While building a DR system for bitbucket datacenter application, can I connect to live DB?

[dthadav]

While building a disaster recovery system for bitbucket datacenter, can I connect the DR nodes to the Shared database where the live bitbucket datacenter application is connected to?

We have MSSQL - example db name - mssqlp.unix.gsm1900.org used for bitbucket datacenter with 4 nodes in a cluster set up and taking production traffic.

I have 4 other servers in a DR datacenter. I have to configure bitbucket datacenter there using these 4 nodes.

Question:

Can the 4 nodes in DR use the same DB mssqlp.unix.gsm1900.org to set up and run bitbucket datacenter application. Note: I will be sure not to write anything from the DR application.

[Nic Brough -Adaptavist- · Accepted solution]

It's not 100% clear to me what you are trying to do here.

If you mean you want to connect the 4 DR nodes to a new empty database completely separate to Production, but hosted by the same MS-SQL service, then yes.

If you mean you want to connect DR to the Production database, then no, absolutely not.  Unless your 4 DR nodes are part of the Production cluster.

[dthadav]

We didn't have an empty DB to connect the DR servers to. So the DBAs suggested I connect to existing production DB.

Like you said: If you mean you want to connect DR to the Production database, then no, absolutely not.  Unless your 4 DR nodes are part of the Production cluster.

Thank you for the reply. Will work on getting a read-only replica DB for DR system.

[Nic Brough -Adaptavist-]

Mmm, I'd worry about your DBAs then.  If they think it's ok to hook up a non-production system to a production database so that it can trash it, they need some basic lessons in data segregation, support, and not destroying your systems.

Replication is a good option, although you must break replication to do any testing on the DR cluster, to isolate it from production (you can't test something that another system is pushing unwanted changes into)

[dthadav]

Now I got a replica database which has the same data as production. But this is replicated database is read-only.

1) Can I start bitbucket instances on DR servers connecting to a read-only DB? Do the DR bitbucket instances write anything at all into the DB when they start up?

or 

2) I keep the replication active and configure my DR nodes to connect to the read-only database. Note that I, intend not the write anything(add users or plugins or even create repos-which will be in shared FS) while the bitbucket instances are up and running. I just want to make sure the instances can come up connecting to this read-only db.

Is stopping the replication mandatory to just bring up the nodes?

Regards,

Divya

[Nic Brough -Adaptavist-]

The server needs read/write access to its database.  They won't start up without read-write access.

So, yes, to test this for DR, you will need to stop replication, make the replicated database read/write and then start the DR nodes.