What is the best filesystem to use for EC2 network volume to be used for mysql database? And what mount options to use?
Specifically is there a better option then xfs +noatime? This is the option I see in the various howtos but I also understand that xfs might not be a good match for mysql and can lose data in case of a crash.
Different filesystems have fairly negligible effects on the performance of MySQL as it doesn't have huge demands on them. XFS is often recommended for how well it handles large files and large file deletions, a combination useful for video storage (e.g. MythTV), but rather less of an advantage for MySQL which doesn't delete files much. Ext2/3/4 are also good performers, as is anything else modern and current in Linux. The +noatime option will positively affect your actual disk traffic, which I have measured, but I couldn't measure any difference to MySQL.
Generally, if you have enough database traffic to have to worry about the filesystem under MySQL, then you should be looking at high-end dedicated hosts in a co-lo, not Amazon EC2.
If you're running into slow disk speed while using a Small instance, try moving up to a Large or Extra Large reservation instead. Can't find where it's documented right now, but per Amazon, the 32-bit instances come with a "Good performance" speed harddrive, while the 64-bit instances are "Best performance" speed harddrives. They didn't quote any actual numbers, just sales-speak.
