[WEB4LIB] Web Server Fault Tolerance/Load Sharing

[TMGB]

Our main server is an Alpha with an NT OS running Netscape Enterprise
2.x (which is not y2k compliant) as the WEB server.  I have a pentium 75
im my office running Netscape Enterprise 3.x with the alpha drives
mapped on it.  Everyday I copy the docs directory from the alpha to the
intel machine.  Of course this only updates documents and not any mime
types or other accessories.  The P75 is only an emergency backup which I
implemented one time while I repartitioned the alpha drives.  There is
no automated mechanism with this setup. When I took the alpha down and I
went into the network setup on the P75 and changed the ip address to the
alpha's number.  This was used for three days during a low usage time
like between semesters although we were still getting several hits. 
Also, the P75 is setup as a NT Domain Backup server to the alpha.  That
is, with NT you can set the server up as Primary, Backup, or Stand Alone
and the P75 was setup as the domain backup server.  From what I've seen
this only keeps the user database automatically updated on the backup
server.

Thomas

Donna Schumann wrote:
> 
> As time and applications evolve, our web server is becoming a mission
> critical application. We are currently using our web server to present
> web-based menus for all of our public access PCs, and we plan on replacing
> terminals with PCs using Dynix's WebPAC for access to our catalog in the
> next year.
> 
> What do you need to set up a "backup" web server to automatically take
> over if the primary web server fails?
> 
> What do you need to do load sharing between multiple web servers?
> 
> Currently we are using Netscape Enterprise Server running on a Sun Netra.
> We are debating whether to buy a second Sun, or whether we should move to
> NT and IIS.
> 
> Thanks!
> 
> --------------------------------------------------------------
> Donna Schumann                  Application System Specialist
> Timberland Regional Library     360-704-4542 FAX: 360-586-6838
> Olympia, Washington             schumann at timberland.lib.wa.us

-- 
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Thomas McMillan Grant Bennett           Appalachian State University
Computer Consultant II                  University Library
bennettt at am.appstate.edu               
http://www.library.appstate.edu/admin/
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