TSA binary for Windows

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Sanjuro - 23 Aug 2007 15:26 GMT

For a new project, we have DB2 Express (DB2 ExpC with support) on
Windows Server 2003. We got HADR up and running for the database but
were unable to find the binaries for TSA.

As per TSA pages, TSA 2.3 is supported on Windows 2003. How can we
obtain the complimentary copy of TSA to enable automatic failover. Is
there any other free solution for Windows server to achieve automatic
failover?

Thanks,

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Mark A - 24 Aug 2007 00:47 GMT

> For a new project, we have DB2 Express (DB2 ExpC with support) on
> Windows Server 2003. We got HADR up and running for the database but
[quoted text clipped - 6 lines]
>
> Thanks,

TSA for Multiplatforms is on one of the DB2 8.2 CD's. If you have Passport
Advantage, you can download TSA from one of the DB2 8.2 media images. But I
am not sure about the Windows version (I thought it originally only ran on
Linux and UNIX).

When DB2 8.2 first came out, TSA was very difficult to find on Passport
Advantage, but they later improved the labeling of the media images. I
remember having to open a PMR to get someone to tell me where it was.

If you only have the 8.1 media and fixpacks to upgrade to 8.2, I don't think
you will find it.

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Sanjuro - 27 Aug 2007 21:36 GMT

> > For a new project, we have DB2 Express (DB2 ExpC with support) on
> > Windows Server 2003. We got HADR up and running for the database but
[quoted text clipped - 18 lines]
> If you only have the 8.1 media and fixpacks to upgrade to 8.2, I don't think
> you will find it.

Interestingly, our sales rep told us that its free for Unix/Linux and
not for Windows!! I opened a PMR too, but the tools group told me that
its a problem with Passport Advantage and licensing agreements and
that we should contact our sales rep.

So conclusion (so far) is, you can have High Availability with DB2
Express v9.1, but one that doesn't failover automatically. :(

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Mark A - 28 Aug 2007 07:50 GMT

> > "Sanjuro" <ashru...@gmail.com> wrote in message
>
[quoted text clipped - 32 lines]
>
> - Show quoted text -

I would not be overly disappointed. TSA does not provide automatic
failover in all situations anyway.

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Sanjuro - 28 Aug 2007 19:58 GMT

> > > "Sanjuro" <ashru...@gmail.com> wrote in message
>
[quoted text clipped - 35 lines]
> I would not be overly disappointed. TSA does not provide automatic
> failover in all situations anyway.

Well, in this particular case, I have convinced the client that the
manual takeover would be available and the impact on business would be
15 minutes (time it takes to wake up DBA/SA) or so in the worst case
and they are fine with that.

On a broader perspective, how would I fight Oracle DataGuard which
provides in-built functions for automatic failover (or so I have been
made to believe). Of course with v9 Express, DB2 beats Oracle by 25:1
on price.

Cheers,
Sanjuro

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Mark A - 29 Aug 2007 05:01 GMT

> Well, in this particular case, I have convinced the client that the
> manual takeover would be available and the impact on business would be
[quoted text clipped - 8 lines]
> Cheers,
> Sanjuro

Although DB2 can do a takeover by force rather quickly (even faster than
Data Guard), there is no foolproof "instantaneous" method of getting the
application tier to try the alternate server with HADR (or Data Guard) until
the TCP/IP timeout limit on the client has been reached, which in many cases
can be up to 10-20 minutes. This is why you may want to consider a cluster
manager that can do a virtual IP address switching between servers in
addition to client reroute. TSA can do that, but there are also 3rd party
products such as Veritas with HADR Agent that works better IMO (better than
TSA). Not sure if Veritas HADR Agent works with Windows.

In my experience, TSA is over-engineered, and consequently is so complex
that no one even at IBM completely understands how it works with HADR. I am
basing this on talking to many people at IBM, including those from the IBM
Germany lab where TSA is developed. However, IBM has promised better
integration with HADR and TSA in the future, and I look forward to when it
becomes a reality.

OTOH, I think IBM has been distracted by Xkoto, which could provide
continuous availability for DB2, and I am not sure how committed IBM is to
HADR in terms of major improvements and integration with TSA. If Xkoto works
as designed, it would be the RAC killer, but like any new software, there
are some bugs to work out.

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