Databases

BerkeleyDB support dropped from MySQL 5.1

Although MySQL 5.1 is still in beta, I have a feeling it will be making the headlines this week in many of the IT related publications. MySQL has officially dropped support for the BerkeleyDB engine. The following release notes for MySQL 5.1.12 (beta) may be of interest to BerkeleyDB fans:

Functionality added or changed:

  • Incompatible change: Support for the BerkeleyDB (BDB) engine has been dropped from this release. Any existing tables that are in BDB format will not be readable from within MySQL from 5.1.12 or newer. You should convert your tables to another storage engine before upgrading to 5.1.12.

However, Brian Aker of MySQL has already responded in a few blogs letting users know that the changes do allow for the BerkeleyDB engine to be returned to MySQL through a third party plug-in: