Sun Microsystems has announced the general availability of MySQL 5.1, the latest version of its popular open source database.

A 'near-final' release candidate of the GPL software is available for download now.

MySQL 5.1 features enhancements including table and index partitioning, which allows faster query response times as only the relevant partitions of data need to be scanned instead of the entire table or index.

The database also has row-based and hybrid replication, which replicates the data changes between a master and slave servers.

MySQL 5.1 now includes an event scheduler, which allows developers to automatically schedule common recurring SQL-based tasks to execute on the database server.

Available to MySQL Enterprise subscribers, this Upgrade Advisor provides automated rules that monitor and advise database administrators about specific bugs that might affect deployed versions of MySQL 5.1.

When potential issues are detected, subscribers are given recommendations on how to upgrade their database servers to correct the problem.

"If our users initially choose MySQL because of its low cost, they continue to use MySQL for its high performance, scalability and broad platform support," said Marten Mickos, senior vice president of the Database Group at Sun.

"MySQL 5.1 continues this tradition by performing up to 15 per cent faster than previous versions in our own internal tests, making it a compelling solution for demanding web-based enterprise applications."

MySQL 5.1 is scheduled to be generally available this quarter on a wide variety of hardware and software platforms.

These include Red Hat Enterprise Linux, SuSE Enterprise Linux Server, Microsoft Windows, Solaris 10, Mac OS X, Free BSD, HP-UX, IBM AIX, IBM i5/OS and other popular Linux distributions.