Abstract :
The British Geological Survey (BGS) makes extensive use of digital databases to assist in the management of a wide variety of data. The Survey has two major centres, at Edinburgh and Nottingham, and regional offices at Newcastle, Aberystwyth, Exeter and Belfast. There is a large database installation running the Oracle RDBMS at the two large sites. Staff at all offices are able to access data at either main centre. Work on replication was undertaken because specific computing facilities are required at each major site. A minimum set of common geological information is also required at both sites. The resulting replication system has enabled key data to be distributed to each site in a transparent fashion. The system is automatic, and requires little more than a few minutes each day to confirm the monitoring status flags. The BGS have obtained the advantages of a distributed system without the cost of upgrading either the relational database system currently used, and without having to upgrade the current wide area network. The replication system has been running satisfactorily for over a year, and has gradually been refined in the light of experience. The monitoring system is the most recent feature to have been completed, and has provided a very time-efficient means of maintaining control over a fairly complex system. The whole process has been extended to incorporate two large Unix database servers, one at Edinburgh and the other at Nottingham. Preliminary experience with the Unix components of the system is reassuring, as the same functionality of both replication and monitoring is being maintained
