Cross country networks, and data replication... Questions... :-)

Gabriel gabriel at dialupusa.net
Thu Jan 16 23:45:30 UTC 2003



Hello all.

--- Where we are ---

Currently, I've got a single site, colocated on the East Coast. 
Currently, I've got two NetApps at that site, one serving as a 
mailspool, the other serving as a location for web documents.  This 
system works via NFS to a fair number of mail and web servers, and it's 
running happily.

--- Where I'm going ---

What I seek is some help on implementing a second site, and the link 
between the two.  The sites will be more or less the same in terms of 
the equipment in them, or so I hope.

I want to be able to have the changes made at one site replicated to the 
other site transparently.  That is, if I update a file at site A, I want 
to be able to see the changes at Site B in a reasonable period of time 
(i.e., short), and without having to manually move data around.   I 
specifically want to do this for allow both sites to offer the same 
mailspool, so that customers can check their mail at either site.

I am in the planning phase of bringing up a second site, and at this
site, there will be more web servers, and more mail servers.  There will
also be an additional netapp for each of mail and www.

Between the pair of mail netapps (and to a lesser degree, the www
netapps), I want them to replicate changes to the other one.  That is,
if a file is removed on Mail.NetApp A, it should also disappear on
Mail.NetApp B.  And if a file is created on netapp B, it should also
come into existance on netapp A.  Bidirectional updates.

My current setup consists of Linux and FreeBSD systems, and F740 NetApps.

And yes, there is a lot of pressure to stay with the NetApps.

Any hints, or advice will be much appreciated.

Thanks in advance,
Gabriel



-- 
Gabriel Cain 			         www.dialupusa.net	
Unix Systems Administrator           gabriel at dialupusa.net
Dialup USA, Inc.                      888-460-2286 ext 208
		"Your Virtual ISP Solution"

"The most difficult thing in the world is to know how to do
a thing and to watch someone else do it wrong without comment."
                 -- Theodore H. White




More information about the NANOG mailing list