[PLUG] round robin mysql

[Russell Johnson]

Has anyone else used round robin mysql servers? Where each server is a master and slave, like so:

+-->1-->2-->3-->4-->n+1->+
+<----<-------<-------<--+

I'm thinking something like that with a load balancer in front of it would allow me to run fewer total db servers, and at the same time, if one goes down, things don't stop in their tracks. I'd rather have more of a star topology, but I don't see a real way to have 3 or more masters that are also slaves of each other. I can see a possible failure if, for example, node 3 goes down, node 4 and up won't get updates anymore until something does a SWITCH MASTER TO on node 4, but that can be scripted. 

Ideas? Suggestions? Reasons why I shouldn't do this?

Background: I'm currently working with several mysql servers that are running in a master-->slave configuration. I'd like to find a way to make this so it's not quite as fragile.

Russell Johnson
russ at dimstar.net