Guidelines and Considerations

Last updated: January 12, 2023
Audience: All UW

Guidelines and Considerations when Running MySQL

Host system reboots

Host systems may occasionally reboot. If the reboot is scheduled, a notification will be sent to the appropriate MySQL User Mailman List. If a reboot is unexpected or due to system failure, a notification will be sent after the incident to the appropriate MySQL User Mailman List.

Notification

Owners and administrators of a MySQL server may occasionally get communication from UW-IT regarding updates, security concerns, or other information that may be relevant to running a MySQL server. These messages cannot be opted out of if a MySQL server is running on an account that they own or administer.

Maintenance

From time to time, UW-IT may notify administrators of a MySQL server about maintenance or work that they may need to perform in order to resolve issues or keep their server operating.

Be responsible

Your MySQL server is running on a shared server. Please be reasonable when using extremely large databases or queries. If possible, run database-intensive jobs during off-hours.

Shut down when finished

Shut off your MySQL server if you are no longer using it. This helps prevent security issues as well as free up system resources for other users.

Changing jobs?

If changing positions or employers, please be sure to document or educate your successor about the MySQL server you’ve been running and how to maintain it.

Additional General Server Guidelines

In addition to the MySQL server guidelines listed above, there are some more general guidelines on running and managing your own webservers on the UW Shared Web Hosting service.