Very Basic Questions (2 replies)

Hello,

I have used standalone mysql servers for years but now I setup a mysql cluster for load balancing and high availability.

I followed a tutorial on the internet and the setup went great. I have 2 data nodes, 2 SQL nodes, and 1 management server. I can login to either of the data nodes and manually insert data into a table and see it replicate across to the other server. I check the status from the management server and it shows all 5 servers connected.

My question is - from my web servers when I am configuring a sql connect - which IP address would i connect to? the management server and it delegates the process to the other servers? or the data nodes?

Where does the load balancing come into place? Is the management server responsible for this?

If the management server is responsible for so much - should i not have at least 2 for redundancy?

Thanks in advance,

Alex