Geographically distributed multi-master replication with PostgreSQL and BDR

Craig Ringer

http://lca2018.linux.org.au/schedule/...

Keeping your data in more than one place is vital for business continuity, and databases are no exception. Backups are great, but they won't help you when your normally-connected EU, US and Australian operations all want to continue operating during a major WAN outage. This is where multi-master replication systems come into their own - but they also come with often overlooked costs and downsides. Bi-Directional Replication (BDR) for PostgreSQL can help solve some users' availability challenges in a globally distributed environment... if it's applied correctly.

Multi-master is not magic high availability secret-sauce that can be applied to every problem, no matter what some major vendors' sales teams would like you to believe.

Learn about when to use - and not to use - multi-master replication in general, and BDR in particular. When is it better to stick to a single-master system with failover? If you do select a multi-master system, what kind is best for you? Do you need something partition- and latency-tolerant, or something tightly coupled and transparent? Shared-mostly or shared-nothing? These details will have a major impact on whether a given system architecture can meet your needs, and understanding them will help you set better requirements during a design and product selection process.

This talk was given at Linux.conf.au 2018 (LCA2018) which was held on 22-26 January 2018 in Sydney Australia.

linux.conf.au is a conference about the Linux operating system, and all aspects of the thriving ecosystem of Free and Open Source Software that has grown up around it. Run since 1999, in a different Australian or New Zealand city each year, by a team of local volunteers, LCA invites more than 500 people to learn from the people who shape the future of Open Source. For more information on the conference see https://linux.conf.au/

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