| Lesson 8 | Transparent application failover |
| Objective | Describe how to set up TAF |
Transparent Application Failover
Transparent application failover (TAF):
A feature in Net8 to seamlessly move a user’s session from one instance to another when the original instance fails.
Transparent application failover (TAF) ensures that in-progress transactions can be immediately resumed whenever an Oracle database instance becomes unavailable due to a lost network connection.
TAF can hide the connection failures from end-users, and preserve the existing state of their applications when the connection has failed. TAF also provides the ability to resume queries that were in progress at the time of the failure. TAF automatically logs a user in with the same user ID as was used prior to failure. If multiple users were using the connection, TAF automatically logs them in as they attempt to process database commands. Unfortunately, TAF cannot automatically restore other session properties. Look at the following MouseOver to see the configuration of the tnsnames.ora file needed to implement TAF.
TAF can hide the connection failures from end-users, and preserve the existing state of their applications when the connection has failed. TAF also provides the ability to resume queries that were in progress at the time of the failure. TAF automatically logs a user in with the same user ID as was used prior to failure. If multiple users were using the connection, TAF automatically logs them in as they attempt to process database commands. Unfortunately, TAF cannot automatically restore other session properties. Look at the following MouseOver to see the configuration of the tnsnames.ora file needed to implement TAF.
- This parameter indicates that you are going to use TAF. If you leave out this parameter, or set the TYPE sub-parameter to NONE, no failovers are handled.
- Name the database service that picks up the failed transaction.
- Specify which type of failover you wish to handle. The choices are: SESSION (a user session failure is reconnected on the backup.); SELECT (a user's cached query continues to deliver data after instance failure); and NONE (no failovers allowed).
- Specify the method used for failover. The chouces are: BASIC (creates a connection on the backup only when a failure occurs.); PRECONNECT (creates a connection on the backup during normal sessions so failover - if needed - is faster.)
Configuring Transparent Application - Failover
The SELECT type of failover requires storage of query results on the client side, where the SESSION type of failover requires no client side activity. The next lesson wraps up the module.
The SELECT type of failover requires storage of query results on the client side, where the SESSION type of failover requires no client side activity. The next lesson wraps up the module.
Transparent Application Failover - Exercise
Click the Exercise link below to put lines in the tnsnames.ora file in the proper order.
Transparent Application Failover - Exercise
Transparent Application Failover - Exercise