Message-Id: <10606.116063@fatcity.com> From: "Nancy McCormick" Date: Fri, 1 Sep 2000 07:04:36 -0500 Subject: RE: High Availability - 99.999% This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_001E_01C013E2.E3D68F80 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit It's not that I don't want to use OPS. I just wanted to understand other options. I do like the idea of having the ability to do maintenance, etc on 1 server while the other continues to work. Thanks for your reply. Nancy -----Original Message----- From: root@fatcity.com [mailto:root@fatcity.com]On Behalf Of Eric Lansu Sent: Friday, September 01, 2000 4:56 AM To: Multiple recipients of list ORACLE-L Subject: Re: High Availability - 99.999% 99.999% availability means 8.544 hours, say 8 1/2 hours of downtime a year! A machine with more than 1 processor, power-supply, Raid-x diskmirroring, seperate network connections etc. Could do the job. Don't let any dba's, nor developers work on it - that's the most important thing -, and correct a problem immediately. So have a DBA stand by around the clock, for a down at 23:00, and up at 7:00 consumes all your 'accepted downtime' Never upgrade the Oracle version, for this takes too long etc. etc. It should be possible to provide this availability without OPS. But if it's really such a big issue, why not use it? We work with national e-commerce, and most people sleep between say 3:00 and 6:00. Still we use OPS. I can bring one server down to upgrade, correct etc. while the other one still works. Switch the servers, and upgrade the second one. Syncronize servers when all the time staying in the air. Machines are in different locations, so trouble from the outside has no effect. (Some years ago an airplane fell out of the sky near one of the locations...) The only thing is, the sites are replicated immediate - it's not a hot standby -. So if some ..... corrupts the database, the other one is corrupted too! If this is possible, I think it's better to use a hot standby with an update delay of say 1/2 an hour. You have to switch manually, but recovery is not needed, so you can be back into business quickly. Eric Lansu ----- Original Message ----- From: Nancy McCormick To: Multiple recipients of list ORACLE-L Sent: Friday, 01 September 2000 00:18 Subject: High Availability - 99.999% I am trying to understand the possible pieces going into providing 99.999% availability in an Oracle/Sun environment. Everything I have read so far mentions using Oracle Parallel Server (OPS) to provide quick failover if a server (node) or instance fails. In your opinions are there other options besides OPS to provide this functionality? Thanks, Nancy ------=_NextPart_000_001E_01C013E2.E3D68F80 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
It's=20 not that I don't want to use OPS.  I just wanted to understand = other=20 options.  I do like the idea of having the ability to do = maintenance, etc=20 on 1 server while the other continues to work.  Thanks = for your=20 reply. 
 
Nancy
-----Original Message-----
From: root@fatcity.com=20 [mailto:root@fatcity.com]On Behalf Of Eric = Lansu
Sent:=20 Friday, September 01, 2000 4:56 AM
To: Multiple recipients = of list=20 ORACLE-L
Subject: Re: High Availability -=20 99.999%

99.999% availability means 8.544 = hours, say 8=20 1/2 hours of downtime a year! A machine with more than 1 processor,=20 power-supply, Raid-x diskmirroring, seperate network connections etc. = Could do=20 the job.
Don't let any dba's, nor developers = work on it=20 - that's the most important thing -, and correct a problem = immediately. So=20 have a DBA stand by around the clock, for a down at 23:00, and up at = 7:00=20 consumes all your 'accepted downtime'
Never upgrade the Oracle version, = for this=20 takes too long
etc. etc.
 
It should be possible to provide = this=20 availability without OPS. But if it's really such a big issue, why not = use it?=20 We work with national e-commerce, and most people sleep between = say 3:00=20 and 6:00. Still we use OPS. I can bring one server down to upgrade, = correct=20 etc. while the other one still works. Switch the servers, and = upgrade the=20 second one. Syncronize servers when all the time = staying in the=20 air. Machines are in different locations, so trouble from the outside = has no=20 effect. (Some years ago an airplane fell out of the sky near one = of the=20 locations...)
 
The only thing is, the sites are = replicated=20 immediate - it's not a hot standby -. So if some ..... corrupts the = database,=20 the other one is corrupted too! If this is possible, I think it's = better to=20 use a hot standby with an update delay of say 1/2 an hour. You have to = switch=20 manually, but recovery is not needed, so you can be back into business = quickly.
 
Eric Lansu 
----- Original Message -----
From:=20 Nancy McCormick
To: Multiple recipients of list = ORACLE-L=20
Sent: Friday, 01 September = 2000=20 00:18
Subject: High Availability -=20 99.999%

I = am trying to=20 understand the possible pieces going into providing = 99.999%=20 availability in an Oracle/Sun environment.  Everything I = have read=20 so far mentions using Oracle Parallel Server (OPS) to provide quick = failover=20 if a server (node) or instance fails.  In your opinions = are there=20 other options besides OPS to provide this = functionality?
 
Thanks,
Nancy