Product Overview
Remote Database Backup is a database recovery system that can be a key component of any disaster recovery plan, because it minimizes the amount of time needed to recover from a loss of database access. Remote Database Backup also minimizes loss of productivity, loss of revenue, and loss of business caused by interruptions in the ability to access your database information.
The Remote Database Backup system consists of a database and a copy of the database. One database can be updated, and the other can be used only for inquiry purposes. The database that can be updated is called the primary database. The host on which it resides is called the primary host. The current online remote database copy, called the secondary database, is inquiry-capable only. The host on which it resides is called the secondary host. The configuration of the primary and secondary databases on their separate hosts is called a Remote Database Backup system. A single host can participate in multiple Remote Database Backup systems. You can locate your hosts at the same site or at two geographically distant sites.
Remote Database Backup keeps the database copy up-to-date by applying the audit images from the audited database to the database copy. A choice of five audit transmission modes enables you to choose the method of audit transfer between hosts that best suits your needs.
If the primary database or primary host fails, you can quickly switch the primary database operations to the secondary database on the secondary host.
General Features
Flexibility
Remote Database Backup runs on all ClearPath servers, from the smallest to the largest and most powerful platforms.
Remote Database Backup works with Enterprise Database Server and Enterprise Application Environment databases.
Resources such as processing power, memory capacity, and storage media can be different between the primary database system and the secondary database system.
You can configure Remote Database Backup on your systems in a variety of ways. However, each primary database can have only one secondary database. Your configuration choices range from simple (two systems and one database) to complex (multiple systems and multiple databases).
Remote Database Backup provides five specific audit transmission modes that enable you to regulate
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Whether the transmission of audit images is automatic or manual
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Whether the transmission of audit images is performed as individual audit blocks or whole audit files
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Whether the transmission of audit images can be interrupted (that is, suspended)
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The degree of audit trail synchronization between the primary and secondary hosts
You can select one of four methods to transfer audits from the primary database to the secondary database. You can
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Automatically mirror each audit block on the secondary host as it is written on the primary host, using EMC mirrored disks.
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Automatically transfer each audit block as it is written on the primary database.
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Automatically transfer audit files whenever an audit file switch occurs on the primary database.
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Manually transfer files as an offline, batch-processing alternative. Audit files created on your primary database can be physically transported to the secondary database on tape, and then applied. This method does not require a communications link between the two systems.
Productive Use of the Backup System
Because Remote Database Backup imposes minimal overhead on the system that hosts the secondary database, the secondary system can perform other tasks in addition to backing up the primary database. In the backup process, the only function of the secondary system is to apply Enterprise Database Server audit images received from the primary system. The actual amount of processor overhead involved varies, depending on the types of host systems involved and the volume of database updates. Memory requirements for Remote Database Backup are also minimal.
You can use the secondary system for other day-to-day functions such as
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A dedicated inquiry and reporting decision-support platform
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Offloading some processing tasks from the primary production system, such as program development, program testing, and alternate production applications
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A temporary primary system while you are performing routine maintenance on the original primary system
Variety of Connectivity Options
The primary and secondary systems can be interconnected using any BNA-supported network in the cases where audits are transferred online. Remote Database Backup requires the Heritage Network Services product to support its network.
Clients can configure Remote Database Backup by using Database Operations Center to define and modify host names, the relationships between hosts, database names, and disk family names for the database control file, data files, and audit files.
A Remote Database Backup library entry point exists for those clients who wish to predefine or automate the takeover operation within a Remote Database Backup system.
Synchronization Level Selection
Remote Database Backup enables you to select the level of audit trail synchronization that you want for your Remote Database Backup system. You must ask yourself, “How closely must the backup database match its source?”
Remote Database Backup synchronizes the secondary database audit trail with the primary database audit trail by transmitting audit images from the primary system to the secondary system.
Data is considered to be backed up when the audit records for that data have been copied from the primary system to the secondary system. At this point, the information in the audit trail has not yet been applied to the secondary database. Therefore, the primary and secondary databases are not necessarily synchronized, even though their audit trails are synchronized.
For example, if you run the same inquiry on a newly-updated record on both systems simultaneously, you can retrieve different answers if that record is in the audit trail of the secondary system and not yet applied to the secondary database.
Enterprise Database Server Structures
The Remote Database Backup supports the full range of Enterprise Database Server database structures. It provides full disaster recovery and fail-over technology for long-distance remote and local campus solutions implemented with Enterprise Database Server Extended Edition databases.
Online Garbage Collection
The Remote Database Backup online garbage collection feature complements the Enterprise Database Server online garbage collection feature. The Remote Database Backup software now provides full disaster recovery backup for Enterprise Database Server structures that have been optimized using online garbage collection.
Ordering Information
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Platform |
Style |
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ClearPath |
The ordering style for Remote Database Backup is CSP 10nn-RDB, where nn represents performance groups 10 through 160 (in increments of 10). |
Source code is available for this product. You can license it separately.
Product Information
Refer to the following documents for more information:
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Enterprise Database Server for ClearPath MCP Utilities Operations Guide (8600 0759)
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Remote Database Backup Planning and Operations Guide (8600 2052)
