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Linux Server Security, Second Edition
book

Linux Server Security, Second Edition

by Michael D. Bauer
January 2005
Intermediate to advanced content levelIntermediate to advanced
544 pages
23h 44m
English
O'Reilly Media, Inc.
Content preview from Linux Server Security, Second Edition
This is the Title of the Book, eMatter Edition
Copyright © 2007 O’Reilly & Associates, Inc. All rights reserved.
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Chapter 8: Database Security
Starting with MySQL 4.0.3, many variables can be changed at runtime without
restarting the server. See http://dev.mysql.com/doc/mysql/en/Dynamic_System_
Variables.html.
Database Operation
Now that you’ve installed a reasonably secure version of the server in a reasonably
secure location, let’s look at how to run the thing securely.
MySQL Table Types
Many new developers of MySQL-backed web sites have been horrified to watch their
database fall over and sink into the swamp just as their site becomes popular.
Although MySQL has a reputation for speed, this is primarily in cases where data-
base reads greatly outnumber writes. Once the number of simultaneous writes
crosses some threshold, performance degrades most ungracefully.
This is a self-inflicted Denial of Service by the implementation of the default MySQL
table type: MyISAM. It locks the whole table with each write (INSERT, UPDATE, or
DELETE), pushing back all other requests. It’s like closing all check-in lines but one
at a busy airport terminal. Waits lengthen until the administrator must kill database
threads or restart the database server.
MySQL actually has multiple table types, each implementing a different storage
mechanism and behavior. You’ll usually deal with two: MyISAM and InnoDB.
MyISAM
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Publisher Resources

ISBN: 0596006705Supplemental ContentCatalog PageErrata