[FX.php List] Do RackSpace "Snapshots" conform to Best Practices?

[Jonathan Schwartz]

Agreed.

Jonathan


At 2:12 PM -0600 3/9/12, Anders Monsen wrote:
>If I had a nickle for every time I've spoke with IT departments who 
>want to manage servers their way with no idea of the impact on 
>FileMaker...and then go ahead and do what they want without 
>listening anyway.
>
>Closing the dbs and shutting down the server prior to the snapshot 
>should not take them more than 5-10 minutes. Is saving that time 
>worth the cost of potential db corruption?
>
>Anders
>
>On 3/9/12 1:26 PM, Jonathan Schwartz wrote:
>>Perfect!  Just the feedback I was looking for.
>>
>>In this case, it is a third party India-based developer company 
>>with no FileMaker experience that is challenging the need to 
>>shutdown FMS, even though I have explained that the risk is high 
>>and the cost of downtime low.
>>
>>I knew I could count on my fellow fx.php'rs.
>>
>>Jonathan
>>
>>
>>>I don't know, I haven't dealt with hot-adding memory to a virtual 
>>>machine so I can't say whether this snapshot stuff they talk about 
>>>is something of concern or not.
>>>
>>>What I would say though is that regardless of how *they* do things 
>>>you should have your own backup of the data on that machine, so it 
>>>can easily be restored if they fail.
>>>
>>>One would think that they know what they're doing and that it's 
>>>not the first time they've done this on a VM they maintain :o
>>>
>>>In any case I don't see why they or you cannot just shut the 
>>>machine down, change memory, and then turn it on again. Have them 
>>>do that and there shouldn't be much to worry about. If they 
>>>refuse, switch to another hosting provider :)
>>>
>>>
>>>9 mar 2012 kl. 19.20 skrev Jonathan Schwartz:
>>>
>>>>  Hi Folks,
>>>>
>>>>  I need a quick weigh-in from FileMaker experts on the list.
>>>>
>>>>  One of my clients has moved FileMaker Web Publishing to third 
>>>>party RackSpace, which uses virtual servers under Windows.
>>>>
>>>>  After a week of trying to run FMS on only 2gb ram, they have 
>>>>agreed to upgrade the instance to 4gb.  The upgrade process 
>>>>consists of an automated system that takes a "snapshot" of the 
>>>>server and then rewrites the "snapshot" once the memory has been 
>>>>upgraded.
>>>>
>>>>  I contend that taking the "snapshot" is the same as copying live 
>>>>FIleMaker Server files, and in violation of FileMaker Server Best 
>>>>Practices.  I am urging them to shut down FileMaker Server and do 
>>>>the upgrade with it shut down.  Others are saying the the 
>>>>"snapshot" approach is OK.
>>>>
>>>>  Does anyone have experience with snapshots or RackSpace or both?
>>>>
>>>>  Need a quick answer, as I am standing on the tracks refusing to 
>>>>budge....for the good of the data. ;-)
>>>>
>>>>  Thanks
>>>>
>>>>  Jonathan
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>  --
>>>>  Jonathan Schwartz
>>>>  Exit 445 Group
>>>>  jonathan at exit445.com
>>>>  http://www.exit445.com
>>>>  415-370-5011
>>>>  _______________________________________________
>>>>  FX.php_List mailing list
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>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>-|
>>>
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-- 
Jonathan Schwartz
Exit 445 Group
jonathan at exit445.com
http://www.exit445.com
415-370-5011