How to use test url (server) as a backup too?

[Gauravk]

Is there a way we can use a test url (.org) as a backup too for main site (.com) so in case main server goes down (diff location) we can ask users to start using backup url (diff location)?

How do we sync both backup and main server all the time is my actual concern. Thanks in advance.

[CoffeeCake]

You'd need to address the licensing question first, which wouldn't allow you to open your test install to the public. But, assuming you had two IPS licenses (one for each install), you'd need to keep the file storage solutions and databases in sync. I would not go down this route. Instead, I'd look at building fault tolerances by doing things like MySQL replication and load balancing so you can handle an issue with a single server going down in the event it's mission critical to keep the site operational at all times. Warning: with such reliability, there is an expense and this may be pricey.

I'd suggest you first focus on a disaster recovery plan in place that you've documented and rehearsed (your test environment is a good place to do this) for how you'll restore from your main site's backups in the event something goes down and bring back up your environment without asking your members to type in a different URL.

You'll want to have backups of your file storage locations (depending on your configuration) and MySQL database, and be able to confirm you can successfully restore them from backup, and validate that everything is functional.

For our test environment, we start with periodic snapshots of our production environment. How you manage this will be entirely dependent on your hosting configuration.