setting up failover server

[michaellunsford]

I have sites hosted on one server, being backed up to another. When the one server fails, I'd like to automatically switch requests to the other server. They are not located in the same building or anything like that. I know I can setup multiple name servers, is that the preferred method to do fail-over? Make each hosting server its own name server so when it fails, the secondary name server takes over?

[j.smith1981]

I would say going by what you are saying a clustered set of servers might be the best way to go, where both of them get used for normal transactions but when one goes down then it doesn't matter, you can work on that until the other one breaks then switch over etc and carry on like that.

 

But as their on 2 different networks, using the Internet presumably? You'd need to use the Internet to make a small network of the 2 computers otherwise known as a Virtual Private Network, so you're getting those 2 to perform functions together, rather than seperately but not allowing other users to see what their both doing, hence the Private part.

 

OpenVPN I have heard is a good solution though I have never tried doing something like this.

 

Best of luck to you,

Jez.