2 hosts, 2 servers, 1 website (backup server)

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2 hosts, 2 servers, 1 website (backup server)

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antifmradio
Starting Member

2 Posts

Posted - 2012-05-17 : 23:34:52

ok im not sure if i searched correctly but i couldnt even find this one through google for an answer.

here is my environment basically.

I have my website hosted on one server with php / SQL driving it.
But i have access to a secondary SQL server where i have a copy of the website.

There are times where the 1st host company server goes down.
I wanted to be able to have the alternate SQL host drive the site from that point automatically.

I can have them switch back and forth i suppose by adding the additional DNS server information for each host company.

Ok great, that takes care of, just incause ONE host is down, the alternate hosting company will allow the pages to load....wonderful but
one will have OLD information while the other has NEW info.....because SQL would be updated on ONE website at a time.

----------------HERE IS THE QUESTION---------------

Is it possible to tie ONE website to TWO sql databases?
The site runs mainly on HOST 1 with SQL 1
Host 2 and SQL 2 are sitting waiting but i would like that
SQL 2 is updated the same time as SQL 1.

is that possible without me having to do in and manually update it by hand
copying the db over, back and forth?

online radio station

Lumbago
Norsk Yak Master

3271 Posts

Posted - 2012-05-18 : 04:21:04

There are several ways to achieve this, all with different pro's and con's. Here are some keywords: replication, mirroring, log shipping. All of them are basically methods to keep two or more databases in sync.

Do you want this failover situation to be fully automatic? Are you willing to accept any downtime? What should happen when the primary site goes back online?

- Lumbago
My blog-> http://thefirstsql.com/2011/07/08/how-to-find-gaps-in-identity-columns-at-the-speed-of-light/

Sachin.Nand

2937 Posts

Posted - 2012-05-18 : 04:37:21

Do you want to use second server for reporting or something ?

After Monday and Tuesday even the calendar says W T F ....

antifmradio
Starting Member

2 Posts

Posted - 2012-05-18 : 09:38:43

quote:
Originally posted by Lumbago

There are several ways to achieve this, all with different pro's and con's. Here are some keywords: replication, mirroring, log shipping. All of them are basically methods to keep two or more databases in sync.

Do you want this failover situation to be fully automatic? Are you willing to accept any downtime? What should happen when the primary site goes back online?

- Lumbago
My blog-> http://thefirstsql.com/2011/07/08/how-to-find-gaps-in-identity-columns-at-the-speed-of-light/

Lumbago
all good questions i have not considered.
Thanks for the help on keywords and dialog

anyway to answer your questions.

failover situation (i guess this is the instance that the HOST 1 llocation is not available)
Automatic - well yes i would hope so. Id hate our radio station to lose that many visitors because it has to wait for me to get back home and manually do the switch.
That can take several hours and sometimes a couple of days.

Downtime - what downtime would there be?
Would it be the amount of time the server needs to refresh data locations while the change from HOST 1 to HOST 2 happens?
Let me know if thats the downtime you are talking about or, just go into more detail about it if you dont mind.

What happens when the primary goes back online?
Now see thats a REALLY good question and im glad you brough it up.
While host 1 would be updating host 2,
and say host 1 goes down, no problem because everyone is using the pages tied to host 2.
But while they are using it, nothing is updating host 1.... problem.

So when host 1 goes back online, everyone would see the old info last set, just before it went down.

Im thinking this would be the down side.

@Sachin.Nand
your answer is.. no. not for that use. Its basically supposed to e a mirror

online radio station

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