RDF/IMP and IMPX System Management Manual (RDF 1.3+)

Compaq NonStop™ RDF/IMP and IMPX System Management Manual—522204-001
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Introducing RDF
This manual describes the Remote Database Facility (RDF) subsystem as implemented
in the Compaq NonStop™ RDF/IMP and IMPX independent products.
This section of the manual, intended for all readers, discusses the following topics:
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An overview of RDF, including its use in response to unplanned and planned
outages
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A summary of the main RDF processes
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A summary of the RDF user interfaces
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A discussion of normal RDF operation, explaining in substantial detail how the
various RDF processes interact with one another to perform the subsystem’s work
RDF monitors changes made to a production database on a local (primary) system and
maintains a copy of that database on one or more remote (backup) systems. Because it
applies changes to the backup database as soon as they are detected on the primary
system, RDF keeps the backup database continuously up to date with changes made by
business applications on the primary system. You are able, therefore, to switch your
business operations from the primary system to the backup system with minimal
interruption and loss of data in the event of planned or unplanned outages of the primary
system.
RDF also allows you to use backup databases as read-only resources to balance the
overall workload and improve response times. Activities at a backup system can include
querying the database, processing heavy batch-reporting loads, and consolidating data
from multiple sites into one central site.
Backup systems can be located far from the primary system for protection against
regional disasters, communicating with the primary system over an Expand network.
System managers and operators control RDF through RDFCOM, a utility much like the
TMFCOM command interpreter used to access TMF.
RDF/IMP and IMPX generate fully-tokenized command, event, error, and warning
messages in the Event Management System (EMS) log. System managers and operators
can monitor those messages online using Viewpoint or whatever other tool they
normally use for monitoring $0. In addition, they can use the supplied EMS filter
RDFFLTO with an EMS printing distributor to isolate the RDF messages to an entry-
sequenced file which they then can peruse using the RDFSCAN utility.
RDF works with the Transaction Management Facility (TMF) subsystem.