Rethinking the Datacenter Sponsored by HP Today's datacenters need to increase utilization, get control over power and cooling costs, and align with business objectives. Download this eBook to learn about the challenges facing the data center in a world where digital information is growing at a torrid pace and costs are being held in check. Learn more. »     Putting the Green into IT Sponsored by HP Electricity use in data centers is skyrocketing, sending energy bills through the roof, creating environmental concerns and generating negative publicity. "Going Green" means looking to technologies like virtualization, energy-efficient chips and racks, and implementing policies that extend beyond the data center. Learn more. »     Managing the Modern Network Sponsored by HP In a global economy where information crosses the globe in an instant, and where Web-based applications power business, it's more important than ever to ensure your network is safe from threats and optimized to deliver the data your business needs. »     Evaluating Software as a Service for Your Business Sponsored by Webroot Is Software as a Service just hype, or is something really going on here? See if your company can benefit as SaaS tries to change the face of the enterprise. »     Is Your Disaster Recovery Plan Good Enough? Sponsored by HP Preparing for a disaster is more often than not part of the storage planning process, and it is one of the most difficult tasks, since it includes local hardware and software, networking equipment, and a test plan. Learn how to get disaster recovery right. »

In this age of the full-service internet, the demand for bigger and badder websites will only increase. To meet the demands of these full-service websites, the SQL database servers come into play. One of the more popular SQL servers available for download on the internet is MySQL. MySQL is not released under a full GPL free license, but for some applications, like intranets, it is free to use. For most users, a $200 license will have to be purchased. However, this price compares very favourably with other companies producing database backends for the commercial market, like IBM, Oracle and Sybase.

Getting Started

For the purpose of this demonstration, we will be setting up a guestbook, using a perl and a MySQL backend. An SQL backend solution for this application would be most appropriate for companies such as GuestWorld who run free public guestbooks.

perl is a scripting language and this article demonstrates its powerful features, as much as those of MySQL.

Next: The Tools »