Microsoft® SQL Server® 2008 Bible

Chapter 46. Log Shipping

IN THIS CHAPTER

• Configuring a warm standby server using Management Studio and Transact-SQL

• Monitoring log shipping

• Modifying or removing log shipping

• Switching roles

• Returning to the original primary server

The availability of a database refers to the overall reliability of the system. The Information Architecture Principle, discussed in Chapter 2, "Data Architecture," lays the foundation for availability in the phrase readily available. The definition of readily available varies by the organization and the data. A database that's highly available is one that rarely goes down. For some databases, being down for an hour is not a problem; for others, 30 seconds of downtime is a catastrophe. Organization requirements, budget constraints, and other resources dictate the proper solution.

Of course, availability involves more than just the database, as there are several technologies involved outside of the database: the instance, the server OS, the physical server, the organization's infrastructure, and so on. The quality and redundancy of the hardware, the quality of the electrical power, preventive maintenance of the machines and replacement of the hard drives, the security of the server room—all of these contribute to the availability of the primary database. An IT organization that intends to reach any level of high availability must also have the right people, training, policies, and service-level agreements (SLAs) in place.

Note

This chapter is the first of a trilogy ...