July 2015 Summaries

Cassandra 2.2 has been released and is now generally available with several notable features such as: 1. Enhanced performance for read operations through improved cache utilization. 2. Improved query optimization, leading to faster response times for complex queries. 3. Increased data storage capacity by supporting larger partitions. 4. Better support for time-series data with the addition of timestamp type and functions. 5. Enhanced security features, including Kerberos authentication and improved SSL support.

DataStax has released DataStax Community Edition (DSC) 2.2.0, which is now available for download from PlanetCassandra. This release marks the first of the Apache Cassandra 2.2 branch and includes several new features and improvements. Users are encouraged to read through the 2.2.0 section NEWS.txt file included in the source code for a full list of changes, as well as upgrade notes. Some notable changes include those listed in CHANGES.txt, which details all the changes made since version 2.1.

DataStax Python Driver 2.6.0 for Apache Cassandra has been released with support for new features in Cassandra 2.2, native protocol v4, and general improvements. The release includes a change to the default load balancing policy, which is now token- and data-center-aware. Additionally, the driver now supports downgrading protocol versions when connecting to older versions of Cassandra. Other enhancements include a new Cluster configuration parameter connect_timeout, deprecation of Cluster.refresh_schema and Cluster.submit_schema_refresh in favor of dedicated calls for each schema entity, support for distinguishing between null and unset parameters in native protocol v4, client warnings to surface warnings to clients, core support for new integer types smallint and tinyint, and support for new simple date and time types.

Winter had arrived, and traversers Grasily Gremssman and his comrades from bootcamp were stationed at vertex v[32] on a graph world at war. The graph is composed of vertices (nodes) and edges (relationships), and traversers are grouped into battalions called traversals. Traversers have been creating structures within the graph, transforming it from a void to an interconnected mesh. Graphologists argue over the growth of the graph, with some speculating that it will stop growing while others believe it will expand forever. The graph has two fundamental traversals: the Big Traversal and the Small Traversal, which have grown the graph to an innumerable number of vertices and edges. Traversers are now able to move between different graphs through anonymous traversals. Gremivasa Gremanujan's enlightenment led to the development of the LazyBarrierStrategy, which has been advantageous in situations where the traversal analyzes recurrence in a particular region of the graph. Traversers are now able to choose their own destiny within certain traversals, and many see a more harmonious relationship between the traversal and the traverser.

DataStax Community Edition 2.1.8 has been released and is now available for download from PlanetCassandra. This update is a maintenance release of the Apache Cassandra 2.1 branch, featuring several bug fixes detailed in the CHANGES.txt file. No specific upgrade instructions are provided in NEWS.txt.

The C/C++ driver for Apache Cassandra and DataStax Enterprise has released its 2.1 beta version, which includes support for user-defined types (UDTs), tuples, nested collections, and named parameters. These features are designed to take advantage of the latest versions of Apache Cassandra and DataStax Enterprise. The final release will also include client-side timestamps, full range of stream IDs, and retry policies. User feedback is encouraged for any issues or suggestions related to these new features and API.