this output taken while running the testcase.c application. rows are being inserted all the time... mysql> show table status like 'sort'; +------+--------+---------+------------+------+----------------+-------------+-----------------+--------------+-----------+----------------+---------------------+---------------------+------------+-------------------+----------+----------------+---------+ | Name | Engine | Version | Row_format | Rows | Avg_row_length | Data_length | Max_data_length | Index_length | Data_free | Auto_increment | Create_time | Update_time | Check_time | Collation | Checksum | Create_options | Comment | +------+--------+---------+------------+------+----------------+-------------+-----------------+--------------+-----------+----------------+---------------------+---------------------+------------+-------------------+----------+----------------+---------+ | sort | MyISAM | 10 | Dynamic | 1822 | 32 | 58304 | 281474976710655 | 20480 | 0 | 14253 | 2006-10-21 18:42:00 | 2006-10-21 18:46:36 | NULL | latin1_swedish_ci | NULL | | | +------+--------+---------+------------+------+----------------+-------------+-----------------+--------------+-----------+----------------+---------------------+---------------------+------------+-------------------+----------+----------------+---------+ 1 row in set (0.00 sec) mysql> show table status like 'sort'; +------+--------+---------+------------+-------+----------------+-------------+-----------------+--------------+-----------+----------------+---------------------+---------------------+------------+-------------------+----------+----------------+---------+ | Name | Engine | Version | Row_format | Rows | Avg_row_length | Data_length | Max_data_length | Index_length | Data_free | Auto_increment | Create_time | Update_time | Check_time | Collation | Checksum | Create_options | Comment | +------+--------+---------+------------+-------+----------------+-------------+-----------------+--------------+-----------+----------------+---------------------+---------------------+------------+-------------------+----------+----------------+---------+ | sort | MyISAM | 10 | Dynamic | 14281 | 32 | 456992 | 281474976710655 | 149504 | 0 | 14282 | 2006-10-21 18:42:00 | 2006-10-21 18:46:38 | NULL | latin1_swedish_ci | NULL | | | +------+--------+---------+------------+-------+----------------+-------------+-----------------+--------------+-----------+----------------+---------------------+---------------------+------------+-------------------+----------+----------------+---------+ 1 row in set (0.01 sec) mysql> select count(*) from sort; +----------+ | count(*) | +----------+ | 14420 | +----------+ 1 row in set (0.00 sec) mysql> show table status like 'sort'; +------+--------+---------+------------+-------+----------------+-------------+-----------------+--------------+-----------+----------------+---------------------+---------------------+------------+-------------------+----------+----------------+---------+ | Name | Engine | Version | Row_format | Rows | Avg_row_length | Data_length | Max_data_length | Index_length | Data_free | Auto_increment | Create_time | Update_time | Check_time | Collation | Checksum | Create_options | Comment | +------+--------+---------+------------+-------+----------------+-------------+-----------------+--------------+-----------+----------------+---------------------+---------------------+------------+-------------------+----------+----------------+---------+ | sort | MyISAM | 10 | Dynamic | 14420 | 32 | 461440 | 281474976710655 | 150528 | 0 | 14492 | 2006-10-21 18:42:00 | 2006-10-21 18:46:46 | NULL | latin1_swedish_ci | NULL | | | +------+--------+---------+------------+-------+----------------+-------------+-----------------+--------------+-----------+----------------+---------------------+---------------------+------------+-------------------+----------+----------------+---------+ 1 row in set (0.00 sec) mysql> show table status like 'sort'; +------+--------+---------+------------+-------+----------------+-------------+-----------------+--------------+-----------+----------------+---------------------+---------------------+------------+-------------------+----------+----------------+---------+ | Name | Engine | Version | Row_format | Rows | Avg_row_length | Data_length | Max_data_length | Index_length | Data_free | Auto_increment | Create_time | Update_time | Check_time | Collation | Checksum | Create_options | Comment | +------+--------+---------+------------+-------+----------------+-------------+-----------------+--------------+-----------+----------------+---------------------+---------------------+------------+-------------------+----------+----------------+---------+ | sort | MyISAM | 10 | Dynamic | 14420 | 32 | 461440 | 281474976710655 | 150528 | 0 | 14507 | 2006-10-21 18:42:00 | 2006-10-21 18:46:46 | NULL | latin1_swedish_ci | NULL | | | +------+--------+---------+------------+-------+----------------+-------------+-----------------+--------------+-----------+----------------+---------------------+---------------------+------------+-------------------+----------+----------------+---------+ 1 row in set (0.01 sec) mysql> show table status like 'sort'; +------+--------+---------+------------+-------+----------------+-------------+-----------------+--------------+-----------+----------------+---------------------+---------------------+------------+-------------------+----------+----------------+---------+ | Name | Engine | Version | Row_format | Rows | Avg_row_length | Data_length | Max_data_length | Index_length | Data_free | Auto_increment | Create_time | Update_time | Check_time | Collation | Checksum | Create_options | Comment | +------+--------+---------+------------+-------+----------------+-------------+-----------------+--------------+-----------+----------------+---------------------+---------------------+------------+-------------------+----------+----------------+---------+ | sort | MyISAM | 10 | Dynamic | 14420 | 32 | 461440 | 281474976710655 | 150528 | 0 | 14522 | 2006-10-21 18:42:00 | 2006-10-21 18:46:47 | NULL | latin1_swedish_ci | NULL | | | +------+--------+---------+------------+-------+----------------+-------------+-----------------+--------------+-----------+----------------+---------------------+---------------------+------------+-------------------+----------+----------------+---------+ 1 row in set (0.00 sec) mysql> show table status like 'sort'; +------+--------+---------+------------+-------+----------------+-------------+-----------------+--------------+-----------+----------------+---------------------+---------------------+------------+-------------------+----------+----------------+---------+ | Name | Engine | Version | Row_format | Rows | Avg_row_length | Data_length | Max_data_length | Index_length | Data_free | Auto_increment | Create_time | Update_time | Check_time | Collation | Checksum | Create_options | Comment | +------+--------+---------+------------+-------+----------------+-------------+-----------------+--------------+-----------+----------------+---------------------+---------------------+------------+-------------------+----------+----------------+---------+ | sort | MyISAM | 10 | Dynamic | 14420 | 32 | 461440 | 281474976710655 | 150528 | 0 | 14533 | 2006-10-21 18:42:00 | 2006-10-21 18:46:47 | NULL | latin1_swedish_ci | NULL | | | +------+--------+---------+------------+-------+----------------+-------------+-----------------+--------------+-----------+----------------+---------------------+---------------------+------------+-------------------+----------+----------------+---------+ 1 row in set (0.00 sec) mysql> show table status like 'sort'; +------+--------+---------+------------+-------+----------------+-------------+-----------------+--------------+-----------+----------------+---------------------+---------------------+------------+-------------------+----------+----------------+---------+ | Name | Engine | Version | Row_format | Rows | Avg_row_length | Data_length | Max_data_length | Index_length | Data_free | Auto_increment | Create_time | Update_time | Check_time | Collation | Checksum | Create_options | Comment | +------+--------+---------+------------+-------+----------------+-------------+-----------------+--------------+-----------+----------------+---------------------+---------------------+------------+-------------------+----------+----------------+---------+ | sort | MyISAM | 10 | Dynamic | 14541 | 32 | 465312 | 281474976710655 | 151552 | 0 | 14542 | 2006-10-21 18:42:00 | 2006-10-21 18:46:48 | NULL | latin1_swedish_ci | NULL | | | +------+--------+---------+------------+-------+----------------+-------------+-----------------+--------------+-----------+----------------+---------------------+---------------------+------------+-------------------+----------+----------------+---------+ 1 row in set (0.02 sec) mysql> show table status like 'sort'; +------+--------+---------+------------+-------+----------------+-------------+-----------------+--------------+-----------+----------------+---------------------+---------------------+------------+-------------------+----------+----------------+---------+ | Name | Engine | Version | Row_format | Rows | Avg_row_length | Data_length | Max_data_length | Index_length | Data_free | Auto_increment | Create_time | Update_time | Check_time | Collation | Checksum | Create_options | Comment | +------+--------+---------+------------+-------+----------------+-------------+-----------------+--------------+-----------+----------------+---------------------+---------------------+------------+-------------------+----------+----------------+---------+ | sort | MyISAM | 10 | Dynamic | 14420 | 32 | 461440 | 281474976710655 | 150528 | 0 | 14557 | 2006-10-21 18:42:00 | 2006-10-21 18:46:48 | NULL | latin1_swedish_ci | NULL | | | +------+--------+---------+------------+-------+----------------+-------------+-----------------+--------------+-----------+----------------+---------------------+---------------------+------------+-------------------+----------+----------------+---------+ 1 row in set (0.00 sec) mysql> show table status like 'sort'; +------+--------+---------+------------+-------+----------------+-------------+-----------------+--------------+-----------+----------------+---------------------+---------------------+------------+-------------------+----------+----------------+---------+ | Name | Engine | Version | Row_format | Rows | Avg_row_length | Data_length | Max_data_length | Index_length | Data_free | Auto_increment | Create_time | Update_time | Check_time | Collation | Checksum | Create_options | Comment | +------+--------+---------+------------+-------+----------------+-------------+-----------------+--------------+-----------+----------------+---------------------+---------------------+------------+-------------------+----------+----------------+---------+ | sort | MyISAM | 10 | Dynamic | 14566 | 32 | 466112 | 281474976710655 | 151552 | 0 | 14567 | 2006-10-21 18:42:00 | 2006-10-21 18:46:49 | NULL | latin1_swedish_ci | NULL | | | +------+--------+---------+------------+-------+----------------+-------------+-----------------+--------------+-----------+----------------+---------------------+---------------------+------------+-------------------+----------+----------------+---------+ 1 row in set (0.00 sec) mysql> show table status like 'sort'; +------+--------+---------+------------+-------+----------------+-------------+-----------------+--------------+-----------+----------------+---------------------+---------------------+------------+-------------------+----------+----------------+---------+ | Name | Engine | Version | Row_format | Rows | Avg_row_length | Data_length | Max_data_length | Index_length | Data_free | Auto_increment | Create_time | Update_time | Check_time | Collation | Checksum | Create_options | Comment | +------+--------+---------+------------+-------+----------------+-------------+-----------------+--------------+-----------+----------------+---------------------+---------------------+------------+-------------------+----------+----------------+---------+ | sort | MyISAM | 10 | Dynamic | 14420 | 32 | 461440 | 281474976710655 | 150528 | 0 | 14580 | 2006-10-21 18:42:00 | 2006-10-21 18:46:49 | NULL | latin1_swedish_ci | NULL | | | +------+--------+---------+------------+-------+----------------+-------------+-----------------+--------------+-----------+----------------+---------------------+---------------------+------------+-------------------+----------+----------------+---------+ 1 row in set (0.00 sec) mysql>