SQL Server Replication to MSDE for Fault Tolerance?

[hungerf5]

I'm planning on buying one dual processor server with 2 MSFT SQL Server Standard processor licences for publication on the net. I would like to replicate to the MSDE server for fault tolerance. If the more powerfull server goes down I would switch to the MSDE to limp along.

Is this possible solution?

Lets say the SQL Server goes down and I switch to the MSDE how do new records added to the MSDE DB get back into the SQL Server?

What are some other ways of provideing fault tolerance for DBs? I'm in the process of building a highly data drive web site and can't afford to have the database unavailable.

Does any body know if one can legally replicate a SQL Server DB to a MSDE DB without buing more SQL Server licenses? Obviously cost is an issue with SQL Server licences...

Any other suggestions?


--Rick

 

[mrdenny]

Yes you can replication to MSDE. Some things to keep in mind with MSDE.
1. Only 5 user transactions will be executed at a time.
2. Supports databases upto 2 Gigs.

When you use merge replication (which I would recommend) when the data is changed in the subscriber and the publisher comes back online the changes are pushed back to the publisher.

I would recommend using a full blown SQL Server instead of MSDE. The cost is minimal when you are dealing with a high availabilty database.

I currently use this method for fault tolerance databases. The other options are log shippping, or a cluster. I've never tried log shipping, but havn't been thrilled with what I've read about it. And if you are consirned with cost, then a cluster is definetly not what you want to use.

Denny

--Anything is possible. All it takes is a little research. (Me)