High availability/Failover

Failover is a standby operational mode where the functions of a system component (processor, server, network, or database) are handled by secondary system components during a system failure.

There are two possible solutions for high availability/failover for an IXIASOFT CCMS deployment:
  • Using active/passive clustering - When a high availability cluster is installed, a passive backup of the TEXTML Server is always available and activated only if the active TEXTML Server fails. The Content Store is shared on a block volume between the active and passive nodes of the cluster. When using clustering:
    • Shared block storage is required between the active and the passive nodes.
    • The CMS administrator needs to understand the clustering solution since the process is more complex to manage than a regular installation.
    • Once the CCMS server is switched between active and passive, the end user only needs to reconnect.
    • This configuration might incur additional licensing costs. For information, contact IXIASOFT Sales. In addition, the customer is responsible for the correct licensing of cluster software and hardware.

    Note: The TEXTML Server does not provide a clustering functionality by itself and uses the existing Windows failover cluster solution.
  • Hypervisor with a virtual machine - When using a hypervisor with a virtual machine:
    • No extra configuration is required for the CCMS.
    • All complexities are hidden by the hypervisor and the exact capabilities are defined by the hypervisor.
    • Once the CCMS server is restored by hypervisor, the end user only needs to reconnect.