An integrated high availability computing platform

Pages632-640
Published date01 December 2005
DOIhttps://doi.org/10.1108/02640470510635719
Date01 December 2005
AuthorYan Han
Subject MatterInformation & knowledge management,Library & information science
An integrated high availability
computing platform
Yan Han
University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, USA
Abstract
Purpose – To recommend an integrated server platform and demonstrate a real-world example that
provides high availability (HA) and better data management to meet various systems’ computing
needs.
Design/methodology/approach – The paper overviews theoretical background and real-world
implementations for HA and Storage Area Networks (SANs). A systems analysis process is described
and a platform was built to integrate the HA and the SAN for an academic library’s critical web server
and its content management system. Recommendations for selection and implementation are
suggested for people adapting this approach.
Findings – The integrated platform is a generic approach to provide the HA and better data
management for servers, consisting of Linux/Windows clustering technologies and SANs. Its
theoretical background and real-world implementations proved its ability to meet library’s various
computing needs.
Practical implications The integrated platform provides HA for various computing services such
as web servers, file servers, databases, and DNS. A systems analysis is recommended for using this
platform.
Originality/value – The paper suggests an approach to achieve better server management. It
provides an opportunity for IT managers to consider and achieve better server management in order to
meet users’ raising expectations.
Keywords Information networks, Computer networks
Paper type Technical paper
1. Introduction
As users raise high expectations to access electronic contents and online services at
anytime and anywhere, libraries are putting a lot of effort into providing electronic
access to a variety of services and contents. A typical academic library provides
information access to its own collections (e.g. catalog, archival collections) and external
content (e.g. licensed databases, electronic journals). It also provides a wide range of
services such as inter-library loan (ILL), document delivery, electronic reserve and
virtual reference. In addition, it has to manage its internal operations such as human
resources, financial department to facilitate its services to customers. The external
services require multiple computing platforms to meet various needs of multiple
commercial and open source systems, while the internal operations typically need a
Microsoft Office environment including an e-mail server and a file server, resulting in a
wide range of computer hardware and software. Therefore, these diverse computing
needs cause a complex computing environment, where a wide range of hardware,
operating systems (OSs), and applications co-exist.
The complexity results in many frustrated issues regarding all aspects of hardware
and software environment management such as storage, backup, recovery, availability
and security. Questions are often raised, including: what are some of the strategies to
The Emerald Research Register for this journal is available at The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available at
www.emeraldinsight.com/researchregister www.emeraldinsight.com/0264-0473.htm
TEL
23,6
632
The Electronic Library
Vol. 23 No. 6, 2005
pp. 632-640
qEmerald Group Publishing Limited
0264-0473
DOI 10.1108/02640470510635719

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