VM HA vs Application HA

Evidian SafeKit

Choose between redundancy at the application level or at the virtual machine level

Redundancy at the application level

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

Application HA - redundancy at the application level

With this solution, restart scripts must be written to restart the application.

We deliver application modules to implement redundancy at the application level. They are preconfigured for well known applications and databases. You can customize them with your own services, data to replicate, application checkers. And you can combine application modules to build advanced multi-level architectures.

This solution is platform agnostic and works with applications inside physical machines, virtual machines, in the Cloud. Any hypervisor is supported (VMware, Hyper-V...).

  • Solution for a new application (restart scripts to write): Windows, Linux

Redundancy at the virtual machine level

In this type of solution, the full Virtual Machine (VM) is replicated (Application + OS). And the full VM is restarted in case of failure.

VM HA - redundancy at the virtual machine level

The advantage is that there is no restart scripts to write per application and no virtual IP address to define. If you do not know how the application works, this is the best solution.

This solution 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.

VM HA vs Application HA

VM HA with the SafeKit Hyper-V or KVM module Application HA with SafeKit application modules
SafeKit inside 2 hypervisors

VM HA

SafeKit replication and failover of full VM

SafeKit inside 2 virtual or physical machines

Application HA

SafeKit replication and failover at application level

Replicates more data (App+OS) Replicates only application data
Reboot of VM on hypervisor 2 if hypervisor 1 crashes
Recovery time depending on the OS reboot
Quick recovery time with restart of App on OS2 if crash of server 1
Around 1 mn or less (see RTO/RPO here)
Application checker and software failover
Generic solution for any application / OS Restart scripts to be written in application modules

SafeKit vs Microsoft Hyper-V Cluster & VMware HA

SafeKit with the Hyper-V module or the KVM module Microsoft Hyper-V Cluster & VMware HA
SafeKit with Hyper-V VMware HA and Hyper-V cluster

Note that the Hyper-V/SafeKit and KVM/SafeKit solutions are limited to replication and failover of 25 VMs.

Partners, the success with SafeKit

This platform agnostic solution is ideal for a partner reselling a critical application and who wants to provide a redundancy and high availability option easy to deploy to many customers.

With many references in many countries won by partners, SafeKit has proven to be the easiest solution to implement for redundancy and high availability of building management, video management, access control, SCADA software...

Building Management Software (BMS)

Video Management Software (VMS)

Electronic Access Control Software (EACS)

SCADA Software (Industry)

SafeKit High Availability Differentiators against Competition

SafeKit Modules for Plug&Play Redundancy and High Availability Solutions

Advanced clustering architectures

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

Demonstrations of Redundancy and High Availability Solutions

SafeKit Webinar

This webinar presents in 2 minutes Evidian SafeKit.

In this webinar, you will understand SafeKit mirror and farm clusters.

Microsoft SQL Server Cluster

This video shows a mirror module configuration with synchronous real-time replication and failover.

The file replication and the failover are configured for Microsoft SQL Server but it works in the same manner for other databases.

Free trial here

Apache Cluster

This video shows a farm module configuration with load balancing and failover.

The load balancing and the failover are configured for Apache but it works in the same manner for other web services.

Free trial here

Hyper-V Cluster

This video shows a Hyper-V cluster with full replications of virtual machines.

Virtual machines can run on both Hyper-V servers and they are restarted in case of failure.

Free trial here

SafeKit Technical Documentation

SafeKit Training

Introduction

  1. Overview / pptx

    • Features
    • Architectures
    • Distinctive advantages
  2. Competition / pptx

    • Hardware vs software cluster
    • Synchronous vs asynchronous replication
    • File vs disk replication
    • High availability vs fault tolerance
    • Hardware vs software load balancing
    • Virtual machine vs application HA

Installation, Console, CLI

  1. Install and setup / pptx
    • Package installation
    • Nodes setup
    • Cluster configuration
    • Upgrade
  2. Web console / pptx
    • Cluster configuration
    • Configuration tab
    • Control tab
    • Monitor tab
    • Advanced Configuration tab
  3. Command line / pptx
    • Silent installation
    • Cluster administration
    • Module administration
    • Command line interface

Advanced configuration

  1. Mirror module / pptx
    • userconfig.xml + restart scripts
    • Heartbeat (<hearbeat>)
    • Virtual IP address (<vip>)
    • Real-time file replication (<rfs>)
  2. Farm  module / pptx
    • userconfig.xml + restart scripts
    • Farm configuration (<farm>)
    • Virtual IP address (<vip>)
  3. Checkers / pptx
    • Failover machine (<failover>)
    • Process monitoring (<errd>)
    • Network and duplicate IP checkers
    • Custom checker (<custom>)
    • Split brain checker (<splitbrain>)
    • TCP, ping, module checkers

Support

  1. Support tools / pptx
    • Analyze snapshots
  2. Evidian support / pptx
    • Get permanent license key
    • Register on support.evidian.com
    • Call desk