New in Microsoft Azure: MariaDB TX 2.0

Now in the Microsoft Azure Marketplace: MariaDB TX 2.0 with MariaDB Server 10.2, configured in a MariaDB Galera Cluster topology, with MariaDB MaxScale 2.1, and Azure Managed Disks.

What is MariaDB TX 2.0? This is the new name of MariaDB’s flagship subscription offering for transactional (OLTP) workloads. MariaDB TX 2.0 includes MariaDB Server 10.2, featuring the Galera clustering technology we use in this solution, as well as MariaDB MaxScale 2.1.

The MariaDB TX 2.0 solution in the Azure Marketplace deploys a cluster with three MariaDB Server data nodes and two MariaDB MaxScale proxy nodes. This provides HA at the data store layer as well as the connectivity layer. MaxScale can automatically split reads and writes between the backend data nodes in the MariaDB Cluster, and it can automatically choose a new master if the topology changes. An Azure Load Balancer sits in front of the MaxScale nodes to seamlessly manage a switchover or failover between the MaxScale nodes.

MariaDB Server 10.2 includes lots of really interesting functionality, including Window Functions, Common Table Expressions (CTEs), CHECK constraints, new JSON functions, and lots more. Take a look at our recent MariaDB Server 10.2 new features for the full list and links to details.

New in the MariaDB TX 2.0 solution in Azure is a move to Ubuntu 16.04 LTS from CentOS 7. This is mostly transparent to users, as all the same packages and functionality are available as in previous iterations of this solution. This move makes maintenance of the solution a bit easier, and it seems that there’s better support in Azure for their Ubuntu VMs than for CentOS, so this may even bring some performance and stability improvements.

Another notable change is a move to Azure Managed Disks. This finally brings Azure storage in line with what can be found from other cloud providers. Azure Managed Disks are a relatively new feature of Azure, and they’ll be a best practice going forward, so I’m happy to have been able to add early support for them to our MariaDB TX 2.0 solution in the Azure Marketplace. Azure Managed Disks remove the complexity of having to directly manage Storage Accounts, which means a little bit less configuration to kick off the deployment process. It also gives access to Snapshots, Azure Disk Encryption, increased resiliency, and the ability to upgrade from Standard (hard disk) to Premium (SSD) storage without having to re-create the VM. Learn more about Azure Managed Disks.

Find MariaDB TX 2.0 in the Azure Marketplace. From there you can click “Get It Now” to deploy the solution into your existing Azure Subscription, or you can click “Test Drive” to start a 2-hour Test Drive to kick the tires.

The free-of-charge Test Drive deploys the same topology, including MariaDB TX 2.0, MariaDB Server 10.2, MariaDB MaxScale 2.1, and the move to Ubuntu 16.04 LTS. The Test Drive doesn’t use Managed Disks, however. To get a look at that experience, you’ll need to deploy the MariaDB TX 2.0 solution yourself into your own Azure Subscription.

Maybe you just want to start simple, with a single instance of MariaDB Server? If so, you can also start a standalone MariaDB Server instance from the Azure Marketplace.

Documentation and more information for all of these solutions can be found in the MariaDB Knowledge Base.

Have questions? If you’re a customer with a MariaDB TX or MariaDB Enterprise subscription, please contact our MariaDB support team. If you’re not a customer yet, get in touch with us — we’re looking forwarding to hearing from you.