SQL

Most Telecommunications companies and Internet Service Providers (ISPs) use SQL databases to store the bulk of their user information. Whether the database is MySQL, Oracle, or PostgreSQL, we can help. We can optimize both the database and its interaction with the RADIUS server.

User credentials or authorization information (e.g. names and passwords) can be stored in simple tables. Accounting data can be stored for short-term connections, or for long-term historical analysis.

With SQL, database optimization is critical. A default schema and set of indices will work for a few tens of thousands of users, but will be inadequate for millions of users.

We can help you optimize not just one database, but the entire ecosystem. In larger systems, using multiple database machines is required. Each network and set of customer requirements is unique, meaning that an "off the shelf" product is usually inadequate.

We can create a customized solution that scales, is high performance, and requires minimal ongong maintenance.

Customer Example - SQL

A customer had designed a new system with a custom schema and queries. The custom schema and queries were required for use by their in-house user administration application. When they tested the RADIUS side for scalability, the performance was one percent of the level that they required for production. We were called in to help.

We determined that the table indices were not as efficient as they could be. We added a new column, an index on that column, and a stored procedure to automatically update the entry on SQL insert, update, and delete operations. We then updated the RADIUS configuration to use the new column as a key part of its queries.

The performance improvement was dramatic. The resulting system had over three hundred (300) times the performance of the original system. Even better, the changes to the schema did not affect their administration system.

The result was a customized RADIUS system that let them keep their existing administration application. This solution was significantly lower cost than replacing or re-writing their administation application.

Please see our Services page for more information about how we can help you.