[FX.php List] [OT] Planning for/handling Server Outage

[Alex Gates]

Hi Jonathan -
I think measures can be taken on a situation to situation basis -
for example, when I process a form that web users fill out to request a 
packet to be mailed to them, I first do a quick fmview() to test 
connectivity to the database.
In the event that the database can't be reached, I take all their 
information and generate an email to our customer service reps saying 
the database was down and this info will have to be entered manually. (I 
also shoot an email to me alerting me that the DB is down - and also a 
text message to my phone)
That works perfectly find in that situation - but something (say, a 
sign-up for a website) is pretty instantaneous - in this case, I also 
generate an email internally saying add this user manually - and one to 
me (and a text message so I immediately know if there are problems) -

This is the same for anyone who tries to sign in - if the database can't 
be reached, an email is sent and a session variable is set so multiple 
attempts to log in won't mean multiple emails from the same customer for 
each time they try to log in.



Jonathan Schwartz wrote:
> Hi Folks,
> 
> Talk about Murphy's Law and the all-important corollary (Anythng that 
> can go wrong, will go wrong...at the worst possible moment).
> 
> Pardon this OT post, but I think that there are FMP and fx.php specific 
> issues involved.
> 
> I have a two machine set up (Web server with html and fx.php on one, 
> FMSA and files on another). They are both at a remote colo. They are 
> both mac minis.
> 
> Yesterday, in the middle of a campaign launch (email+web response), the 
> FMSA machine went dark.  Now, I'm not sure what kind of excitement gets 
> others pumped up, but the reality of hundreds of users hitting your new 
> launched solution and seeing error messages will get your heart rate going.
> 
> The question is how to plan for this type of thing in the future.
> 
> In this case, one of the PDUs (Power Distribution Unit) flipped a 
> breaker and the FMSA machine shut off.  The web server stayed on, being 
> on another PDU.  Problem is, it takes valuable time to figure out what 
> is going on when you can't see or touch the machine. It's only after a 
> process of elimination do you realize that the machine is off.  Talk 
> about fun.
> 
> Then magically, the machine came back!  A remote service person had 
> reset the PDU and powered up the machines.
> 
> First FileMaker FMSA-related question: should auto-start be turned on in 
> the FMS8/FMSA8 preferences?  If the database is damaged during the rude 
> shutdown, then automatically starting it could be a big mistake.
> 
> fx.php question: How do you handle the prospect of the FMSA not being 
> available, on the web server?  In this half hour episode, I had to post 
> a "Come Back Later" sign.
> 
> Finally, what do you do to deal with the prospect of web services not 
> being available?  Redundancy appears to be a huge technical and 
> financial leap....or at least I think that it is.
> 
> Again, I'm sorry for the slight off-topic nature of this post, but I 
> feel that this topic can help others.
> 
> Regards,
> 
> Jonathan