Name: Shaamim Ahmed Chapter 15: Redundancy & Disaster Recovery Part # 1
Define the following Key Terms (12 points)
1. Single Point of Failure
An element, object, or part of a system that, if it fails, will cause the whole system to fail. 2. Redundant Power Supply An enclosure that contains two (or more) complete power supplies 3. Uninterruptable power supply (UPS) An enclosure that contains two (or more) complete power supplies 4. Backup Generator An enclosure that contains two (or more) complete power supplies 5. Standby Generator Standby generator Systems that turn on automatically within seconds of a power outage. 6. Redundant ISP Redundant ISP means secondary connections to another ISP; for example, a backup T-1 line. 7. Cluster Cluster means two or more servers that work with each other. 8. Failover Cluster Failover clusters, otherwise known as high-availability clusters, they are designed so that a secondary server can take over in the case that the primary one fails, with limited or no downtime. 9. Load Balancing Cluster When multiple computers are connected together in an attempt to share resources such as CPU, RAM, and hard disks 10. Full Backup When all the contents of a folder are backed up 11. Incremental Backup When all the contents of a folder are backed up 12. Differential Backup Backs up only the contents of a folder that have changed since the last full backup
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Disaster Recovery Plans
Disaster recovery plans should include information regarding redundancy, such as sites and backup, but should not include information that deals with the day-to-day operations of an organization, such as updating computers, patch management, monitoring and audits, and so on. It is important to include only what is necessary in a disaster recovery plan. Too much information can make it difficult to use when a disaster does strike. Contact Information Disaster recovery plans should include information regarding redundancy, such as sites and backup, but should not include information that deals with the day-to-day operations of an organization, such as updating computers, patch management, monitoring and audits, and so on. It is important to include only what is necessary in a disaster recovery plan. Too much information can make it difficult to use when a disaster does strike. Impact Determination Disaster recovery plans should include information regarding redundancy, such as sites and backup, but should not include information that deals with the day-to-day operations of an organization, such as updating computers, patch management, monitoring and audits, and so on. It is important to include only what is necessary in a disaster recovery plan. Too much information can make it difficult to use when a disaster does strike. Recovery Plan Regardless of how much you planned out redundancy and fault tolerance, when disaster strikes, it can be devastating. There are three things that you should be concerned with as a network security administrator when it comes to disastersyour data, your server room, and the site in general. You need to have a powerful backup plan for your data and a comprehensive disaster recovery plan as well. Business Continuity Plan Business continuity plan: A BCP defines how the business will continue to operate if a disaster occurs; this plan is often carried
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out by a team of individuals. BCPs are also referred to as
continuity of operations plans. Copies of Agreements Copies of agreements: Copies of any agreements with vendors of redundant sites, ISPs, building management, and so on should be stored with the DR plan. Disaster Recovery Drills Disaster recovery drill sand exercises: Employees should be drilled on what to do if a disaster occurs. These exercises should be written out step-by-step and should conform to safety standards. Hierarchical List of Critical Systems Hierarchical list of critical systems: This is a list of all systems necessary for business operations: domain controllers, firewalls, switches, DNS servers, file servers, web servers, and so on. They should be listed by priority. Systems such as client computers, test computers, and training systems would be last on the list or not listed at all.
Part #2: Short Answers (8 points)
1. Discuss the following concepts: (3) A. Surge: An unexpected increase in the amount of voltage provided B. Spike: A short transient in voltage that can be due to a short circuit, tripped circuit breaker, power outage, or lightning strike C. Sags: An unexpected decrease in the amount of voltage provided D. Brownouts: When the voltage drops to such an extent that it typically causes the lights to dim and causes computers to shut of E. Blackouts: When a total loss of power for a prolonged period occurs. F. Power Supply failure: When power supplies fail altogether and stop supplying the computer with power 2. List and discuss 3 types of backup generators. Portable gas-engine generator
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Permanently installed generator
Battery-inverter generator
3. List and discuss 5 considerations taken into account for a backup
generator. Redundant power supply o An enclosure that contains two (or more) complete power supplies Uninterruptible power supply (UPS) o Takes the functionality of a surge suppressor and combines that with a battery backup Backup generators o Part of an emergency power system used when an outage of regular electric grid power occurs o Broken down into three types: Portable gas-engine generator Permanently installed generator Battery-inverter generator 4. Discuss the following concepts: (3) A. Hot Site A near duplicate of the original site of the organization that can be up and running within minutes (maybe longer). Computers and phones are installed and ready to go. B. Warm Site Will have computers, phones, and servers but might require some configuration before users can start working on them C. Cold Site Has tables, chairs, bathrooms, and possibly some technical setup, for example, basic phone, data, and electric lines