Re: Best high availability solution ?

> Hi list !
>
> I have a small enterprise network (~15 workstations, 1
> server), all running windows OSes. Most of our work is done
> on a PostgreSQL DB (on the windows server).
> I am the only IT here, and my boss asked me to find a way to
> have the database always online, without my intervention.
> Last time I went on vacation, the server crashed and no one
> was able to repair it.
>
> Our application connects to PostgreSQL through ODBC, with a
> simple TCP/IP connection.
> I though that I would first install a Slony-I cluster. That
> would be fine for data replication, but still if the main
> server crashes, the database connections will not work
> anymore because the name of the backup-server will be
> different than the name of the master, so all ODBC connection
> should be changed to use the new machine name.
> Since I cannot ask anyone to do some DNS changes or things
> like that, I am looking for a simple way to have my database
> always online (note that I already have a UPS and RAID1 on
> the server to prevent most failures).
>
> After some searches, I found LifeKeeper, which looks very
> good but is quite expensive !
> Are there easier and/or better solutions than that ?
>
> Thanks for your advices on this matter !

Since you're a Windows shop, you may already have the experience (and
even liceneses perhaps?) to run Microsoft Cluster Service (part of 2003
Enterprise Edition or 2000 Advanced Server). PostgreSQL will work fine
with it. Works with shared disks using either fibrechannel or iSCSI.

If you don't have the licenses for it already, it might turn out very
expensive. And if you don't already have fibrechannel, that part is
definitly expensive - but iSCSI could help you.

If you're willing to move off Windows for the server platform, you could
look at one of the solutions like slony+pgpool, or maybe DRBD+linux/ha.
That'll be less expensive in both hardware and licenses, but if you
don't have the people to maintain a new platform for it that's likely to
be prohibitive.

//Magnus