Google improves MySQL code

Google, a long time user of the open-source MySQL database, enhanced the solution in terms of availability and manageability. High availability refers to the idea of keeping computing services working even if the server they're running on fails. Switching a service to a backup machine is called failover, and although the technology is decades old, it's difficult to implement.

The changes haven't been accepted into the mainstream MySQL project, but Google would like them to be.

The changes have been released with a GPL (General Public License) license so anyone can access, modify and distribute the underlying source code of a software project. Changes must be published as soon as they're distributed, but they need not be if they're just used internally by a programmer, company or organization.