BlackBerry MVS high availability
The BlackBerry Mobile Voice System high availability installation is illustrated below.
High availability is achieved through active-active and active-standby models of redundancy. The following table summarizes the redundancy model for each BlackBerry MVS component:
| Component | Model |
|---|---|
|
MVS Data Manager |
Active-active |
|
MVS Console |
Active-active |
|
MVS Witness Server |
Active-active |
|
MVS Event Manager |
Active-active |
|
MVS Session Manager (except MVS Event Manager) |
Active-standby |
|
MVS BlackBerry Enterprise Server Connector |
Active-standby |
In an active-standby model, you associate two BlackBerry MVS Server instances to form a high availability pair. When you associate two MVS Session Manager instances, one of the MVS Session Manager instances becomes active and the other standby, and one of the MVS BlackBerry Enterprise Server Connector instances becomes active and the other standby. The components themselves determine which one becomes active and which one standby. If the active component fails, the components and the MVS Witness Server manage the failover from the active component to the standby component.
In an active-active model, both components are always active. If a component fails, the BlackBerry MVS automatically stops using that component.
For example, because the MVS Data Manager instances use an active-active model, two MVS Data Manager instances provide redundancy for the high availability pair. By comparison, there must be one active and one standby MVS Session Manager for every high availability pair.
How the BlackBerry MVS determines the availability of BlackBerry MVS components
Active components report their status to an MVS Event Manager every ten seconds. An active component is considered unavailable if it reports that it is unable to provide service for 60 seconds, or if it fails to report its status for 60 seconds. Only two MVS Event Manager instances are required to support the high availability pair because the MVS Event Manager instances use an active-active redundancy model. The status of all components in the BlackBerry Domain is shown on the MVS Console Dashboard.
In a high availability environment, the MVS Witness Server instances monitor the status of all MVS Session Manager instances and all MVS BlackBerry Enterprise Server Connector instances in the BlackBerry Domain. If an active MVS Session Manager or MVS BlackBerry Enterprise Server Connector component becomes unavailable, an MVS Witness Server facilitates the failover of service to the standby component.
During failover, active calls are not affected but BlackBerry Mobile Voice System users cannot use the features that are typically available to them during a call. The users also cannot send or receive a second call. In addition to this automatic process, you can manually start a failover through the MVS Console.
Only two MVS Witness Server instances are required to support the high availability pair because the MVS Witness Server instances use an active-active redundancy model. The MVS Witness Server instances themselves determine which one handles a particular failover.