1 main server and 1 fail over server

[cgfreak]

Hello,

I am after some advice on the best way to set up 2 servers.
One is the 'main' server and one is in case the main server goes down for any reason.

From initial setup the servers will be identical.

I want to set up a nightly routine in which all data which is altered or added is copied to the 2nd server so if anything does go wrong I can just switch machines over to be up and running again in no time.

This will have to happen over the internet as the machines will be in two different physical locations.

What should I be researching? Does anyone do this, and is there any software that can help me achieve this, or do I have to use a custom script scheduled by cron?

Thanks...

[jledhead]

you are looking for high availability

linux high availability - Google Search

Heartbeat is an excellent option and when combined with webmin is very easy to setup

[PureGrain]

Ok, what jledhead has suggested will work fine but only with services.

In other words, you will need which ever appliactions you want failed over to be running as a service, which is not hard. He is also right in using heartbeat with webmin will make your life easier as configuring is a breeze with this combination.

I have worked on many projects using this combination of apps. In my dev/test I have a bit of a time doing a failback from the initial failover without having to do it manually but other than that things are smooth in transition from dead/dying box to new/failover.

hit me up if you have any questions with this H.A. process.