May 2016 Summaries

ScyllaDB 1.1, the second production-ready release of the open-source NoSQL database compatible with Apache Cassandra, introduces several new features and improvements aimed at enhancing performance and usability. Key updates include support for the CQL operation ALTER TABLE, User Defined Types (UDT), and authentication and authorization operations, which align with Cassandra 2.1 standards. The release also features a new SSTable Loader tool for bulk importing existing sstables into a running cluster and supports secure SSL/TLS communication for server-to-server and client connections. A new setup script, scylla_setup, has been introduced to facilitate production environment configurations by guiding users through recommended setup steps. Additional nodetool operations and metrics have been added to improve management and monitoring. Numerous bug fixes and performance enhancements were also implemented, including improvements in leveled compaction strategy, error handling, and data replication processes, contributing to more reliable and efficient database management.

ScyllaDB 1.0.3, released by the ScyllaDB team on May 8, 2016, is a bug-fixing update for the ScyllaDB 1.0 stable branch that ensures backward compatibility and supports rolling upgrades. The release addresses several issues, including the resurrection of deleted data after importing data from Cassandra or changing the number of cores used by ScyllaDB, improper installation of sstableloader as part of Scylla tools, and problems with handling Java tool imports from Cassandra with JDK minor versions above 100. Contributions from developers like Avi Kivity, Calle Wilund, Pekka Enberg, Raphael S. Carvalho, and Eduard Tudenhoefner include improvements such as atomic deletion of sstables, fixing compilation errors with Boost 1.55, and ensuring compatibility with the latest ScyllaDB release for Docker images. The release encourages users to start with ScyllaDB 1.0.3 and report any problems encountered.

CharybdeFS is a fault-injecting filesystem designed to facilitate integration testing by simulating hard-to-test filesystem errors, which can enhance the error-handling capabilities of software. The project, available on GitHub, allows users to inject arbitrary file errors, such as disk full, I/O errors, and quota exceeded, through a series of Python scripts included in a cookbook directory. These scripts demonstrate how to set up and manipulate various error conditions, delay operations, and clear faults, providing developers with tools to ensure their programs handle rare errors effectively. CharybdeFS supports integration with different programming languages and test frameworks, making it versatile for various projects. It's particularly useful in testing environments like ScyllaDB, where it helps ensure database resilience under stress conditions. As an open-source project, it invites contributions and provides comprehensive documentation for developers interested in leveraging its capabilities for robust software testing.