# Prerequisites

Follow the network specifications and resource considerations listed on this page to successfully set up a MariaDB cluster.

## Network configuration

To set up a database inside an existing data center, you should have at least one server in a private LAN. You need to choose an IP address, under which the database leader should be made available.

There is currently no IP address management for databases. If you use your subnet, you may use any IP address in that corresponding subnet. You must choose the IP address of the subnet that <code class="expression">space.vars.ionos\_cloud</code> assigns you if your servers use DHCP. The IP address of the subnet can be found in your NIC configuration.

## Resource considerations

CPU, RAM, storage, and number of database clusters are counted against quotas. Database performance depends on the storage type. Currently, <code class="expression">space.vars.ionos\_cloud</code> supports only [<mark style="color:blue;">SSD Premium</mark>](https://docs.ionos.com/cloud/support/general-information/glossary-of-terms#solid-state-drive-ssd) storage type, by default.

The [<mark style="color:blue;">binary log files</mark>](https://mariadb.com/kb/en/overview-of-the-binary-log/) are stored alongside the database. The amount of files can grow and shrink depending on your workload. For a reasonable performance, we recommend that you set the SSD's storage size to at least 100 GB.

## Database backups

All database clusters are backed up automatically. For more information, see [<mark style="color:blue;">Automatic backups</mark>](/cloud/databases/mariadb/overview/backups.md#automatic-backups).


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