Automatically addressing performance issues in a distributed database

1. A computer-implemented method executed by at least one processor for automatically addressing performance issues in a distributed database, the method comprising the steps of:

providing a plurality of nodes, each node comprising:

at least one processor; and

a memory coupled to the at least one processor;

providing a distributed database residing in the memory of the plurality of nodes;

providing a distributed virtual network mechanism that includes a mapping of a plurality of virtual networks to a plurality of physical networks that interconnect the plurality of nodes in the distributed database;

monitoring performance of the distributed database;

identifying a database performance issue for the distributed database;

determining from the distributed virtual network mechanism which of the plurality of physical networks are related to the database performance issue;

determining a potential solution to the database performance issue that changes configuration of the distributed database;

using the potential solution by automatically changing configuration of the distributed database without intervention of a user to address the database performance issue;

after automatically changing configuration of the distributed database, determining whether the changed configuration of the distributed database addressed the database performance issue for the distributed database;

when the changed configuration of the distributed database did not address the database performance issue for the distributed database, determining whether a second potential solution exists to address the database performance issue, and, when the second potential solution exists, using the second potential solution by automatically changing configuration of the distributed database without intervention of a user to address the database performance issue; and

when the changed configuration of the distributed database did not address the database performance issue for the distributed database, and when no other potential solution exists to address the database performance issue, notifying a system administrator that the database performance issue cannot be resolved automatically.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the distributed virtual network mechanism comprises a distributed virtual Ethernet mechanism that includes a distributed virtual Ethernet switch.