Migrating to Another Active Site

You can use the disaster recovery feature to migrate FTL operations to a different site, even though no disaster has occurred.

This task uses the following terminology:
Site F (the From site)
The site that currently hosts FTL operations, the site from which you are migrating FTL operations.
Site T (the To site)
A site that you designate as the new active site, the site to which you are migrating FTL operations.
Complete these task steps during scheduled downtime.

Procedure

  1. Define the persistence services you intend to deploy at site T.
    In the FTL server GUI persistence clusters grid, define a second service set for the cluster, and define new persistence services in it.

    Deploy the updated realm definition.

  2. Copy the FTL server configuration file from site F to site T.
    Make a reference copy of the site F configuration file.
  3. Modify your working copy of the site F configuration file.
    Configure the drto parameter for each site F core server to contain a list of the site T core servers.
    For example: 
    globals:

  core.servers:
      ftl1:  host1:8585
      ftl2:  host2:8585
      ftl3:  host3:8585

servers:

  # Core servers
  ftl1:
    drto: >
                 http://host-t1:8585
                 |http://host-t2:8585
                 |http://host-t3:8585
    realm:
         data: /myhome/ftlserver/data

  ftl2:
    drto: >
                 http://host-t1:8585
                 |http://host-t2:8585
                 |http://host-t3:8585
    - realm:
         data: /myhome/ftlserver/data

  ftl3:
    drto: >
                 http://host-t1:8585
                 |http://host-t2:8585
                 |http://host-t3:8585
    - realm:
         data: /myhome/ftlserver/data

  #Auxiliary servers
  ftl4:
    - persistence:
         name: psvc4  #Numbering follows aux server names.

  ftl5:
    - persistence:
         name psvc5

  ftl6:
    - persistence:
         name psvc6
  4. Modify the site T configuration file.
    1. In the core.servers parameter and in the servers section, replace the site F core servers with the site T core servers.
    2. Configure the drfor parameter for each site T server so it contains a list of the site F core servers.
    3. Configure a realm service for each site T core server.
    4. Configure a persistence service for each site T auxiliary server.
      For each auxiliary server, specify a unique service name that you defined in step 1.
    5. Duplicate the other relevant persistence parameters from site F servers to site T servers.
    For example: 
    globals:

  core.servers:
      ftl-t1:  host-t1:8585
      ftl-t2:  host-t2:8585
      ftl-t3:  host-t3:8585

servers:

  # Site T core servers
  ftl-t1:
    drto: >
                 http://host1:8585
                 |http://host2:8585
                 |http://host3:8585
    realm:
         data: /myhome/ftlserver/data

  ftl-t2:
    drto: >
                 http://host1:8585
                 |http://host2:8585
                 |http://host3:8585
    - realm:
         data: /myhome/ftlserver/data

  ftl-t3:
    drto: >
                 http://host1:8585
                 |http://host2:8585
                 |http://host3:8585
    - realm:
         data: /myhome/ftlserver/data

  #Site T auxiliary servers
  ftl-t4:
    - persistence:
         name: psvc-t4  #Numbering follows aux server names.

  ftl-t5:
    - persistence:
         name psvc-t5

  ftl-t6:
    - persistence:
         name psvc-t6
  5. Stop and restart the core servers at site F, one at a time.
    After restarting each server, and before restarting the next server, wait until the status of the restarted server becomes Running.
    Each FTL server will read the updated configuration file when it restarts.
  6. Stop and restart the auxiliary servers at site F, one at a time.
    After restarting each server, and before restarting the next server, wait until both the server and the persistence cluster to reach equilibrium:
    • Wait until the status of the restarted server becomes Running.
    • Wait until the status of the persistence cluster becomes Running.
    Each FTL server will read the updated configuration file when it restarts.
  7. Start disaster recovery FTL servers at site T.
    1. First start the site T core servers.
    2. Then start the site T auxiliary servers.
  8. Stop all publishing activity at site F, and wait for the persistence services to finish replicating the data.
    Gracefully stop all client applications at site F.
    In the persistence clusters status table and its services list sub-tables, compare the history values of all the services at both sites. When they all match, replication of persistence data is complete.
  9. Stop all FTL servers at site F.
  10. Make another reference copy of the site T configuration file.
  11. Modify your working copy of the site T configuration file to migrate FTL servers to site T.
    1. Delete the drfor parameter from each site T server, so they become primary FTL servers.
    2. If authentication is required, supply the user and password parameters, with credentials that the site T primary servers can use to authenticate themselves to affiliated servers.
      Ensure that the user name is in the authorization group ftl-internal.
    For example: 
    globals:

  core.servers:
      ftl-t1:  host-t1:8585
      ftl-t2:  host-t2:8585
      ftl-t3:  host-t3:8585

servers:

  # Site T core servers
  ftl-t1:
    realm:
         data: /myhome/ftlserver/data

  ftl-t2:
    - realm:
         data: /myhome/ftlserver/data

  ftl-t3:
    - realm:
         data: /myhome/ftlserver/data

  #Site T auxiliary servers
  ftl-t4:
    - persistence:
         name: psvc-t4  #Numbering follows aux server names.

  ftl-t5:
    - persistence:
         name psvc-t5

  ftl-t6:
    - persistence:
         name psvc-t6
  12. Stop and restart the core servers at site T, one at a time.
    The FTL server will read the updated configuration file when it restarts.
  13. Toggle the persistence primary set to site T.
    1. Using the browser GUI of a primary FTL server at site T, navigate to the clusters grid, and ensure that the Primary Set column is visible.
    2. Change the primary set of the persistence cluster so that the persistence services at the site T will become the primary set.
    3. After changing the primary service set , deploy the new realm definition.
    4. Wait until the status of every FTL server becomes Running.
    5. Wait until the status of the persistence cluster becomes Running.
  14. Direct application clients to FTL servers at site T.
    Start application clients at site T. Explicitly supply the locations of FTL servers at site T.
    Site T is now the active site of FTL operations.