Neverfail

Based on the vendor's Neverfail Heartbeat technology, the Neverfail product line includes a collection of modules that provide high availability features to existing Windows based applications. Individual modules in the Neverfail product line provide features specifically for Windows 2000/2003 File Servers, Exchange 2000/2003/2007, SharePoint Server 2007, SharePoint Portal Server 2003, SharePoint Services 2/3, SQL Server 2000/2005, IIS 5/6, BlackBerry Enterprise Server 4.0/4.1, Lotus Domino Messaging Server 6/6.5/7/8, ColdFusion MX 7, Captaris RightFax v9.0/v9.3, FileMaker Server 8, and Good Mobile Messaging for MS Exchange. Additionally, the vendor offers Application Module eXtensions (AMXs) to support other auxiliary Windows applications, including entries such as eTrust EZAntivirus, GFI Mail Essentials for Exchange, Microsoft Antigen, Sophos MailMonitor, and more.

The core Heartbeat technology provides both the ability to clone and replicate information from a master server to a passive backup servers, as well as continuously monitor the health of the primary server and initiate automated failover operations to the backup server should the primary server fail.

To setup Neverfail, you first need two servers; one that will serve as the primary application server, and a second server that will serve as a passive, backup server. The backup server needn't be an identical copy of the primary; however, it must be loaded with the same operating system and patch levels, and the backup server's disk space and memory must match the primary server. An additional network interface card must be installed in both servers, which will facilitate the communication of heartbeat information and replication data between the server pair. Both LAN and WAN (where the heartbeat is transferred over a WAN link) deployments are possible.

Following the installation of the software on both servers, the primary server's application deployments are then cloned to the backup server; and from then on changes made to the primary server are asynchronously replicated over to the backup server. If/when a failover is necessary, the primary server is automatically taken offline and the backup server then operates as the primary. Manual "switchover" operations are also supported for planned maintenance downtime.

Once the (former) primary server is restored to service, the administrator can initiate a "switchback" operation that will then re-synchronize the primary server from the backup server, restore the original server as the primary server, and place the backup server back into passive status.

Other modules and capabilities of the Neverfail platform include:

- Neverfail SCOPE (Server Check Optimization Performance Evaluation), which provides an automated initial data summarization and analysis of server status (application components, services and performance attributes) prior to installation and on going health reporting after the product is installed. The vendor states that SCOPE is required prior to installation of Neverfail Heartbeat

- The Neverfail Low Bandwidth Module (optional), a data compression tool that seeks to reduce the size of communications between the primary and backup servers

- The Neverfail Data Rollback Module (optional), which provides snap-shot based data saving on the passive server such that administrators can perform a switchover operation to a previous point in time on the passive server (and then synchronize the active server to that previous point in time, if desired)

The Neverfail product suite is available now. Base pricing for each module begins at $12,800 per server pair, which includes the core Neverfail Heartbeat technology, an application module, an application module extension, SCOPE, and maintenance and support. Additional application modules begin at $1,540.

Visit the vendor's Web site for further information.

product submission by EITPlanet Staff

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