Backup Server

[Nick Tonkin]

On 27 Dec 2003 10:15:06 -0500, Lowell Gilbert 
<freebsd-questions-local at be-well.ilk.org> wrote:

> samy lancher <washville2003 at yahoo.com> writes:
>
>> I have a 4.5 FreeBSD server. It is our Email, web and database server. 
>> I would like to setup a backup server so that when the main server goes 
>> down the backup server takes over its job.
>> Could some one please tell me the best way to setup a backup server and 
>> also suggest some good documentation.

You could try the Equalizer series of load balancing appliances from 
Coyote Point software (www.coyotepoint.com). They are designed for network 
load balancing but they have an automatic failover mode so that machine 
'B' takes over immediately when machine 'A' is unavailable.

Of course keeping your content synchronized between two machines is a 
different kettle of fish. In the application in which we used the 
Equalizers. IIRC we used rsync to keep a fairly live database up to date 
(we had to because we used the devices for load balancing primarily so 
they were actually both in used concurrently). This seems like it would be 
quite involved if you wanted to keep an e-mail server for several users 
ready to fail over.

Oh, BTW, the equalizer is a software-based device that runs FreeBSD 
internally. Also worth noting is that the support we got from Coyote Point 
was exemplary.

HTH,

-nick
-- 

_____________________________________
Nick Tonkin   {|8^)>
information management systems
and custom software development
http://www.tonkinresolutions.com