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CompTIA Security+ 3.4 CompTIA Server+ 3.7 ISC2 CC 2.2 NIST 800-53 SC-36 CompTIA Cloud+ 1.4 CompTIA Server+ 1.2
TechKnowSurge Catalog Interactives What Does the Replica Hold?
InteractiveSecurityFree

What Does the Replica Hold?

A change hits a replicated system. Predict what the replica holds, then see why.

⚑ Complete this interactive to capture a CTF flag worth 5 points.

About this interactive

Replication is redundancy for data. It copies the data and then keeps the copy up to date by sending it every change. A backup is a copy taken at one point in time, and it does not change afterwards. So a replica follows every change, good or bad, while a backup still holds the data as it was. That is why a hot site keeps its databases replicated and ready, and why you still need backups: a deletion, corruption or ransomware is replicated too. Almost anything can be replicated: databases, files and folders, whole servers, configurations and directory information, at the machine or disk level (VMware, for example), the folder or file level (Dropbox), or the database level (SQL Server availability groups). Synchronous replication commits a change on both copies together, so they never differ, but every write waits for the second copy, which hurts over a slow link. Asynchronous replication commits on the primary first and sends the change on afterwards, so writes are fast but the replica can be a little behind, and a change not yet sent is lost if the primary fails. Bidirectional replication lets changes be made on either copy and replicates them both ways, as Dropbox does. Two people changing the same file in two places at once creates a conflict. File locking prevents it: while a file is open in one place it is locked in the other, and the lock is released when the file is closed.

What you'll learn

Aligned to

CompTIA Security+
3.4 Explain the importance of resilience and recovery in security architecture.
CompTIA Server+
3.7 Given a scenario, implement backup and restore procedures.
1.2 Given a scenario, deploy and manage storage.
ISC2 CC
2.2 Understand redundancy
NIST 800-53
SC-36 Distributed Processing and Storage
CompTIA Cloud+
1.4 Given a scenario, implement appropriate storage solutions in the cloud.

Key terms

Replication
The process of copying and continuously synchronizing data from one location to another to ensure availability and fault tolerance in the event of a failure.
Synchronous Replication
A replication method where data changes are committed to all copies simultaneously, ensuring consistency between systems at all times.
Asynchronous Replication
A replication method where data changes are committed to the primary system first and then sent to the replica at a later time.
Bidirectional Replication
A replication configuration where changes made to either copy of data are replicated to the other, allowing updates from multiple locations.
File Locking
A mechanism that restricts access to a file when it is in use, preventing conflicting changes during bidirectional replication.
Backup
A copy of data captured at a specific point in time and stored separately from the source system, used to restore information in the event of data loss, corruption, or a security incident such as ransomware.
Hot Site
A fully operational duplicate facility with live systems and current data that can immediately assume workloads if the primary site fails, providing the fastest possible disaster recovery time.
Ransomware
A type of malware that encrypts a victim's files and demands payment in exchange for the decryption key.

Topics

Replication Synchronous Replication Asynchronous Replication File Locking Interactive Predict

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