High-availability is a tricky business. Clustering and expensive hardware are not always the answers, especially when talking about complicated software like Oracle’s Real Application Clusters. What many IT managers don’t know before implementing RAC for the first time is that there are very simple situations where RAC can actually cause downtime or performance issues. That’s not the way RAC is sold, but if implemented improperly it can be a reality.
Data Guard is a veteran, battle-tested Oracle technology that is often lost in the high-availability shuffle due to semantics. There are those who will argue that Data Guard is not a high-availability solution because it facilitates database failover, not redundancy; however, what happens if RAC fails?
Blue Gecko understands, implements, and manages dozens of high-availability Oracle configurations, many of which are the heartbeat and life-blood of our customers’ businesses. We know how to implement RAC, and more importantly, how NOT to implement RAC. We always keep our customers’ business objectives and budget in front to make sure we implement the right solution – a manageable solution – that actually achieves our customers’ goals.
High-availability solutions aren’t magic, but with the right team behind them, they can can be everything a business expects.