Disaster proofing information systems : a complete methodology for eliminating single points of failure

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Does Your Business Continuity Plan Rely on Prevention or Cure?

Nobody wants to shell out a lot of money for something they'll use once or, with any luck, never. But that's where most corporations find themselves today. Network managers see disaster recovery as outside their jurisdiction, and therefore as a competitor for system resources. External incentives to deploy disaster recovery from customers and partners may be pressing, but internal incentives are working against them.This book provides a methodology responsive to those problems. With careful planning, it can actually improve system performance instead of encumbering it. Even if your organization isn't budgeted for disaster recovery planning, you can implement this methodology now, at minimum cost, and reap immediate returns. For companies already invested in system protection software, Buchanan shows network managers how to get started on impact and risk assessment, protection planning, policymaking, and more.

Author Notes

Robert W. Buchanan, Jr. is president and CEO of Shiloh Network Solutions (SNS), a start-up software company developing a new generation of proactive network analysis tools for clustered systems within the enterprise and Internet market. Prior to SNS, Mr. Buchanan was the managing partner in Shiloh Consulting, an independent network consulting company that provides network and e-business planning, management, and testing services to product manufacturers and Fortune 500 companies. He also served 4 years as Sr. Vice President, General manager, and COO at LANQuest Labs, a network consulting company and independent test lab. During his tenure there, he was responsible for the development of new network testing procedures and several QA and performance testing products under contract with companies such as Intel, Cisco Systems and 3Com Corporation. Before LANQuest, Mr. Buchanan spent 7 years in software product management and marketing at 3Com Corporation where he was responsible for the EtherSeries and 3X network operating systems. Mr. Buchanan also has experience managing technical organizations: at ROLM he managed software development and computer operations, and at Lockheed Corporation he managed advanced development groups of engineers in a large IT organization.

In February 1997 Mr. Buchanan second book, Measuring the Impact of Your Web Site, was released. This book was well received and has been translated into both Kanji and Dutch. His first book, The Art of Testing Network Systems, was published in 1996, and remains popular today. He is currently working on a fourth book for 2003 on performance tuning clustered server configurations. Mr. Buchanan has written many articles for networking journals including LAN Magazine, Network World, CNEPA Journal, and Network Expo. He has spoken and taught at Interop, Networld, Network and PC Expos, and Comdex. He also teaches IT courses at the University of Phoenix.

Foreword	p. xi
Introduction	p. xiii
Part I A SHARED Methodology for Disaster Avoidance across Enterprise, B2B, and B2C Systems	p. 1
Chapter 1 Avoidance Versus Recovery	p. 3
What Is Disaster Recovery?	p. 7
What Is Business Continuity?	p. 12
What Is Disaster Avoidance?	p. 13
How Daily Business Operations Benefit from Disaster Avoidance	p. 17
Example 1 Web Site Co-location	p. 18
Example 2 Intranet or Enterprise Workgroup Servers	p. 19
Example 3 Home Office	p. 22
Example 4 Mobile Wireless Access	p. 23
Business Benefits	p. 24
B2B and Business-to-Customer (B2C) Disaster Avoidance	p. 24
Small Business Disaster Avoidance	p. 25
Chapter 2 Business Continuity Requirements	p. 27
The SHARED Objective of Analyzing Business and System Needs	p. 28
The Process of Analyzing Business-User-Customer Needs	p. 33
Step 1 Business Overview	p. 34
Step 2 Data Flow Dependencies	p. 39
Step 3 Technology Dependencies	p. 44
Step 4 Prioritizing Existing Operational Problems	p. 48
Step 5 Future Operational Requirements	p. 48
Steps 6 and 7 Personnel and Facilities	p. 49
Financial Considerations	p. 55
B2B Requirements	p. 59
Small Business Requirements	p. 60
Chapter 3 Developing a Disaster Avoidance Strategy	p. 61
Disaster Avoidance Alternatives for Critical Systems	p. 62
Hardware Platforms	p. 64
Co-location	p. 64
Hot/Warm Standby or Failover	p. 69
Hot or Cold Restoration	p. 72
Applications	p. 74
Data Store	p. 75
System Access	p. 77
Infrastructure	p. 78
Access Devices	p. 81
Shared Information (Intranet and E-business)	p. 85
Small Businesses	p. 86
Disaster Avoidance Best Practices	p. 86
Performance Improvements Through SHARED Disaster Avoidance	p. 88
Availability as a Function of Disaster Avoidance	p. 92
Capacity/Scalability Enhancements	p. 93
Maintenance and Deployment Enhancements	p. 93
Chapter 4 Integrating Business Continuity and Disaster Avoidance Needs	p. 95
Mating Business Requirements to Disaster Avoidance Alternatives	p. 96
Step 1 Prioritize Order	p. 98
Step 2 Map Requirements	p. 100
Step 3 Define Exact Requirements	p. 101
Step 4 End User and Facility Requirements	p. 104
Step 5 B2B Requirements	p. 107
Step 6 Financial Analysis	p. 107
Example 2 - B2B Supply Chain Management	p. 112
Analyzing Business-User-Customer Needs from Chapter 2	p. 114
Mating Business Requirements to Disaster Avoidance Alternatives	p. 118
Business Continuity and Disaster Avoidance--Added Cost	p. 123
Deployment and Validation Is Critical to Success	p. 124
Part II Implementing the SHARED Architecture	p. 127
Chapter 5 Access Devices	p. 129
Best Practices	p. 130
Asset and Configuration Management	p. 131
Data Synchronization and Recovery	p. 134
Products and Procedures	p. 136
Handhelds	p. 136
Palm Handhelds	p. 136
Windows CE Handhelds	p. 139
Research in Motion (RIM) Blackberry--Integrated Wireless Products	p. 140
XcelleNet Afaria Products	p. 141
Desktops and Laptops	p. 141
Chapter 6 Platforms	p. 143
Best Practices for Availability and Reliability	p. 144
Platform Simplicity	p. 144
Uninterrupted Power Supply (UPS)	p. 146
Clustering	p. 146
Co-location	p. 148
Reduce Planned Downtime	p. 152
Reduce Unplanned Downtime	p. 153
Use Network Load Balancing (NLB)	p. 153
Use Data Store Redundancy	p. 153
Best Practices for Performance and Scalability	p. 154
Best Practices for Management and Security	p. 155
Products and Procedures	p. 156
Microsoft Windows	p. 157
Sun Solaris	p. 161
IBM	p. 162
Veritas	p. 162
Chapter 7 Applications	p. 165
Best Practices	p. 166
For Disaster Avoidance	p. 167
For Operations and Development	p. 169
Products and Procedures	p. 174
Chapter 8 Data Store	p. 177
Critical Business Applications' Shared Data Store	p. 181
Critical Remote Data Store Synchronization	p. 182
Local Productivity Data Files	p. 184
Data Sharing	p. 185
File Replication	p. 187
Best Practices	p. 188
Databases	p. 188
File Replication	p. 190
Physical Data Storage	p. 192
Products and Procedures	p. 194
File Replication	p. 194
Database Transaction Replication	p. 196
SANs and Network Storage	p. 198
Chapter 9 Infrastructure	p. 203
Infrastructure Requirements	p. 204
Best Practices	p. 207
Avoid Chatty Communication	p. 209
Network Load Balancing (NLB)	p. 209
High-Speed Data Links	p. 213
ISPs for User Access	p. 215
CO or Wire Centers	p. 216
Products and Services	p. 216
Chapter 10 B2B, B2C, B2G, and Small Business Needs	p. 219
Best Practices	p. 222
Use Standards	p. 225
Integrate the B2X Environment with Existing Back-End Systems	p. 226
Isolate the B2B Environment from the Rest of the Systems for Security Purposes	p. 227
Coordinate Disaster Avoidance and Recovery	p. 228
Products and Procedures	p. 229
Small Businesses	p. 231
Chapter 11 Validation and Testing	p. 235
Life Cycle	p. 236
Test Objectives	p. 237
Testing and Systems Management	p. 239
Methodology	p. 240
System Versus Component Tests	p. 243
Validating the Components	p. 243
Validating the System	p. 243
Validating B2X E-commerce	p. 244
Test Preparation	p. 245
Test Bed Setup	p. 246
Tools	p. 248
Load Models	p. 249
Testing	p. 251
Instrumentation	p. 252
Loading	p. 253
Measuring	p. 254
Analyzing	p. 256
Evolution	p. 259
Index	p. 261

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Table of Contents