storage engine?

  • 23.2.4: Do the new features in MySQL 5.1 apply to all storage engines?

  • 23.2.5: Where can I obtain complete documentation for MySQL storage engines and the pluggable storage engine architecture?

Questions and Answers

23.2.1: Are there any new storage engines in MySQL 5.1?

Yes, the IBMDB2I storage engine is included in the IBM i5/OS (TAR packages) and IBM i5/OS (SAVF packages). Also, there have been significant improvements in existing storage engines, in particular for the NDB storage engine that forms the basis for MySQL Cluster. Also, the InnoDB Plugin is available as an alternative to the built-in version of the InnoDB storage engine.

23.2.2: Have any storage engines been removed in MySQL 5.1?

Yes. MySQL 5.1 no longer supports the BDB storage engine. Any existing BDB tables should be converted to another storage engine before upgrading to MySQL 5.1.

23.2.3: What are the unique benefits of the ARCHIVE storage engine?

The ARCHIVE storage engine is ideally suited for storing large amounts of data without indexes; it has a very small footprint, and performs selects using table scans. See Section 13.12, “The ARCHIVE Storage Engine”, for details.

23.2.4: Do the new features in MySQL 5.1 apply to all storage engines?

The general new features such as views, stored procedures, triggers, INFORMATION_SCHEMA, precision math (DECIMAL column type), and the BIT column type, apply to all storage engines. There are also additions and changes for specific storage engines.

23.2.5: Where can I obtain complete documentation for MySQL storage engines and the pluggable storage engine architecture?

See Chapter 13, Storage Engines. That chapter contains information about all MySQL storage engines except for the NDB storage engine used for MySQL Cluster; NDB is covered in Chapter 17, MySQL Cluster NDB 6.X/7.X.