Introduction to ftServer System Administration
1-1
Chapter 1
Introduction to ftServer
System Administration
1-
This chapter discusses the following topics:
•
‘‘ftServer System Terminology”
•
‘‘System and Network Administration Overview”
•
‘‘Additional Documentation and Resources
”
ftServer systems running a supported Linux distribution together with
Express5800/
ftServer
System Software for the Linux Operating System (
Express Builder
)
operate
as fault-tolerant servers. The supported server models are the Express5800/
ftServer
Dual-Core and Quad-Core
systems. Every Express5800/
ftServer
system uses
replicated, fault-tolerant hardware to eliminate single points of failure and protect data
integrity in all areas of data handling, including:
•
Processing.
Replicated, fault-tolerant processing components process the same
instructions at the same time. In the event of a component malfunction, the partner
component acts as an active spare that continues normal operation, preventing
system downtime and data loss.
•
Internal Storage.
Mirrored RAID 1 (
Redundant arrays of inexpensive disks
) arrays
Serial attached SCSI and
Serial Advanced Technology Attachment
SAS
(SATA)
disks prevent single disk
failures from causing data loss. Replacement disks are
automatically recognized
and mirrored.
•
Networking.
Duplexed network components maintain network connectivity. When
the operating system detects a malfunction in the primary member of a duplexed
pair, it automatically fails over to the secondary member.
Express Service architecture built into ftServer systems supports these features with
self-checking hardware and onboard diagnostics to detect, isolate, and report potential
problems before they affect server operation, offering complete hardware diagnostics
and alarms.
