Physical Machines and Virtual Machines

An everRun system transparently protects applications by creating redundant virtual machines (VMs) that run on two physical machines (PMs).

The everRun management software can create an everRun-protected VM from scratch. It is also possible to import existing VMs from other environments and convert them into an everRun-protected VMs. By creating an identical instance of the selected VM on a second host PM, everRun software provides FT-class protection of the VM. The system administrator manages this single entity from a separate, browser-based management console called the everRun Availability Console.

Neither the application nor the user is exposed to the redundant computing resources on the two host PMs. The application sees only one hostname, one MAC address for each network interface presented to the VM, and one IP address for each VM network interface presented to the VM. A system administrator loads and configures the applications on the protected VM — just as if the system administrator were loading them onto a physical server. If a fault or failure occurs in a disk or network device, everRun software automatically redirects I/O to the paired host PM for continuous operation. Though redundancy is lost until the failure is repaired, the client experiences no interruption in connectivity and no loss of data. The application continues to execute as if nothing had happened. The redundancy, fault detection, isolation, and management are completely transparent to the Windows or Linux environment and the application running within it. Repair of the PM is equally transparent and automatic. When a failed component on the PM is repaired, everRun software automatically incorporates the repaired components into the protected environment and restores redundancy without interrupting the application.

Related Topics

Using the everRun Availability Console

The Physical Machines Page

The Virtual Machines Page