When it comes to mission-critical data that must be available around the clock, a disaster-proof configuration is an absolute must to keeping web stores trading, transaction databases available, and virtual machines up-and-running. However, such configurations are usually only available in conjunction with upper midrange and enterprise systems, commonly out of the price range of SMEs, and so complex that many IT organizations don’t feel comfortable managing these intricate environments. So, wherever possible, they simply avoid them – putting their businesses and reputation at risk.
The ETERNUS Storage Cluster offers a number of functions that safeguard SMEs against disasters without complexity or high costs. The failover to the surviving system or the secondary site takes place automatically during a disaster, with full transparency to the hosts and application, and without the need of intervention by system administrators. All application access is maintained in real-time, while all systems in the high-availability environment can be run productively during normal standard operations. It also supports manual failover, which helps in case of planned power shutdowns, disaster recovery tests and non-disruptive upgrades.
This makes disaster recovery simple and affordable for SMEs, such as those running Microsoft applications and considering the realization of small-scale virtualization projects. A ETERNUS Storage Cluster consists of two entry-level or midrange ETERNUS DX storage systems, ETERNUS SF management software and networking switches. Pre-defined configurations make it easy to set up a disaster recovery configuration.