MySQL Tuning Cookbook

This Chef cookbook creates a generic MySQL server configuration, presumably more optimized for your current machine than the default configuration.

Of course, depending on your application your requirements may change and MySQL is a really complex application. So, in some cases, this cookbook will not help you much. But hopefully may serve as a point of departure.

Warning: This cookbook will not configure MySQL for you. Use it with care. But if you have ideas to improve it, you are more than welcome ＼(^o^)／.

Requirements

Supported Platforms

This cookbook has been tested on the following platforms:

• Amazon
• CentOS
• Debian
• Fedora
• FreeBSD
• Oracle Linux
• Red Hat
• Scientific Linux
• Ubuntu

Please, let us know if you use it successfully on any other platform.

Required Cookbooks

• mysql (~> 8.0)
• ohai (~> 5.0)
• mysql2_chef_gem

To use it with older mysql or ohai cookbook versions look at the following table:

For example, if you need to use the mysql cookbook version 5 and ohai cookbook version 2, try using the cookbook version 0.3:

# metadata.rb

depends 'mysql', '~> 5.0'
depends 'ohai', '~> 2.0'
depends 'mysql_tuning', '~> 0.3.0' # old unmaintained cookbook version

Required Applications

• Chef 12 or higher.
• Ruby 2.2 or higher.
• MySQL 5.0 or higher.

Documentation

Using with MySQL Cookbook

This cookbook has been created to be used mainly with the Chef's official MySQL cookbook. The MySQL cookbook must be included before calling this cookbook recipes or using the resources:

service_name = 'default'

mysql_service service_name do
  action [:create, :start]
end

mysql_tuning service_name

Other MySQL Cookbooks

It could also work with other cookbooks. The only requirement is that the used MySQL cookbook creates an included directory in the MySQL configuration file. For example:

# my.cnf
!includedir /etc/mysql/conf.d

Then, make sure that this directory is correctly set in the node['mysql_tuning']['include_dir'] attribute. You may also need to set the node['mysql_tuning']['recipe'] and the node['mysql']['service_name'] attribute (or the mysql_tuning#service_name parameter).

The official MySQL cookbook takes care of adding the includedir itself and should work out of the box.

Configured Variables

This cookbook will try to set some variable values depending mainly on the system memory.

The following variables will be configured by default inside tuning.cnf:

• mysqld
• key_buffer_size
• max_allowed_packet
• table_open_cache
• sort_buffer_size
• read_buffer_size
• read_rnd_buffer_size
• join_buffer_size
• net_buffer_length
• myisam_sort_buffer_size
• bulk_insert_buffer_size
• myisam_max_sort_file_size
• thread_stack
• query_cache_size
• query_cache_limit
• binlog_cache_size
• max_allowed_packet
• thread_cache_size
• innodb_buffer_pool_size
• innodb_additional_mem_pool_size
• innodb_log_buffer_size
• innodb_log_files_in_group
• innodb_lock_wait_timeout
• innodb_write_io_threads
• innodb_read_io_threads
• innodb_max_dirty_pages_pct
• max_connections
• max_connect_errors
• max_heap_table_size
• tmp_table_size
• mysqldump
• quick
• max_allowed_packet
• mysql
• no-auto-rehash
• myisamchk
• key_buffer_size
• sort_buffer_size
• read_buffer
• write_buffer
• mysqlhotcopy
• interactive-timeout
• mysqld_safe
• open-files-limit

The following variables will be configured by default inside logging.cnf:

• mysqld
• expire_logs_days
• slow_query_log
• slow_query_log_file

Creating Your Own Configuration Files

This cookbook creates the following configuration files by default:

• tuning.cnf: This configuration file will be calculated from samples in node['mysql_tuning']['configuration_samples'].
• logging.cnf: This configuration file will set some log options, read from node['mysql_tuning']['logging.cnf'].

You can create your own configuration files using the following attribute format: node['mysql_tuning']["#{filename}.cnf"].

But you can also change the tuning.cnf (or logging.cnf) variables by setting them in the corresponding attribute:

node.default['mysql_tuning']['tuning.cnf']['mysqld']['query_cache_size'] = 0

If you want to enable a boolean variable (those with skip- prefix), you can set it to true (or false to disable it):

node.default['mysql_tuning']['tuning.cnf']['mysqld']['skip-innodb'] = true
node.default['mysql_tuning']['tuning.cnf']['mysqld']['skip-name-resolve'] = true

For those variables that have different names in different versions of MySQL, the node['mysql_tuning']['old_names'] attribute will try to help you. This last attribute comes with a recommended default value.

Configuration Variables Interpolation

MySQL variable values can be interpolated from configuration samples. The default samples are in node['mysql_tuning']['configuration_samples'] and are based on MySQL 5.5.38 example configuration files. These samples will be used to generate the tuning.cnf configuration file.

You can avoid the interpolation of some variables by setting them directly in the node['mysql_tuning']['tuning.cnf'] attribute:

node.default['mysql_tuning']['tuning.cnf']['mysqld']['table_open_cache'] = 200

This cookbook will use 'proximal' interpolation by default. You can change the algorithm used with the node['mysql_tuning']['interpolation'] attribute. Be careful when using this feature because it should be considered experimental.

Currently, the following algorithms are supported:

• 'proximal' (default): Sets the configuration values using nearest-neighbor interpolation but taking only the neighbors below into account (with lower RAM).
• 'linear': Uses linear interpolation. In theory should give better results than 'proximal'. But may malfunction for machines with lots of memory (> 8 GB). Has not been tested much.
• cubic': Uses cubic interpolation.
• 'bicubic' or 'lagrange': Uses Lagrange polynomials for bicubic interpolation.
• 'catmull': Uses Centripetal Catmull-Rom spline.

There are some charts for variables generated from configuration samples here.

You can use different interpolation algorithms for some variables by setting them in the node['mysql_tuning']['interpolation_by_variable'] attribute or the mysql_tuning#interpolation_by_variable resource parameter. This attribute has the following structure: interpolation_by_variable[variable_name]. For example:

node.default['mysql_tuning']\
  ['interpolation_by_variable']['key_buffer_size'] = 'catmull'
node.default['mysql_tuning']\
  ['interpolation_by_variable']['thread_stack'] = 'proximal'
include_recipe 'mysql_tuning::default'

Using the resource, it would be as follows:

mysql_tuning 'default' do
  interpolation 'linear'
  interpolation_by_variable(
    key_buffer_size: 'catmull',
    thread_stack: 'proximal'
  )
end

Dynamic Configuration

When there are configuration changes, this cookbook can try to set the configuration values without restarting the MySQL server. The cookbook will go for each variable and try to set it dynamically. If any of the variables cannot be changed, the MySQL server will be restarted.

If your MySQL password is not in the node['mysql']['server_root_password'] attribute, you must use the mysql_tuning resource and set the MySQL user and password to the correct values instead of calling the mysql_tuning::default recipe. For example:

mysql_tuning 'default' do
  mysql_user 'root'
  mysql_password 'PWMzIv4ACtwhbNx9VF8wumsuVIAVVMTzE8$N#,t0'
end

This code will do the interpolations and generate all the configuration files like the mysql_tuning::default recipe. The user must have SUPER privileges in the MySQL server.

This feature is disabled by default because it is considered a bit experimental. You must set node['mysql_tuning']['dynamic_configuration'] attribute to true to enable it.

Ohai Plugin

The mysql_tuning::ohai_plugin recipe installs an Ohai plugin for MySQL. This recipe will install and enable the plugin automatically.

It will set the following attributes:

• node['mysql']['installed_version']: Installed MySQL version.

This is an output example:

"mysql": {
  "installed_version": "5.5.38"
}

Keep in mind that this plugin will not be enabled by the mysql_tuning::default recipe. You need to use the mysql_tuning::ohai_plugin if you want to enable it.

Attributes

Recipes

mysql_tuning::default

Creates MySQL configuration files. Uses the mysql_tuning resource.

mysql_tuning::ohai_plugin

Enables MySQL ohai plugin (optional).

Resources

mysql_tuning[service_name]

Creates MySQL configuration files:

• tuning.cnf: This configuration file will be calculated from samples.
• logging.cnf: This configuration file will set some log options, read from node['mysql_tuning']['logging.cnf'].
• *.cnf: You can create your own configuration files setting them in node['mysql_tuning']["#{filename}.cnf"].

See above for more information.

mysql_tuning Actions

• create: Creates configuration files.
• delete: Deletes configuration files.

mysql_tuning Parameters

mysql_tuning Name Parameter

The mysql_tuning resource name is the MySQL Chef service_name, like for example "default" or "mysql_service[default]". In most cases this will be "default"`.

Service type ("mysql_service") is added if not specified, assuming that the official MySQL cookbook is used. The MySQL official cookbook uses "default" as service name by default.

For example, using the official MySQL cookbook:

service_name = 'default'

mysql_service service_name
mysql_tuning service_name

mysql_tuning_cnf[filename]

Creates a MySQL configuration file.

Restarts the server only when required. Tries to set the configuration without restarting if dynamic enabled.

mysql_tuning_cnf Actions

• create: Creates the configuration file.
• delete: Deletes the configuration file.

mysql_tuning_cnf Parameters

Usage

Including in a Cookbook Recipe

You can simply include it in a recipe, after installing MySQL:

# in your recipe
node.default['mysql_tuning']['tuning.cnf']['mysqld']['table_open_cache'] = 520

mysql_service 'default'
include_recipe 'mysql_tuning::default'

Don't forget to include the mysql_tuning cookbook as a dependency in the metadata:

# metadata.rb
depends 'mysql'
depends 'mysql_tuning'

Including in the Run List

Another alternative is to include it in your Run List:

{
  "name": "mysql001.example.com",
  "[...]": "[...]",
  "normal": {
    "mysql_tuning": {
      "tuning.cnf": {
        "mysql": {
          "table_open_cache": 520
        }
      }
    }
  },
  "run_list": [
    "[...]",
    "recipe[mysql::server]",
    "recipe[mysql_tuning]"
  ]
}

Using the mysql_service Resource

In case you want to use the official MySQL cookbook's mysql_service example:

mysql_root_password = 'r00t_p4ssw0rd'

# Set MySQL service resource name
service_name = 'default'

mysql_service service_name do
  initial_root_password mysql_root_password
  action [:create, :start]
end

# Pass the credentials to the mysql_tuning resource
mysql_tuning service_name do
  mysql_user 'root'
  mysql_password mysql_root_password
end

Generating and Using Encrypted MySQL Passwords

We need to use the mysql_service and mysql_tuning resources if we want to save the MySQL passwords encrypted.

In this example we are using the openssl and the encrypted_attributes cookbooks to generate and encrypt the MySQL credentials:

# Include the #secure_password method from the openssl cookbook
Chef::Recipe.send(:include, Opscode::OpenSSL::Password)

# Install Encrypted Attributes gem
include_recipe 'encrypted_attributes'

# Include the Encrypted Attributes cookbook helpers
Chef::Recipe.send(:include, Chef::EncryptedAttributesHelpers)

# We can use an attribute to enable or disable encryption
# (recommended for tests)
# self.encrypted_attributes_enabled = node['myapp']['encrypt_attributes']

# Encrypted Attributes will be generated randomly and saved in in the
# node['myapp']['mysql'] attribute encrypted.
def generate_mysql_password(user)
  key = "server_#{user}_password"
  encrypted_attribute_write(['myapp', 'mysql', key]) { secure_password }
end

# Generate the encrypted passwords
mysql_root_password = generate_mysql_password('root')

# Set MySQL service resource name
service_name = 'default'

mysql_service service_name do
  mysql_user 'root'
  mysql_password mysql_root_password
  action [:create, :start]
end

# Pass the root credentials to the mysql_tuning resource
mysql_tuning service_name do
  mysql_user 'root'
  mysql_password mysql_root_password
end

Reading Encrypted MySQL Passwords from Chef-Vault

Another secure solution is to read the passwords from a previously generated Chef-Vault bag item. The following example uses the chef-vault cookbook:

# Install chef-vault gem
include_recipe 'chef-vault'

# Read the secret from "dbsecrets" chef-vault
def read_mysql_password(user)
  chef_vault_item('dbsecrets', user)
end

mysql_root_password = read_mysql_password('root')

# Set MySQL service resource name
service_name = 'default'

# Read the encrypted passwords
mysql_service service_name do
  mysql_user 'root'
  mysql_password mysql_root_password
  action [:create, :start]
end

# Pass the root credentials to the mysql_tuning resource
mysql_tuning service_name do
  mysql_user 'root'
  mysql_password mysql_root_password
end

See the Chef-Vault documentation to learn how to create Chef Vault bags.

mysql_tuning::ohai_plugin Recipe Usage Example

In a recipe:

mysql_service 'default'
include_recipe 'mysql_tuning::ohai_plugin'

Testing

See TESTING.md.

ChefSpec Matchers

mysql_tuning(name)

Helper method for locating a mysql_tuning resource in the collection.

resource = chef_run.mysql_tuning('default')
expect(resource).to notify('service[apache2]').to(:restart)

create_mysql_tuning(name)

Assert that the Chef run creates mysql_tuning.

expect(chef_run).to create_mysql_tuning('default')

delete_mysql_tuning(name)

Assert that the Chef run deletes mysql_tuning.

expect(chef_run).to delete_mysql_tuning('default')

mysql_tuning_cnf(name)

Helper method for locating a mysql_tuning_cnf resource in the collection.

resource = chef_run.mysql_tuning_cnf('tuning.cnf')
expect(resource).to notify('service[apache2]').to(:restart)

create_mysql_tuning_cnf(filename)

Assert that the Chef run creates mysql_tuning_cnf.

expect(chef_run).to create_mysql_tuning_cnf('tuning.cnf')
  .with_service_name('default')

delete_mysql_tuning_cnf(filename)

Assert that the Chef run deletes mysql_tuning_cnf.

expect(chef_run).to delete_mysql_tuning_cnf('tuning.cnf')

Contributing

Please do not hesitate to open an issue with any questions or problems.

See CONTRIBUTING.md.

TODO

See TODO.md.

License and Author

Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
You may obtain a copy of the License at

    http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0

Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
limitations under the License.