MariaDB Server is one of the most popular open-source relational databases. It offers pluggable storage engines for running different workloads, scalability that leverages high-performance server environments and security features like end-to-end encryption. Organizations looking for a highly scalable and resilient database can use MariaDB server with features such as high availability MaxScale, scale out using MariaDB Xpand, and deploy MariaDB on cloud using MariaDB SkySQL.

The PowerFlex family offers key value propositions of traditional and cloud-native production workloads, deployment flexibility, linear scalability, predictable high performance, and enterprise-grade resilience.

VMware vSphere is a virtualization platform, which transforms data centers into aggregated computing infrastructures that include CPU, storage, and networking resources. vSphere manages these infrastructures as a unified operating environment and provides tools to administer data centers that participate in that environment.

This document outlines the deployment of the MariaDB servers on a VMware vSphere 7 cluster that is hosted on a two-layer PowerFlex system. This document also contains best practices to be followed in each layer such as in MariaDB, networking, PowerFlex, ESXi nodes, and VMs to achieve the best performance and resiliency that is offered by the system.