High availability / high load database server set up...??

In the overall goal to make my forum more redundant, we are looking at options of load balancing web servers and database servers. Has anyone here set up MYSQL in an active-active role or is my only option a MYSQL cluster? If people had done either one of these options, please post here your findings on advantages & disadvantages, and how you accomplished this. I am looking for as much information as possible so a workable solution can be drawn up and we know how much/more hardware we need. My database administrator notes that the VBcode does post sorting by unique index and thusly incompatible with an active-active role. Clustering stores the database in memory and our current working set has tables in excess of 3 gigs and growing! Are we missing something here?

Thanks!

[Marco van Herwaarden]

I strongly suggest you post this request in the Server configuration forum at vbulletin.com.

[eva2000]

Actually more folks here might have a better practical idea on this forum

I don't think anyone besides ALanJay http://www.vbulletin.com/forum/member.php?u=9337 has had any experience with mysql clustering via Continuent cluster technology http://www.continuent.com/index.php?...211&Itemid=168 not a cheap option at all in 5 figure price range IIRC.

[eoc_Jason]

Continuent is about the only company I have heard of that does mysql clustering, once setup it's supposed to be pretty transparent.

I know ev1servers (now the planet) had m/cluster packages that were not too bad. I don't know if they still offer them or what.

Where are you finding your bottleneck? Moving to a cluster might not be the most optimal solution and you could be throwing money down the drain.

[TECK]

Not to mention that clusters don't like JOIN's at all.