A four part tutorial that explains the PHP / MySQL extensions - mysql, mysqli, and pdo_mysql - with simple examples is now accessible from Sun Developer Network. While most of the information presented in the tutorial is available elsewhere in bits and pieces, the real value-add is in the introduction of the MySQL native driver for PHP, mysqlnd.

Here is a brief description of all four parts in the series:

• Part 1: Using the MySQL Improved Extension, mysqli -- describes mysqli, the MySQL Improved Extension that is the successor to the mysql extension
  
  
• Part 2: Using the MySQL Extension, mysql -- describes the original extension designed to develop PHP applications that interact with a MySQL database
  
  
• Part 3: Using the PDO Extension With MySQL Driver, pdo_mysql -- describes the pdo_mysql driver, which implements the PHP Data Objects (PDO) interface to access the MySQL Server from PHP
  
  
• Part 4: Using the MySQL Native Driver for PHP, mysqlnd -- describes the MySQL native driver for PHP, mysqlnd, which is an alternative to the MySQL client library, libmysql, for connecting from PHP 5 and PHP 6 to MySQL Server 4.1 or later

Application developers who are new to the development of MySQL database applications with PHP are the target audience of this tutorial.

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Technorati Tags:
MySQL | PHP | mysqlnd | PHP Extensions | mysqli | PDO | pdo_mysql

With the introduction of MySQL Connector/C++, now C++ application developers have one additional option to choose from, to connect to MySQL Server 5.1 or later from a C++ application. Admittedly, as of today, there isn't enough documentation with examples to show the capabilities [and gotchas] of MySQL Connector/C++. I tried to fill that gap with the technical article, Developing Database Applications Using MySQL Connector/C++. Hopefully it serves as a starting point for the C++ developers while waiting for the MySQL Connectors documentation team to publish the official documentation on MySQL Developer Zone.

While you are at it, don't forget to check the supplement document, Installing MySQL Connector/C++ from Source, in case if you want to build the driver on your own from the source code.

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Technorati Tags:
MySQL | Connector/C++

In the software world, some tools like SAP NetWeaver's Adaptive Computing Controller (ACC) require full control over a network interface, so they can bring up/down the NICs at their will to fulfill their responsibilities. Those tools may function normally on Solaris 10 [and later] as long as they are run in the global zone. However there might be some trouble when those tools are attempted to run in a non-global zone, especially on machines with only one physical network interface installed, and when the non-global zones are created with the default configuration. This blog post attempts to suggest few solutions to get around those issues, so the tools can function the way they normally do in the global zone.

If the machine has only one NIC installed, there are at least two issues that will prevent tools like ACC from working in a non-global zone.

1. Since there is only one network interface on the system, it is not possible to dedicate that interface to the non-global zone where ACC is supposed to run. Hence all the zones, including the global zone, must share the physical network interface.


2. When the physical network interface is being shared across multiple zones, it is not possible to plumb/unplumb the network interface from a Shared-IP Non-Global Zone. Only the root users in the global zone can plumb/unplumb the lone physical network interface.
When a non-global zone is created with the default configuration, Shared-IP zone is created by default. Shared-IP zones have separate IP addresses, but share the IP routing configuration with the global zone.

Fortunately, Solaris 10 has a solution to the aforementioned issues in the form of Network Virtualization. Crossbow is the code name for network virtualization in Solaris. Crossbow provides the necessary building blocks to virtualize a single physical network interface into multiple virtual network interfaces (VNICs) - so the solution to the issue at hand is to create a virtual network interface, and then to create an Exclusive-IP Non-Global Zone using the virtual NIC. Rest of the blog post demonstrates the simple steps to create a VNIC, and to configure a non-global zone as Exclusive-IP Zone.

Create a Virtual Network Interface using Crossbow

• Make sure the OS has Crossbow functionality
  

  
  
  global# cat /etc/release
                   Solaris Express Community Edition snv_111 SPARC
             Copyright 2009 Sun Microsystems, Inc.  All Rights Reserved.
                          Use is subject to license terms.
                               Assembled 23 March 2009
  
  

  
  Crossbow has been integrated into Solaris Express Community Edition (Nevada) build 105 - hence all Nevada builds starting with build 105 will have the Crossbow functionality. OpenSolaris 2009.06 and the next major update to Solaris 10 are expected to have the support for network virtualization out-of-the-box.
  
  
• Check the existing zones and the available physical and virtual network interfaces.
  

  
  
  global# zoneadm list -cv
    ID NAME             STATUS     PATH                           BRAND    IP    
     0 global           running    /                              native   shared
  
  global# dladm show-link
  LINK        CLASS    MTU    STATE    OVER
  e1000g0     phys     1500   up       --
  
  

  
  In this example, there is only one NIC, e1000g0, on the server; and there are no non-global zones installed.
  
  
• Create a virtual network interface based on device e1000g0 with an automatically generated MAC address. If the NIC has factory MAC addresses available, one of them will be used. Otherwise, a random address is selected. The auto mode is the default action if none is specified.
  

  
  
  global# dladm create-vnic -l e1000g0 vnic1
  
  

  
  
• Check the available network interfaces one more time. Now you should be able to see the newly created virtual NIC in addition to the existing physical network interface. It is also possible to list only the virtual NICs.
  

  
  
  global# dladm show-link
  LINK        CLASS    MTU    STATE    OVER
  e1000g0     phys     1500   up       --
  vnic1       vnic     1500   up       e1000g0
  
  global# dladm show-vnic
  LINK         OVER         SPEED  MACADDRESS           MACADDRTYPE         VID
  vnic1        e1000g0      1000   2:8:20:32:9:10       random              0
  
  

Create a Non-Global Zone with the VNIC

• Create an Exclusive-IP Non-Global Zone with the newly created VNIC being the primary network interface.
  
  

  
  
  global # mkdir -p /export/zones/sapacc
  global # chmod 700 /export/zones/sapacc
  
  global # zonecfg -z sapacc
  sapacc: No such zone configured
  Use 'create' to begin configuring a new zone.
  zonecfg:sapacc> create
  zonecfg:sapacc> set zonepath=/export/zones/sapacc
  zonecfg:sapacc> set autoboot=false
  zonecfg:sapacc> set ip-type=exclusive
  zonecfg:sapacc> add net
  zonecfg:sapacc:net> set physical=vnic1
  zonecfg:sapacc:net> end
  zonecfg:sapacc> verify
  zonecfg:sapacc> commit
  zonecfg:sapacc> exit
  
  global # zoneadm -z sapacc install
  
  global # zoneadm -z sapacc boot
  
  global #  zoneadm list -cv
    ID NAME             STATUS     PATH                           BRAND    IP    
     0 global           running    /                              native   shared
     1 sapacc           running    /export/zones/sapacc         native   excl
  
  

  
  
• Configure the new non-global zone including the IP address and the network services
  

  
  
  global # zlogin -C -e [ sapacc
  ...
  
    > Confirm the following information.  If it is correct, press F2;             
      to change any information, press F4.                                        
                                                                                  
                                                                                  
                    Host name: sap-zone2
                   IP address: 10.6.227.134                                       
      System part of a subnet: Yes                                                
                      Netmask: 255.255.255.0                                      
                  Enable IPv6: No                                                 
                Default Route: Detect one upon reboot                             
  
  

  
  
• Inside the non-global zone, check the status of the VNIC and the status of the network service
  

  
  
  local# hostname
  sap-zone2
  
  local# zonename
  sapacc
  
  local# ifconfig -a
  lo0: flags=2001000849 mtu 8232 index 1
          inet 127.0.0.1 netmask ff000000 
  vnic1: flags=1000843 mtu 1500 index 2
          inet 10.6.227.134 netmask ffffff00 broadcast 10.6.227.255
          ether 2:8:20:32:9:10 
  lo0: flags=2002000849 mtu 8252 index 1
          inet6 ::1/128 
  
  local# svcs svc:/network/physical
  STATE          STIME    FMRI
  disabled       13:02:18 svc:/network/physical:nwam
  online         13:02:24 svc:/network/physical:default
  
  

• Check the network connectivity.
  
  From inside the non-global zone to the outside world:
  

  
  
  local# ping -s sap29
  PING sap29: 56 data bytes
  64 bytes from sap29 (10.6.227.177): icmp_seq=0. time=0.680 ms
  64 bytes from sap29 (10.6.227.177): icmp_seq=1. time=0.452 ms
  64 bytes from sap29 (10.6.227.177): icmp_seq=2. time=0.561 ms
  64 bytes from sap29 (10.6.227.177): icmp_seq=3. time=0.616 ms
  ^C
  ----sap29 PING Statistics----
  4 packets transmitted, 4 packets received, 0% packet loss
  round-trip (ms)  min/avg/max/stddev = 0.452/0.577/0.680/0.097
  
  

  
  From the outside world to the non-global zone:
  

  
  
  remotehostonWAN# telnet sap-zone2
  Trying 10.6.227.134...
  Connected to sap-zone2.sun.com.
  Escape character is '^]'.
  login: test
  Password: 
  Sun Microsystems Inc.   SunOS 5.11      snv_111 November 2008
  
  -bash-3.2$ /usr/sbin/ifconfig -a
  lo0: flags=2001000849 mtu 8232 index 1
          inet 127.0.0.1 netmask ff000000 
  vnic1: flags=1000843 mtu 1500 index 2
          inet 10.6.227.134 netmask ffffff00 broadcast 10.6.227.255
  lo0: flags=2002000849 mtu 8252 index 1
          inet6 ::1/128 
  -bash-3.2$ exit
  logout
  Connection to sap-zone2 closed.
  
  

Dynamic [Re]Configuration of the [Virtual] Network Interface in a Non-Global Zone

• Finally try plumbing down/up the virtual network interface inside the Exclusive-IP Non-Global Zone
  

  
  
  global # zlogin -C -e [ sapacc
  [Connected to zone 'sapacc' console]
  ..
  
  zoneconsole# ifconfig vnic1 unplumb
  
  zoneconsole# /usr/sbin/ifconfig -a
  lo0: flags=2001000849 mtu 8232 index 1
          inet 127.0.0.1 netmask ff000000
  
  zoneconsole# ifconfig vnic1 plumb
  
  zoneconsole# ifconfig vnic1 10.6.227.134 netmask 255.255.255.0 up
  
  zoneconsole# /usr/sbin/ifconfig -a
  lo0: flags=2001000849 mtu 8232 index 1
          inet 127.0.0.1 netmask ff000000
  vnic1: flags=1000843 mtu 1500 index 2
          inet 10.6.227.134 netmask ffffff00 broadcast 10.6.227.255
  lo0: flags=2002000849 mtu 8252 index 1
          inet6 ::1/128
  
  

As simple as that! Before we conclude, be informed that prior to Crossbow, Solaris system administrators were required to use Virtual Local Area Networks (VLAN) to achieve similar outcomes.

Check Zones and Containers FAQ, if you are stuck with a strange situation or if you need some interesting ideas around virtualization on Solaris.
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Technorati Tags:
Solaris | Virtualization | Crossbow | SAP | NetWeaver