Written for MySQL administrators who already use Unix system monitoring tools, this book explains the basics of benchmarking, the nuances of indexes, and the stages of processing a query. It then suggests hardware configurations that provide better performance for large-scale applications, covers procedures for automatically copying data to multiple servers, and presents strategies for minimizing downtime in the event of hardware failure. The authors have both worked for Yahoo. Annotation © 2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR