Advice: Simple, fast, large # of records db server (env: mod_perl and DBI/DBD)?

Sorry for the cross posts.

I was hoping to solicite some adivce on a database server choice. I am working on a fairly simple project logging website "logins" to a database and allowing users to view their stats online.

I had planned on doing this using apache/mod_perl, DBI/DBD, and mySQL (in Solaris 2.7, ehem, I mean "Solaris 7"), however the client has estimated 100 million "logins" within the next year. Even if I estimate a single login record at 1k, I quickly find myself dead in the water w/ mySQL (100,000,000 * 1k > 95GB -- mySQL's current table size limit is 4GB). The schema is really quite simple, not more than 5 tables and pretty much no complicated statements, just simple inserts...

So now I am off to search for a new database server that can handle that many records, yet isn't over spec'd compared to the simplicity of the data. I would like to work in the same mod_perl and DBD environment, however it appears that quite a few of the DBDs have version limitations and other issues dealing with Oracle, Sybase, or Informix servers (of which I have limited experience). The "major" db vendor websites are less then helpful about which product does what and what the REAL version numbers are...

Main concerns:

• Stability.
• Speed.
• Abiltiy to handle 100 million records in a single table.
• SW: Apache/mod_perl, DBI/DBD. HW: Solaris (sparc).

Any advice about a direction to go start searching or stories about what combinations you have gotten working and how stable they really are? Specifically:

• Are the DBDs really unstable or is that more of a "scare the feeble newbie away" warning..?
• The client does not have a ton of money, so the cheaper the engine the better -- the "light" versions may work for us?
• Any ideas on pricing of products? Ballpark?

Please accept my thanks for any advice or direction you lend!

Thanks, Ben Received on Tue Dec 08 1998 - 00:00:00 CST