MySQL - import and export of database

Recently I had to move my MySQL server from a WinXP machine to a Win2000 server machine. I thought that the data migration of the MySQl database would be a pain.

To my suprise, it just took me 5 mins flat to do it. Here are the steps:

1)First export the database into a flat file. This exports not just the schema but also the "insert" statements for all the data in the tables
mysqldump -u DBUSER -p DBNAME > DBNAME.sql
substituting DBUSER with your MySQL username and DBNAME with your database name.

2) Create a new empty schema/database on your new machine. The name of the database will probably be same as the name in the old server.

3) Import the dump file into the new database server.
mysql -u DBUSER -p -h MACHINE-NAME DBNAME< DBName.sql
substituting DBUSER with your MySQL username and DBNAME with your database name, and MACHINE-NAME with the name of the SQLServer instance - quite often the name of the machine itself.
That's it...migration of database done.

Why put a webserver in front of an application server?

A lot of my developer friends pop up the question of why to use a webserver when today's application servers such as Weblogic, Websphere, Tomcat, JBoss etc. also have a HTTP listener. But in almost every architecture, we will see Apache in front of Tomcat, or IBM Http Server in front of WAS. The question is why?...and the answers are as follows:

• Webservers serve static content faster than application servers. Hence for performace reasons, it makes sense to shift all the static contect to the webserver. (J2EE developers hate this, as they now have to split the *.war files)
• The webserver can be put in a DMZ to enable enhanced security.
• The webserver can be used as a load balancer over multiple application server instances.
• The webserver can have agents/plug-in's to security servers such as Netegrity. Hence security is taken care by the webserver, putting less load on the application server.
  

What is a DMZ?

DMZ stands for demilitarized zone. DMZ is also known as perimeter network and is used for security purposes. A DMZ is that part of the network/subnet that sits between the organisations LAN and the Internet. The concept behind creating a DMZ is that m/c's from the Internet and the org's LAN can connect to DMZ, but the DMZ can only connect to the external network - i.e. the Internet.
This allows m/c's hosted in the DMZ to interact with the external network for services such as Email, Web and DNS. So even if a host in the DMZ is compromised, the internal network is still safe. Connections from the external network to the DMZ are usually controlled using port address translation (PAT).

A DMZ can be created by connecting each network to different ports of a single firewall (3-legged-firewall) or by having 2 firewalls and the area btw them as a DMZ.
In case of Enterprise Applications (3-layered), the webserver is placed in the DMZ. This protects the applications business logic and database from intruder attacks.

Citrix Server and Terminal Services

I was quite familiar with Terminal Services in Windows and also the Remote Desktop Protocol used in it. But recently I came across a technology called 'Citrix' that was similar in nature, so I decided to dig into the root of it. This is the info I found on the net:

Citrix Presentation ServerSoftware from Citrix that provides a timeshared, multiuser environment for Unix and Windows servers. Formerly MetaFrame, Citrix Presentation Server uses the ICA protocol to turn the client machine into a terminal and governs the input/output between the client and server. Applications can also be run from a Web browser
Citrix Presentation Server (formerly Citrix MetaFrame) is a remote access/application publishing product built on the Independent Computing Architecture (ICA), Citrix Systems' thin client protocol. The Microsoft Remote Desktop Protocol, part of Microsoft's Terminal Services, is based on Citrix technology and was licensed from Citrix in 1997. Unlike traditional framebuffered protocols like VNC, ICA transmits high-level window display information, much like the X11 protocol, as opposed to purely graphical information.

Independent Computing Architecture (ICA) is a proprietary protocol for an application server system, designed by Citrix Systems. The protocol lays down a specification for passing data between server and clients, but is not bound to any one platform.
Practical products conforming to ICA are Citrix's WinFrame and MetaFrame products. These permit ordinary Windows applications to be run on a suitable Windows server, and for any supported client to gain access to those applications. The client platforms need not run Windows, there are clients for Mac and Unix for example.