About NCIM topology database high availability

Network Manager allows you to configure the Network Connectivity and Inventory Model (NCIM) topology database for high availability, minimizing the impact of computer or network failure. The following sections provide an overview of NCIM topology database high availability and explain how to configure it.

High availability refers to a computing environment in which the hardware and software components remain operational during planned outages (for example, regular maintenance operations) and unplanned outages (for example, unexpected hardware, network, and software failures). One component that needs to be operational all of the time is the NCIM topology database.

Note: In previous Network Manager releases, users could include an NCIM topology database failover configuration by using NCIM replication (also referred to as NCIM topology database replication). The NCIM replication feature has been replaced by the high availability feature that is provided by the supported database:
  • If you have a Db2® database, you can use the High Availability Disaster Recovery (HADR) feature to set up failover for NCIM.
  • If you have an Oracle database, you can use the Real Application Clusters (RAC) feature to set up failover for NCIM.

To configure a failover configuration for the NCIM topology database and thus provide users a high availability environment for running database applications and accessing information stored in the NCIM topology database, you need to become familiar with the following background topics and tasks:

  • High availability strategies provided by the database
  • Failover architecture for NCIM topology database and Network Manager core processes
  • Tasks associated with installing the database

High availability using Db2

You can use the Db2 HADR feature to set up data replication from a primary to a backup database. The primary database normally processes all or most of the application workload, while the backup database can take over the workload if the primary database fails, enabling the database to remain available to user applications. In a Db2 HADR environment, the backup database is called the standby database.

Using the HADR feature, the Db2 Automatic Client Reroute (ACR) provides rerouting of the Network Manager client connections to the appropriate primary NCIM server.

You can use IBM® Tivoli® System Automation for Multiplatforms (SA MP) to automatically promote a standby Db2 server to become the primary when the acting primary fails.

Note: Db2 provides the tools necessary for installing and configuring the NCIM topology database (and core processes) to use the Db2 HADR feature. For information on how to install and configure Db2, see Related information later for links to the Db2 Information Center.

Clustering and high availability using Oracle RAC

Oracle provides the Real Application Clusters (RAC) feature for clustering and high availability in Oracle database environments. Using Oracle RAC, you can create a high availability setup for your NCIM topology database. For information on how to install and configure Oracle RAC, see Related information later for a link to the Oracle documentation.

Failover architecture for NCIM topology database and Network Manager core processes

Failover of the Network Manager core processes can be implemented by setting up primary and backup Network Manager installations that run on different servers and domains. Both installations can either connect to a single Tivoli Netcool®/OMNIbus ObjectServer or to a virtual pair of ObjectServers. Network Manager failover can be implemented with NCIM topology database high availability or without NCIM topology database high availability. If you choose to implement failover with NCIM topology database high availability, you will do so through the high availability feature that is provided by the supported database. For example, to set up a failover configuration for the NCIM topology database if you have a Db2 database, you can use the Db2 high availability disaster recovery (HADR) feature. Similarly, if you have a Oracle database, you can use the Real Application Clusters (RAC) feature for NCIM failover.

Tasks associated with installing the database

A Db2 database can be installed and configured by Network Manager. To use an independent Db2 or Oracle database, configure it as described in Installing and configuring a topology database.