The Wonders of Maatkit for MySQL

“Introduction
MySQL is a great database for web-facing applications, and it’s
evolved to provide a surprisingly large set of sophisticated
features well beyond what the original designers probably
envisaged.

“However, it tends to be a bit rough around the edges, and it
takes some shortcuts, and fudges a bit all in the name of providing
you the most bang for your virtual buck.

“Enter Maatkit, a great toolkit with a bewildering array of
command line tools that fill the gap where MySQL’s native tools
leave off. From Replication to query profiling and optimizing,
Maatkit has tools to make you smarter, and help you get your job
done.

“Replication Tools

“mk-table-checksum
Front and center is the table checksum tool. Why would you need to
create checksums on your tables, you ask. Turns out MySQL’s
replication technology is deceptively easy to set up, and it may
*seem* to be running properly, all the while your slave does not
match your master. That’s right, fire up this tool, and you’ll will
be surprised or even horrified to find your slave is not only
different, but if you were performing backups off the slave, your
backups are invalid as well!”

Complete Story