Redundant Server

[rhyno2k]

Hi,


We're recently recovering from a failure of our main MRP server and we were down for two full days. I'm trying to make sure this sort of thing doesn't happen with our Goldmine installation.

Is anyone running a "redundant server" for Goldmine where identical copies of data are mirrored to two machines so that, let's say, if the motherboard fails on one server, you can simply adjust the clients' pointers to the other server?

What I'm thinking of is using DFS/FRS with Windows 2003 Server to setup replication of the C:\Program Files\Goldmine\Goldmine directory on the main server -- mirrored to server II.

Currently we have GM 6 on a Win 2K Server, with 5 Win 2K Pro Clients.

Thanks for any advice/experience...


--RHYNO

 

[TheIntWizard]

This is a uniquely bad idea.

GoldMine has no inherent switching capability that would let you revert to a second server if the first were throwing errors.

It loads its ini's at startup rather than runtime, so you would have to shut it down and restart it regardless.

Backing up a SQL database while it is running would require that you run a program that did the datacopying for you. That is an accident waiting to happen and would be high in resources demand. In dBase, it would be easier, but you would still have a hard time taking advantage of it.

And for what? What you really want is something that keeps your data secure so that if you get struck by lightening or hit by a virus or something similar, you are ready to go on a new machine as soon as possible.

Run GoldMine on a RAID server set up by someone certified for RAID. I can't tell you how many times I have heard 'it was amazing - we lost all five drives!', which is IT-ese for "Oh, that wasn't how you set up RAID, huh?" Set up a back up strategy and be true to it, THEN if you have a catastrophe you can recover. If that means you have a file server someplace that you can run GM on if the main server has to go out to the shop, then you are still 'five nines' until then.

You will accomplish this at a fraction of the cost of a new server and software to back up GoldMine to it with any frequency

The Wizard

http://www.integrationwizard.com

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