OpenHalo: Compatibility Testing & Performance Benchmarking

Project Overview

OpenHalo is a compatibility layer that enables applications written for MySQL to run on PostgreSQL without code changes. It supports the MySQL wire protocol and SQL dialect (Official Documentation).

This project, undertaken by a team of students from IMT Atlantique in collaboration with Clever Cloud, focused on enhancing OpenHalo's robustness and usability.

Our Key Contributions

Our team developed and implemented a series of components to ensure reliable and validated a switch to OpenHalo:

• SQL Compatibility Tester (Python): A tool to execute specific SQL queries on both MySQL and OpenHalo to verify support and detect behavioral differences.
• Performance Benchmarking: Protocols and scripts to compare latency and throughput.
• Comprehensive Technical Documentation: Detailed guides for installation, usage, and testing.

| Team Leaders | Institution | | ---- | ---- | | Nélia Fedele, Sei Bayle, François-Xavier Collot, Juliette Faurie, Hugo Bentata, Montadhar Ettaieb, Houda Daouairi | IMT Atlantique |

Project Stages and Deliverables

The project was structured into four distinct phases, each contributing creating a new component to this OpenHalo toolbox.

1. Installation and Documentation

This phase focused on creating instructions for setting up OpenHalo in various development environments, ensuring easy entry for new users and developers.

• Native Installation:
  • Linux: Step-by-step guide available in InstallationDocumentation/LinuxTerminal/InstallationDocumentation.md.
  • MacOS: Dedicated guide in InstallationDocumentation/MacOSTerminal/MacOsInstallationGuide.md.
  • Usage Guide: HowToUseOpenHalo/HowToUseOpenHalo_PC.md.
• Docker Setup:
  • We provide a reproducible environment using compose.yaml and a custom docker-entrypoint.sh located in InstallationDocumentation/Docker/.
  • Usage Guide: HowToUseOpenHalo/HowToUseOpenHalo_Docker.md.

2. SQL Compliance Testing Tool

We developed a Python-based utility to audit OpenHalo's support for various SQL statements compared to a reference MySQL instance.

• The Tool: The main script is located at ComplianceTestingTool/openhalo_test_suite.py.
• Test Dataset (IMDB): To ensure realistic testing conditions, we utilized the IMDB dataset. The schema and data used for our tests are available in ComplianceTestingTool/DatabasesIMDB.
• Workflow: The testing logic and validation process are detailed in ComplianceTestingTool/validation_workflow.md.

Here's how the tool works :

• Functionality: The tool runs a set of predefined queries against both databases.
• Validation: It categorizes queries as "Supported" (identical result), "Unsupported" (error in OpenHalo), or "Divergent" (different results).
• Edge Cases: Testing of specific SQL syntax and functions.

The complete list of executed queries, along with their expected outputs and compatibility status, is documented in TestingReport/OpenHaloMySQLCompatibilityTestingReport.md.

To run this script, please refer to ComplianceTestingTool/Python_tool_usage.md.

3. Performance Analysis and Benchmarking

We analyzed the performance characteristics of OpenHalo (backed by PostgreSQL) versus a standard MySQL deployment.

• Methodology: The protocol used for load testing is described in ComplianceTestingTool/PerformanceEvaluation.md.
• Results:
  • Raw JSON output: ComplianceTestingTool/openhalo_test_results.json

Getting Started

Prerequisites

• A Linux environment (recommended) or MacOs environment
• Docker (for the containerized setup)
• Python 3.x
• Access to MySQL and PostgreSQL instances

For official OpenHalo system requirements, refer to the official website.

Installation

For detailed installation instructions, including both native and Docker setups, please refer to the dedicated documentation:

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/fxcollot/openHaloDocumentation.git
cd openHaloDocumentation

Consult InstallationDocumentation for complete setup instructions.