Milestone XProtect: the simplest high availability cluster between two redundant servers

The solution for Milestone XProtect

Evidian SafeKit brings high availability to Milestone XProtect, the CCTV video surveillance system, between two redundant servers.

This article explains how to implement quickly a Milestone cluster with real-time replication and automatic failover of the management services and the SQL database. Management services and SQL can be split on several clusters.

Note that high availability of recording servers is already managed by the Milestone built-in solution (without real-time replication).

Redundancy and high availability at the application level

In this type of solution, only application data are replicated. And only the application is restared in case of failure.

With this solution, restart scripts must be written to restart the application. This solution is platform agnostic and works with applications inside physical machines, virtual machines, in the Cloud. Any hypervisor is supported (VMware, Hyper-V...).

Examples

Video management: Milestone (Management, SQL, Log, Event)/SafeKit
Video management: Genetec (SQL)/SafeKit
Access control: Nedap (AEOS, SQL)/SafeKit
New application (restart scripts to write): Windows, Linux

Redundancy and high availability at the virtual machine level

In this type of solution, the software is put inside a virtual machine. The full Virtual Machine (VM) is replicated and restarted (Application + OS).

The advantage of this solution is that there is no restart scripts to write per application. This solution is generic for any software. It works with Windows/Hyper-V and Linux/KVM but not with VMware. This is an active/active solution with several virtual machines replicated and restarted between two nodes.

Examples

Building management: Siemens Desigo CC/SafeKit
Video management and access control: Siemens Siveillance suite/SafeKit
New application (no restart script to write): Windows/Hyper-V, Linux/KVM

SafeKit quick installation guide for Milestone and SQL

Prerequisites

You need Milestone XProtect and SQL installed on 2 nodes (virtual machines or physical servers).
SQL Server can be external, see the note below.
On Windows, with Windows services manager, put Milestone XProtect and SQL services with Boot Startup Type = Manual on both nodes.
SafeKit controls start of Milestone XProtect and SQL services in start_prim. Edit start_prim during the configuration to check if you have put all services in Manual boot including the new ones that you can add.

Note: SQL Server can be external. In this case, at step 4 during the step by step configuration:

remove the replication of SQL Data\ and Log\ folders,
remove the process checker on sqlservr.exe,
remove the start and stop of the MSSQLServer service in start_prim and stop_prim scripts.

You can implement redundancy of the external SQL Server with SafeKit and the sqlserver.safe module. In this case, configure the connection of Milestone to SQL with the virtual IP address of the sqlserver.safe module.

Package installation on Windows

Download the free version of SafeKit on 2 Windows nodes.

Note: the free version includes all SafeKit features. At the end of the trial, you can activate permanent license keys without uninstalling the package.
To open the Windows firewall, on both nodes start a powershell as administrator, and type
```
c:/safekit/private/bin/firewallcfg add
```
To initialize the password for the default admin user of the web console, on both nodes start a powershell as administrator, and type
```
c:/safekit/private/bin/webservercfg.ps1 -passwd pwd
```
pwd must be the same on both nodes
For synchronizing SafeKit at boot and at shutdown, on both nodes start a powershell as administrator, and type only once
```
c:/safekit/private/bin/addStartupShutdown
```

Step by step configuration

4. Configure the module

Check that the replicated directories are installed on both nodes and contain the application data.
Replication of data and also logs is required for a database.
You can add new replicated directories as needed.
Enter a virtual IP address. A virtual IP address is a standard IP address in the same IP network (same subnet) as the IP addresses of both nodes.
Application clients must be configured with the virtual IP address (or the DNS name associated with the virtual IP address).
The virtual IP address is automatically switched in the event of a failure.
start_prim and stop_prim must contain starting and stopping of the Milestone XProtect and SQL application.
You can add new services in these scripts.
Check that the names of the services in these scripts are those installed on both nodes, otherwise modify them in the scripts.
Stop the services configured in start_prim on both nodes.
On Windows and on both nodes, with the Windows services manager, set Boot Startup Type = Manual for all the services registered in start_prim (SafeKit controls the start of services in start_prim).

Note that if a process name is displayed in Process Checker, it will be monitored with a restart action in case of failure. Configuring a wrong process name will cause the module to stop right after its start.

This operation will report the configuration in the userconfig.xml, start_prim, stop_prim files on both nodes (more information in the training with the command line).

7. Go to desktop of node 1 and set the virtual IP address in internal Milestone files

In a Powershell command line as Administrator, execute on node 1 this script:

c:/safekit/modules/milestone/bin/UpdateAuthServerUri.ps1

This script sets the virtual IP address in 2 internal Milestone files:

C:\ProgramData\Milestone\XProtect Management Server\ServerConfig.xml

    <AuthorizationServerUri>http://<virtual-ip>/IDP</AuthorizationServerUri>

C:\Program Files\Milestone\XProtect Management Server\IIS\IDP\appsettings.json

    "Authority": "http://<virtual-ip>/IDP"

We assume at this step that the virtual IP address has been correctly configured in the previous steps (the script uses the virtual IP address entered in the SafeKit console and stored in userconfig.xml).

Note that the same procedure is required when Milestone is running with Microsoft Cluster else there is a reconnection problem of recording servers: https://developer.milestonesys.com/s/article/RS-goes-offline-mode-after-switching-the-Management-Server-cluster-node.

8. Start node 1 as primary in the console, the node with up-to-date data

We assume since Step 7 that node 1 has the up-to-date replicated directories.

Force the start of node 1 as primary. When node 2 will be started, all data from node 1 will be copied to node 2.

If you make the wrong choice, you run the risk of synchronizing outdated data on both nodes.

It is also assumed that the Milestone XProtect and SQL application is stopped on node 1 so that SafeKit installs the replication mechanisms and then starts the application in the start_prim script.

9. Wait for the transition to ALONE (green)

Node 1 should reach the ALONE (green) state, which means that the start_prim script has been executed on node 1.

If the status is ALONE (green) and the application is not started, check output messages of start_prim in the Application Log of node 1.

If node 1 does not reach ALONE (green) state, analyze why with the Module Log of node 1.

If the cluster is in WAIT (red) not uptodate - STOP (red) not uptodate state, stop the WAIT node and force its start as primary.

10. In the desktop of node 1, stop, then register on the vitual IP address and restart the Milestone Management Server

Execute the following bullets on node 1 according the menu in the image:

Right-click on the Milestone Management Server icon in the taskbar.
Stop Management Server Service
Then choose Server Configurator... and register the virtual IP address.
Start Management Server Service

This procedure registers the node 1 management server in the SQL database (running on node 1) through a connection to the virtual address.

Depending on the Milestone version, the registration may have deleted the virtual IP address configuration in the internal Milestone files. In this case, repeat Step 7.

Note: To register a version before Milestone 2020 R2, use Change encryption settings...

11. In the desktop of node 1 with Milestone Management Client, set the virtual IP address in URLs for services and network

According the image:

Start Milestone XProtect Management Client on node 1.
In the Tools menu, select Registered Services.

In the Add/Remove Registered Services window, select a service in the list and click on Edit.
In the Edit Registered Service window, change the URL address of the service with the same URL address but containing the virtual IP address.
Repeat these steps for all services listed in the window.

In the same window, click on Network.

In the Network Configuration window, change the URL address of the server with the same URL address but containing the virtual IP address.

12. In the desktop of node 1 with Milestone Management Client, set the administrator roles to ensure a correct failover

When you start the Milestone XProtect Management Client, you have to authenticate either with "Windows authentication" or "Basic authentication" (click here to see the screenshot).

Open Milestone XProtect Management Client and set the Windows group BUILTIN\Administrators in Security / Roles (see image).

By setting the BUILTIN\Administrators group, you will be able to authenticate on the seconday node with a local Windows administrator.

Else no authentication will be possibe with a local Windows account on the secondary after a failover.

It's because the BUILTIN\Administrators group has the same SID on both nodes. For other local groups or local users, authentication will not be possible on the secondary because SIDs are different between both nodes even if they have the same name.

For Windows authentication and a user in an Active Directory, the user/password will be retrieved in the external AD on the secondary node after a failover, so no special configuration.

We recommend to create a user with a Basic authentication (Admin in the image) to be sure to re-authenticate on the secondary node after a failover.

For Basic authentication, the user/password is stored in the replicated SQL database and will be retrieved on the secondary node after a failover.

13. Go to the desktop of node 2 and set the virtual IP address in internal Milestone files

In a Powershell command line as Administrator, execute on node 2 this script:

c:/safekit/modules/milestone/bin/UpdateAuthServerUri.ps1

This script sets the virtual IP address in 2 internal Milestone files:

C:\ProgramData\Milestone\XProtect Management Server\ServerConfig.xml

    <AuthorizationServerUri>http://<virtual-ip>/IDP</AuthorizationServerUri>

C:\Program Files\Milestone\XProtect Management Server\IIS\IDP\appsettings.json

    "Authority": "http://<virtual-ip>/IDP"

14. In the desktop of node 2, register the management server on the vitual IP address

Choose Server Configurator in the taskbar of node 2 and register it on the virtual IP address (see image).

The account of the user executing the registration on node 2 must have the administrator role in Milestone on node 1.

If it is the local administrator on node 2 who makes the registration, the built-in Windows group BUILTIN\Administrators must have been set in Management Client / Security / Roles at Step 12. Else the registration will not work.

This procedure registers the node 2 management server in the SQL database (running on node 1) through a connection to the virtual address.

Depending on the Milestone version, the registration may have deleted the virtual IP address configuration in the internal Milestone files. In this case, repeat Step 13.

16. Verify that the cluster is operational

Check that the cluster is green/green with Milestone XProtect and SQL services running on the PRIM node and not running on the SECOND node.

Only changes inside files are replicated in real time in this state.

Components that are clients of Milestone XProtect and SQL services must be configured with the virtual IP address. The configuration can be done with a DNS name (if a DNS name has been created and associated with the virtual IP address).

17. Configure the virtual IP address in recording servers for a reconnection after a failover

Either install the recording servers, specifying the virtual IP address in the installation URL.

Or, on the recording servers side, set the virtual IP address in the following fields of

C:\ProgramData\Milestone\XProtect Recording Server\RecorderConfig.xml

    <server><address>

    <server><authorizationserveraddress>

To have the Milestone Management Client application reconnected after a failover, you need to connect it through the virtual IP address.

19. Testing

Stop the PRIM node by scrolling down its contextual menu and clicking Stop.
Verify that there is a failover on the SECOND node which should become ALONE (green).
And with Microsoft Management Console (MMC), check the failover of Milestone XProtect and SQL services (stopped on node 1 in the stop_prim script and started on node 2 in the start_prim script).

If the Milestone XProtect and SQL application is not started on node 2 while the state is ALONE (green), check output messages of the start_prim script in the Application Log of node 2.

If ALONE (green) is not reached, analyze why with the Module Log of node 2.

More information on tests in the User's Guide

Learn more

Internals

Internals of a SafeKit / Milestone XProtect and SQL high availability cluster with synchronous replication and failover

Go to the Advanced Configuration tab in the console, for editing these files

Internal files of milestone.safe module

userconfig.xml (description in the User's Guide)

<!DOCTYPE safe>
<safe>
<service mode="mirror" defaultprim="alone" maxloop="3" loop_interval="24" failover="on">
  <!-- Heartbeat Configuration -->
  <!-- Names or IP addresses on the default network are set during initialization in the console -->
  <heart pulse="700" timeout="30000">
    <heartbeat name="" >
    </heartbeat>
  </heart>
  <!-- Virtual IP Configuration -->
  <!-- Define the name or IP address of your virtual server 
  -->
  <vip>
    <interface_list>
        <interface check="on" arpreroute="on"> 
	  <real_interface>
               <virtual_addr addr="VIRTUAL-IP-ADDRESS" where="one_side_alias" />
          </real_interface>
        </interface>
    </interface_list>
  </vip>
  <!-- Software Error Detection Configuration -->
  <errd polltimer="10">
    <!-- SQL Server process -->
    <proc name="sqlservr.exe" atleast="1" action="restart" class="prim" />
  </errd>
  <!-- File Replication Configuration -->
  <!-- Adapt with the directory of your SQL Server database and logs
  -->
  <rfs async="second" acl="off" nbrei="3" roflags="0x10010">
	<replicated dir="C:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\MSSQL14.MSSQLSERVER\MSSQL\DATA" mode="read_only" />
	<replicated dir="C:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\MSSQL14.MSSQLSERVER\MSSQL\Log" mode="read_only" />
  </rfs>
  <!-- User scripts activation -->
  <user nicestoptimeout="300" forcestoptimeout="300" logging="userlog" />
</service>
</safe>

start_prim.cmd

@echo off

rem Script called on the primary server for starting application services 

rem For logging into SafeKit log use:
rem "%SAFE%\safekit" printi | printe "message"

rem stdout goes into Application log
echo "Running start_prim %*" 

set res=0

rem TODO: set to manual the start of services when the system boots
sc.exe config MSSQLSERVER start= demand

net start "W3SVC"

net start "MSSQLServer"
if not %errorlevel% == 0 (
  %SAFE%\safekit printi "SQL Server (MSSQLServer) start failed"
) else (
  %SAFE%\safekit printi "SQL Server (MSSQLServer) started"
)

"%SAFEBIN%\sleep" 10

net start "Milestone XProtect Management Server"
if not %errorlevel% == 0 (
  %SAFE%\safekit printi "Milestone XProtect Management Server start failed"
) else (
  %SAFE%\safekit printi "Milestone XProtect Management Server started"
)

"%SAFEBIN%\sleep" 10

net start "Milestone XProtect Log Server"
if not %errorlevel% == 0 (
  %SAFE%\safekit printi "Milestone XProtect Log Server start failed"
) else (
  %SAFE%\safekit printi "Milestone XProtect Log Server started"
)

net start "MilestoneEventServerService"
if not %errorlevel% == 0 (
  %SAFE%\safekit printi "MilestoneEventServerService start failed"
) else (
  %SAFE%\safekit printi "MilestoneEventServerService started"
)

net start "Milestone XProtect Data Collector Server"
if not %errorlevel% == 0 (
  %SAFE%\safekit printi "Milestone XProtect Data Collector Server start failed"
) else (
  %SAFE%\safekit printi "Milestone XProtect Data Collector Server started"
)

set res=%errorlevel%

if %res% == 0 goto end

:stop
"%SAFE%\safekit" printe "start_prim failed"

rem uncomment to stop SafeKit when critical
rem "%SAFE%\safekit" stop -i "start_prim"

:end

stop_prim.cmd

@echo off

rem Script called on the primary server for stopping application services 

rem For logging into SafeKit log use:
rem "%SAFE%\safekit" printi | printe "message"

rem ----------------------------------------------------------
rem
rem 2 stop modes:
rem
rem - graceful stop
rem   call standard application stop with net stop
rem
rem - force stop (%1=force)
rem   kill application's processes
rem
rem ----------------------------------------------------------

rem stdout goes into Application log
echo "Running stop_prim %*" 

set res=0

rem default: check mssql stopped on forcestop
if "%1" == "force" goto check

%SAFE%\safekit printi "Stopping Milestone XProtect Corporate Data Collector Server"
net stop "Milestone XProtect Data Collector Server" /Y

%SAFE%\safekit printi "Stopping Milestone Event Server Service"
net stop "MilestoneEventServerService" /Y

%SAFE%\safekit printi "Stopping Milestone Log Server Service"
net stop "Milestone XProtect Log Server" /Y

%SAFE%\safekit printi "Stopping Milestone XProtect Corporate Management Server"
net stop "Milestone XProtect Management Server" /Y

%SAFE%\safekit printi "Stopping SQL Server (MSSQLSERVER)"
sc.exe config "MSSQLSERVER" start= disabled
net stop "MSSQLSERVER" /Y

"%SAFEBIN%\sleep" 10

net stop "W3SVC" /Y

rem Wait a little for the real stop of services
"%SAFEBIN%\sleep" 10

if %res% == 0 goto end

"%SAFE%\safekit" printe "stop_prim failed"
goto end

:check
rem call :checksrv "MSSQLSERVER"
goto end

:checksrv
  set SERVICE=%1
  net stop %SERVICE% /Y
  if NOT ERRORLEVEL 1 goto end
  sc query state= inactive | findstr /C:%SERVICE% 
  if NOT ERRORLEVEL 1 goto end
  "%SAFE%\safekit" stop -i "stop_prim: service not stopped"
  exit

:end

Demonstration

Step 1. Real-time replication

Server 1 (PRIM) runs the Milestone XProtect and SQL application. Clients are connected to a virtual IP address. SafeKit replicates in real time modifications made inside files through the network.

The replication is synchronous with no data loss on failure contrary to asynchronous replication.

You just have to configure the names of directories to replicate in SafeKit. There are no pre-requisites on disk organization. Directories may be located in the system disk.

Step 2. Automatic failover

When Server 1 fails, Server 2 takes over. SafeKit switches the virtual IP address and restarts the Milestone XProtect and SQL application automatically on Server 2.

The application finds the files replicated by SafeKit uptodate on Server 2. The application continues to run on Server 2 by locally modifying its files that are no longer replicated to Server 1.

The failover time is equal to the fault-detection time (30 seconds by default) plus the application start-up time.

Best high availability use cases with SafeKit

Best use cases [+]

OEM Software	Distributed Enterprise	Remote Sites

A software publisher uses SafeKit as an OEM software for high availability of its application	A distributed enterprise deploys SafeKit in many branches without specific IT skills	SafeKit is deployed in two remote sites without the need for replicated bays of disks through a SAN

Testimonials

The ideal product for a software publisher
“SafeKit is the ideal application clustering solution for a software publisher. We currently have deployed more than 80 SafeKit clusters worldwide with our critical TV broadcasting application.”
The product very easy to deploy for a reseller
“Noemis, a value added distributor of Milestone Video Surveillance, has assisted integrators to deploy the SafeKit redundancy solution on many projects such as city surveillance, datacenters, stadiums and other critical infrastructures. SafeKit is a great product, and Evidian provides a great support.”
The product to gain time for a system integrator
“Thanks to a simple and powerful product, we gained time in the integration and validation of our critical projects like the supervision of Paris metro lines (the control rooms).”

Video management, access control, building management [+]
Life safety is directly associated with the proper execution of security software. That’s why, they need redundancy and high availability. SafeKit is recognized as the simplest redundancy solution by our partners which has deployed it in:
Testimonial of Sebastien Temoin, Technical and Innovation Director, NOEMIS:

“SafeKit by Evidian is a professional solution making easy the redundancy of Milestone video management software. The solution is easy to deploy, easy to maintain and can be added on existing installation. We have assisted integrators to deploy the solution on many projects such as city surveillance, datacenters, stadiums and other critical infrastructures. SafeKit is a great product, and Evidian provides great support.”
TV broadcasting [+]

Harmonic is using SafeKit as a software OEM high availability solution and deploys it with its TV broadcasting solutions over satellites, terrestrials, cable, IPTV.

Over 80 SafeKit clusters are deployed on Windows for replication of Harmonic database and automatic failover of the critical application.

Philippe Vidal, Product Manager, Harmonic says:

“SafeKit is the ideal application clustering solution for a software publisher looking for a simple and economical high availability software. We are deploying SafeKit worldwide and we currently have more than 80 SafeKit clusters on Windows with our critical TV broadcasting application through terrestrial, satellite, cable and IP-TV. SafeKit implements the continuous and real-time replication of our database as well as the automatic failover of our application for software and hardware failures. Without modifying our application, it was possible for us to customize the installation of SafeKit. Since then, the time of preparation and implementation has been significantly reduced.”
Finance [+]

The European Society of Warranties and Guarantees in Natixis uses SafeKit as a high availability solution for its applications.

Over 30 SafeKit clusters are deployed on Unix and Windows in Natixis.
Industry [+]

Fives Syleps implements high availability of its ERP with SafeKit and deploys the solution in the food industry.

Over 20 SafeKit clusters are deployed on Linux and Windows with Oracle.

Testimonial of Fives Syleps:

“The automated factories that we equip rely on our ERP. It is not possible that our ERP is out of service due to a computer failure. Otherwise, the whole activity of the factory stops.

We chose the Evidian SafeKit high availability product because it is an easy to use solution. It is implemented on standard servers and does not require the use of shared disks on a SAN and load balancing network boxes.

It allows servers to be put in remote computer rooms. In addition, the solution is homogeneous for Linux and Windows platforms. And it provides 3 functionalities: load balancing between servers, automatic failover and real-time data replication.”

Air traffic control [+]

Air traffic control systems supplier, Copperchase, deploys SafeKit high availability in airports.

Over 20 SafeKit clusters are deployed on Windows.

Tony Myers, Director of Business Development says:

“By developing applications for air traffic control, Copperchase is in one of the most critical business activities. We absolutely need our applications to be available all the time. We have found with SafeKit a simple and complete clustering solution for our needs. This software combines in a single product load balancing, real time data replication with no data loss and automatic failover. This is why, Copperchase deploys SafeKit for air traffic control in airports in the UK and the 30 countries where we are present.”
Bank [+]

Software vendor Wellington IT deploys SafeKit high availability with its banking application for Credit Unions in Ireland and UK.

Over 25 SafeKit clusters are deployed on Linux with Oracle.

Peter Knight, Sales Manager says:

“Business continuity and disaster recovery are a major concern for our Locus banking application deployed in numerous Credit Unions around Ireland and the UK. We have found with SafeKit a simple and robust solution for high availability and synchronous replication between two servers with no data loss. With this software solution, we are not dependent on a specific and costly hardware clustering solution. It is a perfect tool to provide a software high availability option to an application of a software vendor.”
Transport [+]

Paris transport company (RATP) chose the SafeKit high availability and load balancing solution for the centralized control room of line 1 of the Paris subway.

20 SafeKit clusters are deployed on Windows and Linux.

Stéphane Guilmin, RATP, Project manager says:

“Automation of line 1 of the Paris subway is a major project for RATP, requiring a centralized command room (CCR) designed to resist IT failures. With SafeKit, we have three distinct advantages to meet this need. Firstly, SafeKit is a purely software solution that does not demand the use of shared disks on a SAN and network boxes for load balancing. It is very simple to separate our servers into separate machine rooms. Moreover, this clustering solution is homogeneous for our Windows and Linuxplatforms. SafeKit provides the three functions that we needed: load balancing between servers, automatic failover after an incident and real time data replication.”

And also, Philippe Marsol, Atos BU Transport, Integration Manager says:

“SafeKit is a simple and powerful product for application high availability. We have integrated SafeKit in our critical projects like the supervision of Paris metro Line 4 (the control room) or Marseille Line 1 and Line 2 (the operations center). Thanks to the simplicity of the product, we gained time for the integration and validation of the solution and we had also quick answers to our questions with a responsive Evidian team.”
Healthcare [+]

The software integrator Systel deploys SafeKit high-availability solution in firefighter and emergency medical call centers.

Over 30 SafeKit clusters are deployed on Windows with SQL Server.

Marc Pellas, CEO says:

“SafeKit perfectly meets the needs of a software vendor. Its main advantage is that it brings in high availability through a software option that is added to our own multi-platform software suite. This way, we are not dependent on a specific and costly hardware clustering solution that is not only difficult to install and maintain, but also differs according to client environments. With SafeKit, our firefighter call centers are run with an integrated software clustering solution, which is the same for all our customers, is user friendly and for which we master the installation up to after-sales support.”
Government [+]

ERP high availability and load balancing of the French army (DGA) are made with SafeKit.

14 SafeKit clusters are deployed on Windows and Linux.

Alexandre Barth, Systems administrator says:

“Our production team implemented the SafeKit solution without any difficulty on 14 Windows and Linux clusters. Our critical activity is thus secure, with high-availability and load balancing functions. The advantages of this product are easy deployment and administration of clusters, on the one hand, and uniformity of the solution in the face of heterogeneous operating systems, on the other hand.”

Key differentiators of a mirror cluster with replication and failover

Evidian SafeKit mirror cluster with real-time file replication and failover
3 products in 1 More info >	The SafeKit high availability software saves on Windows and Linux the cost of : external shared or replicated storage, load balancing boxes, enterprise editions of OS and databases SafeKit includes all clustering features: synchronous real-time file replication, monitoring of server / network / software failures, automatic application restart, virtual IP address switched in case of failure to reroute clients
Very simple configuration More info >	The cluster configuration is very simple and made by means of application modules. New services and new replicated directories can be added to an existing application module to complete a high availability solution All the configuration of clusters is made using a simple centralized web administration console There is no domain controller or active directory to configure as with Microsoft cluster
Synchronous replication More info >	The real-time replication is synchronous with no data loss on failure This is not the case with asynchronous replication
Fully automated failback More info >	After a failure when a server reboots, the replication failback procedure is fully automatic and the failed server reintegrates the cluster without stopping the application on the only remaining server This is not the case with most replication solutions particularly with replication at the database level. Manual operations are required for resynchronizing a failed server. The application may even be stopped on the only remaining server during the resynchonization of the failed server
Replication of any type of data More info >	The replication is working for databases but also for any files which shall be replicated This not the case for replication at the database level
File replication vs disk replication More info >	The replication is based on file directories that can be located anywhere (even in the system disk) This is not the case with disk replication where special application configuration must be made to put the application data in a special disk
File replication vs shared disk More info >	The servers can be put in two remote sites This is not the case with shared disk solutions
Remote sites and virtual IP address More info >	All SafeKit clustering features are working for 2 servers in remote sites. Replication requires an extended LAN type network (latency = performance of synchronous replication, bandwidth = performance of resynchronization after failure). If both servers are connected to the same IP network through an extended LAN between two remote sites, the virtual IP address of SafeKit is working with rerouting at level 2 If both servers are connected to two different IP networks between two remote sites, the virtual IP address can be configured at the level of a load balancer with the "healh check" of SafeKit.
Quorum and split brain More info >	The solution works with only 2 servers and for the quorum (network isolation between both sites), a simple split brain checker to a router is offered to support a single execution of the critical application This is not the case for most clustering solutions where a 3^rd server is required for the quorum
Active/active cluster More info >	The secondary server is not dedicated to the restart of the primary server. The cluster can be active-active by running 2 different mirror modules This is not the case with a fault-tolerant system where the secondary is dedicated to the execution of the same application synchronized at the instruction level
Uniform high availability solution More info >	SafeKit implements a mirror cluster with replication and failover. But it imlements also a farm cluster with load balancing and failover. Thus a N-tiers architecture can be made highly available and load balanced with the same solution on Windows and Linux (same installation, configuration, administration with the SafeKit console or with the command line interface). This is unique on the market This is not the case with an architecture mixing different technologies for load balancing, replication and failover
RTO / RPO More info >	SafeKit implements quick application restart in case of failure: around 1 mn or less Quick application restart is not ensured with full virtual machines replication. In case of hypervisor failure, a full VM must be rebooted on a new hypervisor with a recovery time depending on the OS reboot as with VMware HA or Hyper-V cluster

Key differentiators of a farm cluster with load balancing and failover

Evidian SafeKit farm cluster with load balancing and failover
No load balancer or dedicated proxy servers or special multicast Ethernet address More info >	The solution does not require load balancers or dedicated proxy servers above the farm for imlementing load balancing. SafeKit is installed directly on the application servers in the farm. The load balancing is based on a standard virtual IP address/Ethernet MAC address and is working with physical servers or virtual machines on Windows and Linux without special network configuration This is not the case with network load balancers This is not the case with dedicated proxies on Linux This is not the case with a specific multicast Ethernet address on Windows
All clustering features More info >	The solution includes all clustering features: virtual IP address, load balancing on client IP address or on sessions, monitoring of server / network / software failures, automatic application restart with a quick revovery time and a replication option with a mirror module This is not the case with other load balancing solutions. They are able to make load balancing but they do not include a full clustering solution with restart scripts and automatic application restart in case of failure. They do not offer a replication option The cluster configuration is very simple and made by means of application modules. There is no domain controller or active directory to configure on Windows. The solution works on Windows and Linux
Remote sites and virtual IP address More info >	If servers are connected to the same IP network through an extended LAN between remote sites, the virtual IP address of SafeKit is working with load balancing at level 2 If servers are connected to different IP networks between remote sites, the virtual IP address can be configured at the level of a load balancer with the help of the SafeKit health check. Thus you can implement load balancing but also all the clustering features of SafeKit, in particular monitoring and automatic recovery of the critical application on application servers
Uniform high availability solution More info >	SafeKit imlements a farm cluster with load balancing and failover. But it implements also a mirror cluster with replication and failover. Thus a N-tiers architecture can be made highly available and load balanced with the same solution on Windows and Linux (same installation, configuration, administration with the SafeKit console or with the command line interface). This is unique on the market This is not the case with an architecture mixing different technologies for load balancing, replication and failover

Key differentiators of the SafeKit high availability technology

Software clustering vs hardware clustering More info >
A simple software cluster with the SafeKit package just installed on two servers	Complex hardware clustering with external storage or network load balancers
Shared nothing vs a shared disk cluster More info >
SafeKit is a shared-nothing cluster: easy to deploy even in remote sites	A shared disk cluster is complex to deploy
Application High Availability vs Full Virtual Machine High Availability More info >
Application HA supports hardware failure and software failure with a quick recovery time (RTO around 1 mn or less). Application HA requires to define restart scripts per application and folders to replicate (SafeKit application modules).	Full virtual machines HA supports only hardware failure with a VM reboot and a recovery time depending on the OS reboot. No restart scripts to define with full virtual machines HA (SafeKit hyperv.safe or kvm.safe modules). Hypervisors are active/active with just multiple virtual machines.
High availability vs fault tolerance More info >
No dedicated server with SafeKit. Each server can be the failover server of the other one. Software failure with restart in another OS environment. Smooth upgrade of application and OS possible server by server (version N and N+1 can coexist)	Secondary server dedicated to the execution of the same application synchronized at the instruction level. Software exception on both servers at the same time. Smooth upgrade not possible
Synchronous replication vs asynchronous replication More info >
SafeKit implements real-time synchronous replication with no data loss in case of failure	With asynchronous replication, there is data loss on failure
Byte-level file replication vs block-level disk replication More info >
SafeKit implements real-time byte-level file replication and is simply configured with application directories to replicate even in the system disk	Block-level disk replication is complex to configure and requires to put application data in a special disk
Heartbeat, failover and quorum to avoid 2 master nodes More info >
To avoid 2 masters, SafeKit proposes a simple split brain checker configured on a router	To avoid 2 masters, other clusters require a complex configuration with a third machine, a special quorum disk, a special interconnect
Virtual IP address primary/secondary, network load balancing, failover More info >
No dedicated proxy servers and no special network configuration are required in a SafeKit cluster for virtual IP addresses	Special network configuration is required in other clusters for virtual IP addresses. Note that SafeKit offers a health check adapted to load balancers

Network load balancing and failover
Windows farm	Linux farm
Generic Windows farm >	Generic Linux farm >
Microsoft IIS >	-
NGINX >
Apache >
Amazon AWS farm >
Microsoft Azure farm >
Google GCP farm >
Other cloud >

Advanced clustering architectures

Several modules can be deployed on the same cluster. Thus, advanced clustering architectures can be implemented:

the farm+mirror cluster built by deploying a farm module and a mirror module on the same cluster,
the active/active cluster with replication built by deploying several mirror modules on 2 servers,
the Hyper-V cluster or KVM cluster with real-time replication and failover of full virtual machines between 2 active hypervisors,
the N-1 cluster built by deploying N mirror modules on N+1 servers.

Real-time file replication and failover
Windows mirror	Linux mirror
Generic Windows mirror >	Generic Linux mirror >
Microsoft SQL Server >	-
Oracle >
MariaDB >
MySQL >
PostgreSQL >
Firebird >
Windows Hyper-V >	-
-	Linux KVM >
-	Docker >
-	Kubernetes >
-	Elasticsearch >
Milestone XProtect >	-
Genetec SQL Server >	-
Hanwha Wisenet Wave > Hanwha Wisenet SSM >	-
Nedap AEOS >	-
Siemens SIMATIC WinCC > Siemens SIMATIC PCS 7 > Siemens Siveillance > Siemens Desigo CC > Siemens SiPass > Siemens SIPORT >	-
Bosch AMS > Bosch BIS > Bosch BVMS >	-
Amazon AWS mirror >
Microsoft Azure mirror >
Google GCP mirror >
Other cloud >

Milestone XProtect: the simplest high availability cluster between two redundant servers

With the synchronous replication and automatic failover provided by Evidian SafeKit

How the Evidian SafeKit software simply implements a Milestone XProtect high availability cluster?

The solution for Milestone XProtect

A generic product

A complete solution

SafeKit brings two solutions for redundancy and high availability

Redundancy and high availability at the application level

Examples

Redundancy and high availability at the virtual machine level

Examples

SafeKit, a recognized solution on the security market

Milestone has chosen SafeKit

Solution preferred by Siemens

SafeKit recommended by Nedap

TIL Technologies has chosen SafeKit

Innovation award in Video Management Software

Comparison

Built-in Hyper-V replication

Microsoft clustering (same as VMware HA)

Evidian SafeKit

SafeKit free trial + mirror module for Milestone and SQL + quick installation guide

Prerequisites

Package installation on Windows

Module installation on Windows

1. Launch the SafeKit console

2. Configure node addresses

3. Choose the module

4. Configure the module

5. Verify successful configuration

6. Do not start anything and click on the Close button

7. Go to desktop of node 1 and set the virtual IP address in internal Milestone files

8. Start node 1 as primary in the console, the node with up-to-date data

9. Wait for the transition to ALONE (green)

10. In the desktop of node 1, stop, then register on the vitual IP address and restart the Milestone Management Server

11. In the desktop of node 1 with Milestone Management Client, set the virtual IP address in URLs for services and network

12. In the desktop of node 1 with Milestone Management Client, set the administrator roles to ensure a correct failover

13. Go to the desktop of node 2 and set the virtual IP address in internal Milestone files

14. In the desktop of node 2, register the management server on the vitual IP address

15. Start node 2

16. Verify that the cluster is operational

17. Configure the virtual IP address in recording servers for a reconnection after a failover

18. Automatically start the module at boot

19. Testing

Module log

Application log

Advanced configuration

Support

Internals of a SafeKit / Milestone XProtect and SQL high availability cluster with synchronous replication and failover

Internal files of milestone.safe module

Demonstration of a Milestone XProtect cluster with Evidian SafeKit between two redundant servers

How the SafeKit mirror cluster works with Milestone XProtect and SQL?

Step 1. Real-time replication

Step 2. Automatic failover

Step 3. Automatic failback

Step 4. Back to normal

Typical usage with SafeKit

Why a replication of a few Tera-bytes?

Why a replication < 1,000,000 files?

Why a failover < 25 replicated VMs?

Why a LAN/VLAN network between remote sites?

Partners, the success with SafeKit

Building Management Software (BMS)

Video Management Software (VMS)

Electronic Access Control Software (EACS)

SCADA Software (Industry)

SafeKit Customers in all Business Activities

Best use cases [+]

Testimonials

Video management, access control, building management [+]

TV broadcasting [+]

Finance [+]

Industry [+]

Air traffic control [+]

Bank [+]

Transport [+]

Healthcare [+]

Government [+]

Demonstrations of Redundancy and High Availability Solutions

SafeKit Webinar