[Mageia-dev] Replacing mysql with mariadb

[Maarten Vanraes]

Hi,

in order to get more testing (mariadb is in core/updates_testing), i've 
decided to submit to cauldron core/release, 
however there lies a problem:

Since everything is almost exact with mysql, same files and such, there are 
some library conflicts which would present always a choice if we want both 
mysql and mariadb (in particular libmysqlclient.so.X). Since we also want this 
really used at build/link time one of both versions should be used.

considering that mariadb mysql client works perfectly for both mysql and 
mariadb. and that mysql mysql-client may not work perfectly for local servers 
due to the my.cnf file being used for both client and server (mysql client is 
supported for remote mariadb servers), I'd like to use the mariadb client 
packages.

The way I see it, there are 2 possibilities:
A. I remove the mysql-client, libmysqlclient, mysql-common and assorted 
packages from mysql, and provide them with mariadb, since libmysqlclient is 
drop-in replacable (same library ABI and such), there is not 100% requirement 
of rebuilding all libmysqlclient dependant programs.

advantages:
 - both mariadb and mysql servers are present, people can choose
disadvantages:
 - more QA
 - more work for me

B. We drop mysql completely and submit mariadb

advantages:
 - less work for me
 - less work for QA
disadvantages:
 - mysql is completely gone.

I already posted this on the mariadb testing thread, but got little response, 
So i plan to go with B really. because that'll give the best testing and if 
mariadb isn't good enough, we can still modify mariadb and resubmit mysql. B 
will have the best upgrade test (like for mga1 --> mga2)

For more information regarding this, please read completely the mariadb 
testing thread: 
http://www.mail-archive.com/mageia-dev@mageia.org/msg09282.html

Some more bordering information:
 - mariadb has XtraDB, which is essentially a patched InnoDB (it also supplies 
an exact vanilla InnoDB as a plugin)
 - mariadb still has myISAM support
 - mariadb has as a default storage engine Aria (which can be used either as 
transactional and as non-transactional)
 - the files are exactly the same as mysql, it's still mysqld, mysql for client 
so upgrading issues should be minimal, but still tested, of course.

so please, test mariadb, build stuff against lib64mariadbclient18