Parallel Computers Technology Inc. (PCTI) develops and markets performance enhancement middleware products to leverage multiple low cost servers. These include synchronous parallel transaction replication, query load balancing, database server fault tolerance and fault tolerant high performance computing products for companies that require mission critical electronic data processing.

The Product: DB^x™ SQL Server® Scaler

DB^x™ is a SQL Server® database cluster middleware solution and was designed to tackle three fundamental issues in database industry: 1) poor performance scalability, 2) increasing planned service downtimes; and 3) high cost of disaster prevention.

Using DB^x™, all updates are synchronously replicated while the read-only queries are load balanced. This can substantially improve database server performance. DB^x™ comes with an automatic dataset resynchronization tool which can greatly reduce or totally eliminate planned downtime. With DBx, the promise of a proven, industrial strength, high availability and high performance replication solution for SMBs and Departments of Large companies that is cost-effective is finally here.

How DB^x™ Works:

DB^x™ is an industrial-strength intelligent database packet processor (gateway). It resides on the network path between database clients and a cluster of database servers. The system will run on a dedicated appliance or as a service co-locate with a SQL Server®. It can be protected using built-in IP-takeover to eliminate the single-point-failure. For most applications, deploying DB^x™ is a plug-and play operation. Cluster configuration and monitoring are done through a Windows-based Control Center.

Key Features:

ZERO TRANSACTION LOSS CONTINOUS PROTECTION
Our DB^x™ gateway replicates every transaction to multiple standalone SQL Servers® synchronously and in parallel. Therefore it offers very high replication speed. Out-of-sync SQL Servers® can be seamlessly re-synchronized without shutting down service. Therefore, it guarantees zero transaction loss with continuous protection permitting multiple SQL Server® and DB^x™ gateway failures.

HIGH PERFORMANCE
DB^x™ can automatically detect and distribute read-only queries and distribute them to the least loaded SQL Servers®.

NON-STOP CLUSTER SERVICE
DB^x™ SQL Server® cluster allows taking any individual server offline for repair and resynchronization without shutting down cluster. This not only allows drastic reduction in planned downtimes (for service pack installs) but also hot-online cluster expansion and contraction.

PROACTIVE MONITORING AND SECURE DATA VAULT
DB^x™ partitions your network into two physically separate networks: client-side and server-side. It constantly monitors the health of all database servers by looking for telltale signs of failure. It also monitors all incoming network traffic. Only queries from legitimate sources are to be accepted.

ZERO SINGLE POINT OF FAILURE
DB^x™ guarantees full hardware and software redundancy with multiple real time synchronized copies of data sets. Each DB^x™ gateways can be protected by IP-takeover for LAN or DNS-takeover for WAN.

SERVER CONSOLIDATION FRIENDLY
DB^x™ can be installed as a network appliance or run as a service sharing the same hardware with SQL Servers®.

Current Offerings:

1. Standard Edition - 200 or fewer concurrent connections, supports up to 4 servers in a cluster.
2. Enterprise Edition - 500-6000 concurrent connections, supports up to 16 servers in a cluster.

System Requirements:

Operating System: Windows NT/2000/2003 Servers, Standard or Enterprise Editions.
Database Support:SQL Servers 2000 and 2005, Standard and Enterprise Editions.

Download the DB^x™ Cluster Middleware Solution brochure (PDF, 211 Kb).