Mis Myspace

What kind of databases and database servers does MySpace use? A database is an organized collection of data. A database server is a computer program that provides database services to other computer programs. In the initial phases, MySpace operated with two web servers (a computer application that helps to deliver web content that can be accessed through the internet) communicating with one database server and a Microsoft SQL Server database(as s database, it is a software product whose primary function is to store and retrieve data requested by other software applications).

But as the number of accounts started to increase to 500,000 in 2004 one database server wasn’t sufficient. MySpace then deployed three SQL servers database. Which one served as a master database, which received all new data and copied it to the other two databases. As time passed and the number of accounts grew to millions, the database servers where approaching their input/output capacity and causing MySpace to add many cheaper servers to share the database load.

Still having problems with overload, MySpace switched to virtualized storage architecture. In which databases write to any available disk, thus eliminating the possibility of an application’s dedicated disk becoming overloaded. In 2005 MySpace added more servers between the database servers and the Web servers to store and serve copies of frequently accessed data objects so that the site’s web servers wouldn’t have to query the servers with lookups as frequently. Why is a database technology so important for a business such as MySpace?

Due to the nature of MySpace and because it mostly receive from and serves to its uses are data objects like pictures, audio files and video files databases technology is the only technology that accomplish the mission. Its database must make the objects readily available to anyone requesting access to an entity (person). Database technology cuts through many problems of traditional filing. Rather than storing data in separate file for each application, data are store as to appear to users as being stored in only one single location.

How effectively does MySpace organize and store the data on its site? MySpace. com was one of the most popular social networking sites and experienced one of the greatest growths in the history. But unfortunately it wasn’t able to keep with its data storage and challenged technical letdowns that degrade web site performance and frustrated its rapidly expanding network users. MySpace used two Web servers communicating with one database server. It was adequate when the site had a small number of users who were updating or accessing database objects.

Obviously that won’t work with millions of users. Unfortunately, MySpace kept overloading more frequently than other major Web sites. With a log-in error rate of 20 to 40 percent on some days, the site is not effectively organizing or storing data. What data management problems have risen? How has MySpace solved, or attempted to solve these problems? Some of the problems MySpace has encountered are inadequate storage space on its database servers, slow access or no access through its log-in application, and users’ inabilities to access data.

Over the years, MySpace has attempted to fix these problems by adding more and Web servers and more database servers. Some were simply “added on” without restructuring the entire system to more efficiently use its hardware and software. Workloads were not distributed evenly between servers which caused inefficient use of resources. MySpace developers continue to redesign the Web site’s database, software, and storage systems, to keep pace with its exploding growth, but their job is never done. MySpace switched to a virtualization storage architecture which ended the practice of attaching disk dedicated to specific applications.