Backup Solutions for the CAT

CAT Meeting Participants

January 8, 2010

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Background

• This presentation was created after a white board session at the CAT meeting (1/7/2010)

• Creating a national solution for RFC backup is not a part of the CHPS BOC.

• However, the interim solutions we use should be steps in the direction of a national solution.

• As there is no national solution currently, it is not possible to create a single CHPS solution to replace that national solution.

• RFCs will need to adapt their current solutions to work with CHPS.

• However, there are some general approaches that will be tested and documented to make the transition simpler

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BOC Requirement

• Not included in the BOC document.

• The following is included in the BOC II document:

• “On-site backup capability is a requirement for periods when AWIPS is down (scheduled and unscheduled)”

• The following is the proposed BOC requirement:

• Backup capability comparable to current backup capabilities and taking advantage of similar approaches where necessary.

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Solutions to test and document (1)

• The Laptop Solution

• The most common current solution is some flavor of the “laptop solution”

• Necessary programs are loaded onto a laptop, current fs5files are loaded onto a laptop, and a data feed is pulled off the internet.

• Some flavor of this may still work with CHPS using the standalone mode

• Data between upstream and downstream FGroups would need to be passed with SHEF exports and imports

• It is not clear how Mods and states could be passed back into the primary system

• Rob S. will test this solution.

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Solutions to test and document (2)

• The Multi-MC solution

• One feature of CHPS is synchronization between CHPS logical instances.• A CHPS logical instance is MC, FSS, DB• A CHPS logical instance is independent of the hardware. • A CHPS logical instance can exist across a single or multiple pieces of

hardware.

• One backup solution to be explored is synchronization between logical instances.

• Synchronization between logical instances can occur across large distances so long as the network connection is broad enough.• Synchronization can occur between multiple logical instances.

• The CHPS hardware includes two full sets of hardware (MC hw, FSS hw, DB hw).• The Duty Logical Instance can use both the Duty FSS hardware and

the Standby FSS hardware.

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Description of Multi-MC solution

• The diagram on the next slide shows the Multi-MC backup solution.

• Synchronization occurs between a Duty and Standby Logical Instances within an office and with another Standby Logical Instance outside the office.

• The logical instance running outside the office, will run on the Standby Hardware at another RFC.

• The data feed will be split so there are three data feeds, one running into each logical instance.

• The data feed to the logical instance outside the office will run across the AWIPS WAN

• One concern with this solution is the impact of running two Standby Logical Instances on the Standby Hardware at each RFC

• Rob H and Harold O will test this configuration

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MC

FSS

DB

MC

FSS

DB

Backup options

MC

FSS

DB

MC

FSS

DB

SBN/WAN

IHFS-DB Grid DB

ofsde mpe, etc

SBN/WAN

IHFS-DB Grid DB

ofsde mpe, etc

RFC 2RFC 1

Duty HardwareStby HardwareSynchronization

Duty Logical InstanceStby Logical InstanceDashed lines indicate WAN comms

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Backup Scenarios

• In order to evaluate the effectiveness of the backup solutions, we will collect a set of backup scenarios and then evaluate the solutions against those scenarios.

• Scenarios already identified:

• AWIPS install – no LX workstations available

• One CHPS Duty box fails – office workstations and other servers working

• CHPS Duty and Standby fail – office workstations and other servers working

• Catastrophic AWIPS and CHPS hardware failure – no office computers available

• Edwin W. will collect and distribute for comment scenarios.