UUID performance in MySQL?

Question

We\'re considering using UUID values as primary keys for our MySQL database. The data being inserted is generated from dozens, hundreds, or even thousands of remote computer

Answer 1

Instead of centrally generating unique keys for each insertion, how about allocating blocks of keys to individual servers? When they run out of keys, they can request a new block. Then you solve the problem of overhead by connecting for each insert.

Keyserver maintains next available id

• Server 1 requests id block.
• Keyserver returns (1,1000)
  Server 1 can insert a 1000 records until it needs to request a new block
• Server 2 requests index block.
• Keyserver returns (1001,2000)
• etc...

You could come up with a more sophisticated version where a server could request the number of needed keys, or return unused blocks to the keyserver, which would then of course need to maintain a map of used/unused blocks.