RE: Disaster Recovery

[Bryce Martin <BMartin@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

So you guys are chaning the IP address on the Ethline of the machine? Then 
when the router hits the wrong machine, it looks for the new route and 
finds it and updates its routes? 

Just trying to clarify what exactly happens.


Thanks
Bryce Martin
Programmer/Analyst I
570-546-4777



rob@xxxxxxxxx 
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09/17/2010 11:27 AM
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RE: Disaster Recovery






We too use dns.  All the users go to "GDIHQ".  No, we do not change the IP 

address on all user's PCs.  It's just that the physical GDIHQ stops using 
that IP address and GDIHQ2 takes it over.  Win/win - no changing of users 
pc's.  No involvement of network personnel.  Tested (repeatedly), works.

Currently our boxes are in the same room (very long rollout I agree). When 

we move offsite we have two choices.  Play games with DNS or upgrade our 
switches for $250K to allow the same IP address to be used in two cities. 
Quarter of a million makes me gag but it may happen anyway since the other 

switches are getting dated.  Hey we just spent $17K to 20K on monitors in 
all facilities so Big Brother can roll a continuous power point on why our 

company is so good and stuff coming up.
The alternative is that we change the address in the DNS.  It's as simple 
as Start, Programs, Administrative tools, DNS and some flipping there.  We 

already do this for three SMTP servers when one is down.  It's a "doing 
maintenance on INTERNOTES (alias SMTP) and all the scanners route through 
SMTP so change the address via dns on SMTP to the address used by SMTP2 
(aka INTERNOTES02) and route all scanners through that".  Instructions are 

all typed up and we've been doing that for a few months when we perform 
downtime so it may not be so hard when we have to do this for bigger iron. 

 Yes, the people performing downtime need to log on to the computer in the 

machine room with authority to this.  Yes we do give them a shared user id 

and password during that duration.  No the password hasn't been changed in 

years.  Yes, there's opportunity for improvement.




Rob Berendt