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Multiple Redundant
Application Servers
Live backup computers that take over when
another computer fails
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The main computers that host your website can
fail at any time. This is a fact of life. Multiple
identical copies of the backup computer run together.
When one fails, several others take over flawlessly.
Your visitors never see a computer fail.
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Multiple Redundant
Load Balancers
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In the rare event that a load balancer itself
may fail, there is a secondary load balancer on
standby.
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24/7 System Checking
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Special computer programs are setup to automatically
check the health of servers 60 times an hour on
each service. If a failed server is detected,
an automatic repair routine is run to bring the
server back online. In the event that the server
cannot be brought back, a technician is automatically
notified. Note that in the even of a failure other
servers have taken over the duties of the failed
server and users will not notice a difference
in service.
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Secondary/Backup
Mail Server
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In the event that a mail server fails, it will
automatically be restarted. In the meantime, a
secondary mail server will automatically take
over duties of the primary mail server. The result
is that users will never see a failed mail server.
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Backup Database
Server
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The database server where most of the information
for the website is stored has a backup. In the
event that the primary database fails, the backup
database can take over the duties of the failed
database server.
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Every 4 hour on-site
backup
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Backups are made to other servers on-site every
three hours to protect important information.
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5 days per week
off-site backup
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Backups are taken off-site 5 days per week to
protect data in a catastrophe.
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RAID (multiple
backup hard drives within a server)
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RAID stands for ¡§Redundant Array of Independent
Drives?and means that important information is
stored on at least two hard drives simultaneously.
In the event of a drive failure, the surviving
drive automatically takes over the duties of the
failed drive. The server operates as if the drive
never failed. A new drive is then swapped in and
the data is automatically rebuilt.
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Enterprise class
hard drives
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All hard drives carrying important data are in
RAID format and are also stored on enterprise
class drives. An enterprise class drive costs
two to four times that of a desktop class drive
(i.e. the ones typically used in offices and homes)
but have much higher MTBF. MTBF stands for mean
time between failures and is a manufacturer rating
that estimates the average time between hard drive
failures.
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Backup firewall
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In the event that the firewall fails, a backup
firewall is ready to take over the duties of the
failed firewall.
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Backup file servers
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In the event that a file server fails, a backup
file server is ready to take over the duties of
the failed file server.
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Redundant cooling
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Backup air conditioning systems take over in
the event of a cooling failure.
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Dedicated server
facilities
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Chilled server room dedicated
to housing servers only |
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Backup power
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All servers are protected with backup power units.
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Power generators
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For extended power outages,
an on-site backup power generator is available. |
