Sync Two Servers
The company is trying to sync a couple of servers from one network/domain to another over a VPN. Personally, I think it is a little ambitious and will need to be scaled back to only a few key items. But I need to come up with a list of technical reasons why this won't work with "some kind of windows r-sync". My first worry is open files and the nature of the registry. With the registry, my understanding is that it is essentially an open database which would make it impossible to simply rsnc or robocopy across a wan on the back of a vpn. With open files, would any sync'ing program need to be VSS aware? And if it were, if this happens during backups won't the snapshots step on each other? Anyone ever implement this kind of thing without resorting to dual arrays?
April 21st, 2011 2:24pm

I would reommend that you consider what is actually needed to be sync'd. If its the data that your company is interested in, there are a variety of ways to sync. If you are trying to "mirror" the entire server, I don't see how this can be accompished in this manner. It would be more appropriate to span a VLAN accross two physical locations and either cluster the servers, or use some type of hypervisor that will allow you to dynamically move the server between sites. This is complicated. Visit: anITKB.com, an IT Knowledge Base.
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April 21st, 2011 2:37pm

I agree with JM. If you are going to sync just data, then it is available with script or program. If it is mirror the server system as JM said, it will be difficult and generally there is no reason to mirror a server between different domain. Meanwhile VSS will not be replicated as it will only be done on local system.Shaon Shan |TechNet Subscriber Support in forum |If you have any feedback on our support, please contact tngfb@microsoft.com
April 25th, 2011 8:15am

You do not want to sync whole server, what is the purpose of syncing registry? If you care only about the files, I would suggest using DFS becasue it is a technology designed for this. Using home made scripts, or some sort of rsync implementation for windows, won't give you such good results as DFS. If you preffer home made script, and the files will be changes in only one location, I would suggest robocopy with /MIR parameter in backup mode so it won't interffere your VSS snapshots.With kind regards Krystian Zieja http://www.projectnenvision.com Follow me on twitter My Blog
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April 25th, 2011 8:22am

Thank you for your replies. In this case, the data is being replicated seperately to a database server. What is relevant is the custom app installation on a terminal server. If this changes, it means (potentially) changes in ODBC drivers, registry settings, local database elements, and the various components of the application itself. This terminal server is hosted on vmware, however hardware or vmware driven replication is not an option. So really, this is an OS image we would like to replicate for the purpose of disaster recovery (DR). We did have this target DR server just sitting turned off, however when the database is changed due to application mods, then the client application on the DR terminal server will no longer work until it too has been updated with the mods.
April 25th, 2011 4:28pm

If this is a VM, I think you'll need to use whatever technology is available to you to create "snapshots" or actual images of the server each time you make a change to the config. There really is no other way to keep a "live" replicated image at the remote location. Visit: anITKB.com, an IT Knowledge Base.
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April 25th, 2011 6:39pm

Thanks JM, I would concur with that. Part fo the problem is that I know I am going to be asked to do this by simply moving all files - system and application - via robocopy or some implementation of rsync. I will need to defend my position that simply picking up all the files and moving them won't work - defend it with fairly detailed technical information. Will also need to make the imaging work, whatever method I choose. Still not entirely sure where I will go with that.
April 26th, 2011 11:15am

Good luck. this is not a unique challange. Usually, not technical IT Business leaders are not aware of the complexity of bringing up systems in a HA, Failover, or DR scenario, nor do they usually understand the costs involved. Visit: anITKB.com, an IT Knowledge Base.
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April 26th, 2011 11:31am

Hi We are doing exactly this with "some kind of windows r-sync". We use it to replicate virtual machines but it could be used for anything. We used to use a bunch of scripts but now use yintersync http://www.yinter.net/ which does all the VSS, Rsync and reporting. Maybe worth checking out? Matski
May 18th, 2011 11:00am

Intriguing Matski, will take a close look at this! -Paul
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May 18th, 2011 11:40am

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