Using PostgreSQL Streaming Replication

Streaming replication enables the continuous streaming and replication of WAL segments from the WAL directory and archived WAL segments from a primary database server to a secondary database server.

The following diagram illustrates streaming replication with continuous archiving and point-in-time recovery:

This process is complementary to configuring continuous archiving. It protects against failures occurring on the primary database server, by streaming the WAL directory and synchronizing the database's archived WAL logs to a secondary database server.

Configuring PostgreSQL Streaming Replication

The secondary server continuously streams the primary server’s WAL segments, and synchronizes the primary database server’s archived WAL segments every 10 minutes. Streaming replication traffic runs on TCP port 5432, which means you must open these ports for communication between the primary and secondary database servers. The secondary CTERA database server acts as a standby/passive server and cannot be used for load balancing purposes.

To configure streaming replication:

1. Using SSH, log in as root to your CTERA Portal secondary, replication, database server.
2. Do one of the following:
   • If the secondary server has not been initialized, browse to the server's IP address or public DNS.
   • If the secondary server has been initialized but without replication, and you want to set it up as a replication server, open an SSH session to the CTERA Portal secondary, replication, database server, by running the following command: portal-manage.sh resetdb
     Warning

     You must not run portal-manage.sh resetdb on the primary database server as this will delete all the data from the database.

   The Setup wizard opens, displaying the Select Server operation mode window.
3. Set the server as a replication of the desired database server.
   Note

   After completing the setup wizard on an already initialized server, a new server entry is created representing the newly configured server. This makes the old server entry obsolete. You can remove the obsolete server entry by doing the following:

   1. Log in to the CTERA Portal as a global administrator.
   2. In Main > Servers locate the obsolete server entry, displayed as Not Connected.
   3. Select the server and click Delete.
4. Create the archive pool on the CTERA Portal replication server as described in Creating an Archive Pool but log in as root to your CTERA Portal replication server instead of the primary database server.