FAST is previewing its latest Postgres high availability initiative, HiAv Solution for Postgres at OpenCeBIT in Sydney, Australia on May 20th, 21st and 22nd. HiAv solution features easily administered Switchover, Failover, Load Balancing and Monitoring capabilities for an Enterprise-grade high availability and disaster recovery Postgres system.
Over time, many businesses progress from initially using Postgres with new or non-critical applications to a more full-blooded adoption of it as a key strategic element of their IT infrastructure. In some instances, the original plan was to transition from Postgres to a 'brand-name' as soon as the application's worth to the business is clear and established – putting it on a more 'solid footing' so to speak. At FAST we meet businesses facing this scenario from time to time, and it is almost always the case that, when the moment comes, there is no reasonable business justification to migrate away from Postgres. Because it just works, and because it scales, and because the cost of migration can't quite justify the required licence-cost inflated capital expenditure, Postgres stays put.
As the strategic importance of Postgres grows, businesses are increasing their investment in it and using it in ever more complex ways. This is not surprising, as in many ways, having a top tier database with no-fuss no-cost licencing benefits can equate to a real business advantage in a tight margin competitive sector.
With Postgres firmly established within the organisation, extending its footprint to include high availability and disaster recovery support systems are logical steps. This is a hot topic with large numbers of Postgres users right now. The number of solutions available is increasing all the time. At FAST, in our dealings with our customers to date, we have primarily focussed on a Slony I-based approach. As well as being proven and reliable, it has been the most suitable approach for the majority of our customers. Our confidence in Slony I has been behind our decision to use it at the heart of our launch version of HiAv Solution for Postgres. Other products such as those offered by Continuent and recent open sourced capabilities produced by the team at Skype also show promise and, if feasible, may form part of the HiAv Solution for Postgres toolkit in the future. In the case of our customers, our approach will always be to endeavour to pick the best tool for the job.
The FSP team will be available at the OpenCeBIT exhibition in Sydney from May 20th. to May 22nd 2008 to discuss HiAv Solution for Postgres with visitors to the booth. Regular demos will be provided throughout each day.
