In this section we describe the various procedures used to maintain HugeCo's extranet directory. Data Backups and Disaster RecoveryBackups of the extranet directory servers are handled in the same manner as backups of the other directory servers. A digital linear tape (DLT) drive is attached to the master extranet directory server, and backups are performed nightly at 0200 hours (2 A.M. ) local time via the Unix cron daemon. Specifically, at 0200 hours the Netscape Directory Server db2bak utility is run to generate a database backup on the local disk. Immediately after the db2bak utility completes, the backup directory is copied to the backup media via the Unix tape archive (tar) command, and verified . After the tar file has been copied to disk, the cron job removes any backup files older than three days. This means that the most recent three days' worth of backups are always on the server's disk and can be quickly restored in an emergency (for example, if an errant update procedure deletes important data from the directory). The tapes are transferred off-site twice a week and stored in a secure facility. Disaster recovery services for extranet applications were added to the contract that HugeCo maintains with a disaster recovery vendor. The disaster recovery approach for the extranet application provides for a cold standby site. In the event that a disaster renders HugeCo's corporate data center unusable, the cold site will be brought online, the directory server software installed, and data restored from off-site backups. The use of a cold standby saves a considerable sum of money, but it means that recovery time for the application will be measured in days, not hours. This recovery time was deemed acceptable, given that HugeCo maintains a hot standby for the main internal order entry system. In the event of a disaster, the main database and order entry application will fail over to the hot site. The extranet order entry site will be unavailable, but retailers will be able to place orders via the HugeCo call center and track those orders via the extranet application once it is brought back online. Maintaining DataMaintenance of extranet directory data involves two data sources: the Oracle database that tracks information about the authorized HugeCo retailers, and the managers at the individual retailers. Each of these data sources is considered authoritative for certain directory information. The Oracle database is considered the authoritative source for information about the individual retail outlets. The retailer name , telephone and fax numbers , mailing address, retailer number, and list of authorized products are all synchronized from the Oracle database into the directory on a regular basis via a set of Perl scripts developed by HugeCo's IS staff. An established procedure is used to add or remove retailers from the Oracle database, and these changes propagate to the directory via the synchronization scripts. The entries corresponding to individual employees at the retailers, on the other hand, are owned by the manager at each particular retailer. When a new employee is to be granted access to the extranet applications, the manager uses a special Web-based application to create a new entry in the directory; this application creates the directory entry for the employee and sets an initial password. Similarly, when an employee leaves a retailer, access must be revoked . The manager can accomplish this by using the same Web-based application.
MonitoringHugeCo extended its existing monitoring system to monitor the extranet application services in the following ways:
TroubleshootingProcedures were added to the existing HugeCo directory escalation process to accommodate the Web and directory servers that support the new extranet applications. |