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MariaDB Configuration

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MariaDB Configuration

[How-To] Change the Default Data Directory for MariaDB Server

Purpose

This documentation will focus on the process of changing the default data directory from its mysql default to a desired location. This will not focus on how to create the remote directory or how to mount it to the db server.

Prerequisites

List of prerequisites:

Changing the default MySQL/MariaDB Data Directory

Note: We are going to assume that our new data directory is /mnt/mysql-data. It is important to note that this directory should be owned by mysql:mysql.

# mkdir /mnt/mysql-data
# chown -R mysql:mysql /mnt/mysql-data

For your convenience, we’ve divided the process into 5 easy-to-follow steps:

Step 1: Identify Current MySQL Data Directory

To begin, it is worthy and well to identify the current data directory using the following command. Do not just assume it is still /var/lib/mysql since it could have been changed in the past.

# mysql -u root -p -e "SELECT @@datadir;"

After you enter the MySQL password, the output should be similar to.

Step 2: Copy MySQL Data Directory to a New Location

To avoid data corruption, stop the service if it is currently running before proceeding. Use the systemd well-known commands to do so:

------------- On SystemD ------------- 
# systemctl stop mariadb
# systemctl is-active mariadb

------------- On SysVInit ------------- 
# service mysqld stop
# service mysqld status

OR

# service mysql stop
# service mysql status

If the service has been brought down, the output of the last command should be as follows:

Then copy recursively the contents of /var/lib/mysql to /mnt/mysql-data preserving original permissions and timestamps:

# cp -R -p /var/lib/mysql/* /mnt/mysql-data

Step 3: Configure a New MySQL Data Directory

Edit the configuration file (my.cnf) to indicate the new data directory (/mnt/mysql-data in this case).

# vi /etc/my.cnf
OR
# vi /etc/mysql/my.cnf

Locate the [mysqld] and [client] sections and make the following changes:

Under [mysqld]:
datadir=/mnt/mysql-data
socket=/mnt/mysql-data/mysql.sock

Under [client]:
port=3306
socket=/mnt/mysql-data/mysql.sock

Save the changes and then proceed with the next step.

Step 4: Start the MariaDB Service

# systemctl start mariadb
# systemctl is-active mariadb

Now, use the same command as in Step 1 to verify the location of the new data directory:

# mysql -u root -p -e "SELECT @@datadir;"

Step 5: Create MySQL Database to Confirm Data Directory

Login to MariaDB, create a new database and then check /mnt/mysql-data:

# mysql -u root -p -e "CREATE DATABASE tecmint;"

Congratulations! You have successfully changed the data directory for MySQL or MariaDB.

Documentation derived from: How to Change a Default MySQL/MariaDB Data Directory in Linux (tecmint.com)

MariaDB Configuration

[How-To] Migrate MariaDB Database from local to remote MariaDB Server

Purpose

Show how to migrate MariaDB database from local to remote MariaDB server

Prerequisites

List of prerequisites:

Instructions

Step 1: Backup your WordPress Database

  1. Local Database Backup:

    • Log in to your current WordPress site's server.
    • Use a tool like mysqldump to create a backup of your local WordPress database. Run the following command:
    • mysqldump -u [username] -p[password] [database_name] > local_backup.sql

    Replace [username], [password], and [database_name] with your MariaDB username, password, and WordPress database name, respectively.

  2. Transfer Backup to Remote Server:

    • Copy the local_backup.sql file to your dedicated MariaDB server. You can use secure copy (SCP) or any other method you prefer.

Step 2: Create a Database on Remote Server

  1. Access Remote MariaDB:

    • Log in to your dedicated MariaDB server.

  2. Create a New Database:

    • In the MariaDB shell, create a new database for your WordPress site:
    • CREATE DATABASE new_database;

  3. Create a Database User:

    • Create a user and grant necessary privileges:
    • CREATE USER 'new_user'@'%' IDENTIFIED BY 'password'; GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON new_database.* TO 'new_user'@'%'; FLUSH PRIVILEGES;

    Replace 'new_user' and 'password' with your preferred username and password.

Step 3: Import Database to Remote Server

  1. Navigate to the Backup Location:

    • On your dedicated MariaDB server, navigate to the directory where you transferred the local_backup.sql file.

  2. Import Database:

    • Use the following command to import the database:
    • mysql -u [username] -p[password] [database_name] < local_backup.sql

    Replace [username], [password], and [database_name] with the new database username, password, and name.

Step 4: Update WordPress Configuration

  1. Edit wp-config.php:
    • On your WordPress site's server, locate the wp-config.php file.
    • Update the database connection details:
    • define('DB_NAME', 'new_database'); 
define('DB_USER', 'new_user'); 
define('DB_PASSWORD', 'password'); 
define('DB_HOST', 'remote_server_ip');
    Replace 'new_database', 'new_user', 'password', and 'remote_server_ip' with your database name, username, password, and the IP address of your dedicated MariaDB server.

Step 5: Test and Update URLs

  1. Test the Site:

    • Visit your WordPress site to ensure everything is working correctly.

  2. Update URLs (if needed):

    • If your site URLs have changed, update them using a search and replace tool or a plugin like "Better Search Replace."

Step 6: Finalize

  1. Remove Local Database:

    • Once you've confirmed that your site is working well on the remote database, you can remove the local database.

  2. Review and Optimize:

    • Take a moment to review your site and ensure that all functionality is working as expected. Additionally, you may want to optimize your database tables.

By following these steps, you should successfully migrate your WordPress database from a local MariaDB server to a remote one. Always make sure to have backups before making any significant changes to your website.

MariaDB Configuration

[How-To] Configure Galera Cluster on MariaDB Servers

Purpose

The purpose of this How-To is to explain the process in detail of how to take 3 MariaDB servers and cluster them together in a Multi-Master Galera cluster. For best results, it is recommended to have a minimum of 3 MariaDB servers to achieve quorum and proper redundancy. If you only cluster 2 MariaDB servers together and 1 becomes unavailable, it renders the remaining server unusable. For production environments, minimum of 3 servers and recommended 5 or more. 

Prerequisites

List of prerequisites:

Instructions

Step 1: Stop the MariaDB Service on all Servers

First step is to stop the MariaDB service during configuration of Galera as to not get weird results with setup. Run this on all MariaDB servers that will be in the cluster:

sudo systemctl stop mariadb

Step 2: Make a Backup of the MariaDB Config File on all Servers

Next important step is to make a copy of the MariaDB config file on all affected servers in case you need to go backwards. You can also achieve this with snapshots in your hypervisor:

sudo cp /etc/mysql/mariadb.conf.d/50-server.cnf /etc/mysql/mariadb.conf.d/50-server.cnf.bak

Step 3: Prepare the MariaDB Config File for Galera Cluster Settings

This step is where we actually configure the cluster. This will need to be configured on all affected MariaDB servers but is going to look slightly different on each one of them. So lets edit the config file. On each server you can access the config file by using the following command: 

sudo nano /etc/mysql/mariadb.conf.d/50-server.cnf

Inside the config file, the following should be done on each server, adjusting ips and names of servers to be each one:

[mysqld]

# Basic MariaDB Settings
bind-address = 0.0.0.0
default_storage_engine = InnoDB
binlog_format = ROW
innodb_autoinc_lock_mode = 2
# query_cache_type=0
# query_cache_size=0
# log_slave_updates

# Galera Cluster Settings
wsrep_on = ON
wsrep_provider = /usr/lib/galera/libgalera_smm.so
wsrep_cluster_name = "my_galera_cluster"
wsrep_cluster_address = "gcomm://<IP-OF-DB-NODE1>,<IP-OF-DB-NODE2>,<IP-OF-DB-NODE3>"

# Node-specific Settings
wsrep_node_name = "<NAME-OF-THIS-NODE>"
wsrep_node_address = "<IP-OF-THIS-NODE>"

# SST (State Snapshot Transfer) method
wsrep_sst_method = rsync
wsrep_sst_auth = "sst_user:secure_password" # Configure in later step

With this config saved, you should be prepared for the Galera cluster.

Step 4: Configure SST User

We need to take a moment to configure the user that we specified for SST in the config for Galera. Run the following commands to do so:

sudo mariadb -u root -p
CREATE USER 'sst_user'@'%' IDENTIFIED BY 'secure_password';
GRANT RELOAD, LOCK TABLES, PROCESS, REPLICATION CLIENT ON *.* TO 'sst_user'@'%';
FLUSH PRIVILEGES;
QUIT;

This should be now operation for SST. Continue on to firewall steps. 

Step 5: Add UFW Firewall Rules for Galera

Now that our Galera cluster is prepped, we need to open some ports on the VMs UFW firewall to allow for the Galera cluster traffic. Run the following on each MariaDB server in the Galera cluster:

sudo ufw allow 4444/tcp
sudo ufw allow 4567/tcp
sudo ufw allow 4568/tcp
sudo ufw reload

Step 6: Start the Galera Cluster

Our servers are prepped and ready to go. Time to start the cluster up. On your first node, run the following (This is not the name of your cluster, it is a built in command so don't edit this):

sudo galera_new_cluster

Now, check the cluster status by logging into MariaDB and checking the wsrep_cluster_size value:

sudo mariadb -u root -p
SHOW STATUS LIKE 'wsrep_cluster_size';

It should show 1, as we've only started the first. Now, on all remain nodes, run the following to start MariaDB normally:

sudo systemctl start mariadb

Now, on any of the nodes you have, run the following commands to check cluster size:

sudo mariadb -u root -p
SHOW STATUS LIKE 'wsrep_cluster_size';

If you have three nodes, it should return a 3. 

Step 7: Verify Functionality and Replication

Everything should be working now so we can test by creating a test database on any of the servers. Remember, Galera is designed to be a Multi-Master clustering solution for MariaDB and allows all nodes to simultaneously be read-write active. So, on any one of your nodes, run the following:

sudo mariadb -u root -p
CREATE DATABASE testdb;
SHOW DATABASES;

You should see your DB. Now, pick another node in the cluster and run the following:

sudo mariadb -u root -p
SHOW DATABASES;

You should see your new DB have replicated to the other node. This wraps up this How-To. The next step is to get a Virtual IP that can be used to access your DBs. This can be done with keepalived or haproxy.

MariaDB Configuration

[How-To] Configure Virtual IP for MariaDB servers with Keepalived

Purpose

This How-To serves as documentation on how to add keepalived to your MariaDB servers so they can all share a virtual IP or a VIP. 

Prerequisites

List of prerequisites:

Instructions

Step 1: Update and Install Software

Run commands below to update os and install keepalived:

sudo apt update
sudo apt install -y keepalived

Step 2: Configure Keepalived

With keepalived freshly installed, we can open the configuration file on each server with this command:

sudo nano /etc/keepalived/keepalived.conf

Here, you'll want to configure the master like this:

vrrp_instance VI_1 {
    state MASTER
    interface eth0         # Replace with your actual network interface
    virtual_router_id 51
    priority 100           # Higher priority on the master
    advert_int 1

    authentication {
        auth_type PASS
        auth_pass securepassword
    }

    virtual_ipaddress {
        192.168.1.100      # Replace with your VIP
    }

    track_script {
        chk_mariadb
    }
}

vrrp_script chk_mariadb {
    script "/usr/local/bin/check_mariadb.sh"
    interval 2
    weight -20
}

Then, you'll want to configure the backups like this:

vrrp_instance VI_1 {
    state BACKUP
    interface eth0
    virtual_router_id 51
    priority 90           # Lower priority on the backup
    advert_int 1

    authentication {
        auth_type PASS
        auth_pass securepassword
    }

    virtual_ipaddress {
        192.168.1.100
    }

    track_script {
        chk_mariadb
    }
}

vrrp_script chk_mariadb {
    script "/usr/local/bin/check_mariadb.sh"
    interval 2
    weight -20
}

Step 3: Enable and Start Keepalived

Now we're ready to start the service. Run the following to enable it at startup and then start the service once now:

sudo systemctl enable keepalived
sudo systemctl start keepalived

Check the status of the service to verify its running:

sudo systemctl status keepalived

Step 4: Test the VIP

Finally, test that the VIP is there:

ip addr show

MariaDB Installation

MariaDB Installation

[How-To] Install MariaDB on Ubuntu 24.04 LTS

Purpose

The purpose of this document is to show explain in full detail the steps to take a freshly installed vm with Ubuntu 24.04 LTS as the operating system and install/configure MariaDB for use. It will not dive into clustering or changing of binding for external use. Those will be handled in their own How-To articles. 

Prerequisites

List of prerequisites:

Instructions

Step 1: Update the System

For the first step, we need to update the Ubuntu system OS:

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y

Step 2: Install Dependent Software

Next, we'll need some additional software packages to be able to continue with configuration:

sudo apt install -y software-properties-common

Step 3: Configure Hostname

Next, we'll configure the hostname of the server:

sudo hostnamectl set-hostname db-node1

Step 4: Install MariaDB

Now that we have our base system configured, updated, and prepped, we can move on to installing the MariaDB Server on the VM. We'll start by adding the MariaDB APT repository:

sudo apt install -y curl gnupg
sudo curl -LsS https://mariadb.org/mariadb_release_signing_key.asc | sudo gpg --dearmor -o /usr/share/keyrings/mariadb-keyring.gpg
sudo echo "deb [signed-by=/usr/share/keyrings/mariadb-keyring.gpg] https://mirror.mariadb.org/repo/10.11/ubuntu lunar main" | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/mariadb.list
sudo apt update

Now that we have the repository, we can install MariaDB:

sudo apt install -y mariadb-server mariadb-client

At this point, you have an operational MariaDB Server. We need to do some additional steps to lock it down and configure it for the first time.

Step 5: First Time Installation

Now that we have our MariaDB Server installed, we need to set it up. Run the following command:

sudo mysql_secure_installation

This will take you into the start up installation for MariaDB. Follow the settings below to complete setup:

Once you are complete, try logging into MariaDB from terminal with the root MariaDB user you just set the password for:

sudo mariadb -u root -p

It will prompt for password, enter the one you set during installation. Then, try a command:

SHOW DATABASES;
QUIT;

There should be 3 or 4 system level databases already there for you to see. 

Step 6: Configure UFW Firewall

This step is a security step and not needed to make your MariaDB server functional. But, it is always better to setup at the start and allow needed ports through as needed instead of leaving it open or trying to lock down later. Run the following command to install UFW:

sudo apt install ufw -y

Once installed, start by allowing ssh:

sudo ufw allow ssh

With SSH allowed, you can enable the firewall:

sudo ufw enable

It will warn you that you could get disconnected, continue as we know we just allowed ssh. Now, add our other rule for MariaDB:

sudo ufw allow 3306/tcp
sudo ufw reload

With this step completed, you have a secure and operational standalone MariaDB Server.