DataMirror Offers Clustering/High Availability Solution for AS/400
DataMirror Corp. (Toronto), a provider of business data integration software, has announced the introduction of its new XtremeCache technology for clustering and high availability solutions. XtremeCache is an exclusive DataMirror technology that optimizes the flow of data into and out of a high-speed software cache. This performance enhancement is designed to help customers attain near-zero latency for system backup and recovery.
| Some customers run six million transactions per hour in a steady state, with batch runs up to 200 million per hour. |
In performance testing conducted recently at the IBM’s AS/400 development laboratory in Rochester, Minn., a single high availability instance of XtremeCache moved data from the primary system to the backup system’s cache at a rate of 90 million transactions per hour. The data was then applied to the backup system at a rate greater than 60 million transactions per hour. XtremeCache can be configured in multiple high-availability instances to achieve increased rates of performance scalability.
“Our primary purpose for creating XtremeCache was to connect the vast amounts of data within an organization together. I doubt if there is any company today that uses only a single database,” said Bill Hartwick, VP Product Positioning/E-Business. “With increased use of the Web and the Internet, additional sources of data and data storage must be considered. Our products allow you to link your databases together. It’s like an Ethernet card that enables your database to communicate with any other database.”
“One of our key strengths is our net change replication; the ability to grab changes and deletes in the database—as they happen—and be able to reflect those in real-time back to the system,” he adds.
DataMirror says that XtremeCache is well suited to any industry that has large amounts of transactions, such as financial, insurance, healthcare, pharmaceuticals, retail outlets, and casinos.
XtremeCache is integrated into two DataMirror products:
DataMirror iCluster Software enables companies to realize the benefits of AS/400 clustering. The iCluster software includes an interface to define nodes in a cluster, determine what data and other critical objects are mirrored to specific nodes, and monitor the entire cluster from a single station. It also handles the data and object mirroring requirements of clustered high availability environments. The iCluster software provides an easier way to increase the overall availability of business critical applications, such as payroll, human resources, financial, and distribution programs, and the data that drives these applications.
DataMirror High Availability Suite captures AS/400 objects and database transactions from primary systems and mirrors them in real-time to one or more recovery AS/400s. High Availability Suite can detect primary system failure and invoke operational switching to enable continuous availability. It features an advanced match-merge architecture that enables real-time auto-registration. Data and object transaction streams are matched and merged in real-time before being applied to the recovery system database. Match-merge, along with sync check, commitment control and other integrity checks, are designed to provide the highest levels of data integrity.
The challenges of maintaining high-availability in today’s business world are machines getting faster, businesses consolidating, and increasing volumes of data. High-availability vendors need to make sure they can move the data from a source system to the target system in very much near real-time. Some of DataMirror customers are dealing with 6 million transactions per hour in a steady state, with batch runs that significantly increases the amount of data—some up to 200 million per hour. In the past, it was almost impossible that any vendor could keep the latency down to near zero.
“One of the biggest factors that affect how quickly companies can switch from a primary system to a secondary system in the event of failure was latency—the enemy of high availability,” said Glen Sakuth, Director of Development for Clustering and High Availability. “XtremeCache has the ability to handle large data throughput from the source right to the target, which reduces the amount of time necessary for switch over. With XtremeCache technology built into our clustering and high availability solutions, we can handle these extreme bursts of data and achieve near-zero latency.”
DataMirror software integrates data among multiple databases including DB2, Microsoft SQL Server, Oracle and Sybase. It runs on OS/390, OS/400, NUMA-Q, UNIX, Linux and Microsoft Windows NT/2000.
XtremeCache will be available simultaneously for High Availability Suite and iCluster on June 30th, 2000. Fully functional trial versions of High Availability Suite are available via the Internet by visiting www.datamirror.com/trialsoftware (new window). Pricing is custom-quoted, based on computing environment.
Related Editorial:
IBM Expands Vision on Clustering TechnologyVision, IDION Merge to Create "High-Availability Powerhouse"Lakeview Technology’s on the FastPath to AS/400 ClusteringRelated Information:
DataMirror Corp. (new window)