SMARTrecover Framework—BASCOM's Enterprise Edition Connectivity Solution

In response to a school's critical need for Web access and onsite service hosting, BASCOM now offers its SMARTrecover Framework™ (SRF) for the Global Chalkboard. This provides extra protection against network disruptions caused by unexpected hardware failures. By offering a seamless solution to critical connectivity interruptions, BASCOM's SRF immediately eliminates single points of hardware failure and maximizes uptime during sensitive system updates.

BASCOM's SRF is a high-availability solution that offers three levels of protection by:

• Switching to a "hot standby" appliance within 30 seconds to maximize uptime during a hardware failure.
• Preserving the previous day's data on the secondary appliance in case of corruption on the primary.
• Delaying software updates to the secondary appliance for a week and freezing its configuration data to save the state of the system prior to the release.

A High Availability Solution for the Global Chalkboard
BASCOM developed SRF in direct response to the critical Internet connectivity requirements of our enterprise level customers. SRF is a Global Chalkboard solution deployed on two paired appliances—a primary and secondary appliance—residing in the same physical location.

Both the primary and secondary appliances each have live connectivity to the Internet. They both backup and receive system updates. Each night firewall rules, Global Chalkboard data, and network settings are exchanged from the primary to the secondary appliance.

The primary and secondary appliances are also connected to each other via a private communication channel. This channel is used by the secondary appliance to frequently monitor the "heartbeat" or responsiveness of the primary. If the secondary does not detect a "heartbeat," the primary is immediately swapped with the secondary appliance, or the "hot spare."

This automatic switchover to the secondary appliance maintains a school's Internet connectivity despite a hardware failure. As a turnkey solution, SRF keeps a school's network running without requiring any manual intervention. No special installation is required and the school community is able to continue functioning. Repairing the primary appliance can be done offline without interfering with Internet access.

Optimized Connectivity and Data Protection
SMARTRecover Framework (SRF) for the Global Chalkboard goes beyond simple system redundancy that's typical of other high-availability solutions. The solution is built from the ground up to support BASCOM's Global Chalkboard and its configuration. SRF provides enhanced capabilities to protect your school's data and configuration, and optimizes connectivity uptime in the event of a system problem. SRF for the Global Chalkboard also:

• Integrates with BASCOM's advanced off-site backup, update, and restore services by extending system synchronization to multiple on-site servers. Through the private, inter-server, communication channel, Global Chalkboard system disruptions are quickly detected, and the on-site secondary appliance or "hot spare" is automatically deployed to maximize connectivity uptime—with your most current backup of configuration data in place.
• Protects against hardware failures by continually monitoring the availability of your Global Chalkboard. If the primary appliance fails, SRF maintains Internet access by automatically switching to the secondary appliance within 30 seconds.
• Regulates software updates to the secondary appliance for additional protection. Automated software updates are carefully sequenced to provide maximum uptime during a release. The secondary appliance secures its current state, so there is no exchange of data to it for a week. This protects the state of the network if a problem occurs during the update.

Infrastructure Requirements
As a high-availability, enterprise solution for K-12 schools, the Global Chalkboard with SRF requires advanced Internet connectivity. Specifically, three, public IP addresses are needed from your ISP to support the appliance array and its failover mechanism. Therefore, some cable and DSL connections may not be sufficient for proper deployment. Although SRF provides a high-availability environment for your Internet connectivity, it does not protect against connectivity failures at your ISP.

System Requirements
SRF requires on-site deployment of two BASCOM appliances. Because of the private communication mechanism used between the two appliances, they must be installed in the same location.

Express Exchange Warranty™
For hardware failures with notification to BASCOM by 12:00 noon Eastern Time, Express Exchange Warranty guarantees delivery of a new appliance the following morning. (Notifications after 12:00 noon Eastern Time cannot guarantee delivery of a new appliance the following day.) SRF provides a high-availability automated solution for maximizing Internet connectivity uptime for your enterprise-class, network installation. By enhancing BASCOM's award-winning Global Chalkboard with the SMARTRecover Framework, you can minimize the risk of using a complex, Internet access management system for your network.

SMARTrecover Framework for the Global Chalkboard (213kb PDF)