STORE and TurboSTORE/iX Products Manual (B5151-90003)

188 Chapter13
Disaster Recovery
Recovery Facilities
Recovery Facilities
The best way to prepare for an unpredictable disaster is to have a recovery facility
available. A recovery facility contains a backup system onto which you can reload your files
from backups. You can use the backup system for all of your information processing needs
until your system is repaired or replaced. There are several types of recovery facilities. You
should select the type that best meets the needs of your data center.
Private Recovery Facilities: Cold Sites and Hot Sites
A private recovery facility is owned and maintained by your company. It is usually located
at a facility close to, but separate from, your data center. There are two types of private
backup sites, cold sites and hot sites.
Cold Sites
A cold site is a facility with sufficient electrical power, air conditioning, and
telecommunications equipment to support a computer system, but it does not contain an
actual computer system. If a disaster occurs, you must obtain the computer and the
necessary peripherals to support your information processing requirements. The cold
backup site offers guaranteed access at a relatively low cost, but requires considerable
time to obtain, install, and test a new computer system.
Hot Sites
A hot site is a cold site with an operational computer system similar, if not identical, to the
one you intend to protect. If a disaster occurs, you can reload your information from the
backup system at the hot site. This alternative is the quickest, but most costly, method for
recovering from a disaster. Because of the cost of maintaining a complete backup system,
companies with hot sites sometimes begin using the backup system for regular
information processing.
Mutual Backup Arrangements
Another recovery site option is a mutual backup arrangement. A mutual backup
arrangement is an agreement between two companies with similar computer systems to
provide the use of their Data Centers to one another should a disaster occur. Usually the
two businesses are located close to one another. Some companies seek partners in different
industries to eliminate competition or protect confidentiality. A mutual backup
arrangement can provide both a quick and cost-effective recovery facility, but may not
work well if either party is unwilling to disrupt its information processing to accommodate
the other party. Contractual and legal problems sometimes arise in this type of agreement.
Hewlett-Packard Disaster Recovery Services
Hewlett-Packard offers a full range of disaster recovery services. Contact your local
Hewlett-Packard representative for more information.