As our daily lives and corporate well-being become more dependent upon computers, system reliability grows increasingly important. No longer are frequent system outages acceptable. In many cases, failure intervals must now be measured in centuries. Even current fault-tolerant computing systems will fail once every five or ten years. This book is the first in a three-part series on active/active systems. It describes techniques that can be used today for extending system failure times from years to centuries, often at little or no additional cost. The techniques described include splitting a large system into smaller, cooperating independent nodes. Copies of the application's database are distributed across the nodes. It is shown that these techniques significantly reduce the number of system failure modes and increase the level of sparing. As a result, the loss of a single node's capacity occurs far less frequently than the loss of all capacity when the equivalent monolithic system fails. Furthermore, the loss of more than one node's worth of capacity is almost never. Central to these techniques is the requirement that all database copies that are distributed across the network must be kept in synchronism. Several methods available today for maintaining synchronism are described. They include asynchronous data replication, synchronous data replication, and network transactions.

"To err is human, to forgive divine," goes the familiar saying. If you have ever aspired to realize the divine within you, you need look no further - within the pages of this powerful book you will find the means to master The Magic of Forgiveness as Dada J.P. Vaswani describes it. What is forgiveness? Why should we forgive? How can forgiveness empower us, heal us, help us to bury the dead past and begin our lives anew? Answers to these and other burning questions are offered here. Dada J.P. Vaswani, whose knowledge of human nature is profound, but, at the same time, compassionate and non-judgemental, teaches us how to apologize with grace; how to forgive with generosity; how to restore damaged relationships; how to overcome resentment and bitterness; how to forgive ourselves when the need arises; and above all, how to forget after we have forgiven someone. It has been said, "We win by tenderness; we conquer by forgiveness." In this book, Dada J.P. Vaswani shows us how we may conquer ourselves - and the hearts of others - by The Magic of Forgiveness!

This book is Volume 2 of a three-part series on active/active systems. It describes techniques that can be used today for extending system failure times from years to centuries, often at little or no additional cost. As our daily lives and corporate well-being become more dependent upon computers, system reliability grows increasingly important. No longer are frequent system outages acceptable. In many cases, failure intervals must now be measured in centuries. Starting with a summary of Volume 1, techniques for achieving extraordinary availabilities are reviewed. These techniques use active/active architectures, in which multiple independent nodes using a common distributed database are cooperating in a common application. Should a node fail, all that is required is to switch the users on that node to a surviving node. Equally important to the achievement of high availability is the ability to upgrade the system hardware and software without denying service to the users. The procedures to do this within an active/active system are described. The secret to high availability is to let it fail, but fix it fast. This volume explores the server, database, and network redundancy techniques that allow fast-fix to happen. The cost considerations involved in such redundant architectures are also explored.

The Bhagavad Gita is a world-scripture with a world message, It is not meant for India alone: it is a "Bible of Humanity". The Gita has an answer to the problems and perplexities of the modern world. The problems of social, national and international reconstruction will not be solved without an appreciation of those deeper values of life which, the Gita shows, are the very structure of Reality. A new Indian nation, a new social order, a new civilisation must be built on the essential teachings of the Gita. The wisdom of the Gita is the hope of a new humanity Sadhu Vaswani, who was regarded by many as an "embodiment of the Gita", a "living Gita", and who was equally at home in the Eastern and Western traditions of thought, gives us in this book the teaching of the Gita in simple words. In the Bhagavad Gita, simplicity is combined with wisdom. The essential teaching of the Bhagavad Gita has been overlaid by controversies which scholars and theologians may understand but not lovers of the simple life. In the present volume, the author has simplified the message of the Bhagavad Gita and related it to the experience and aspirations of the common man. "To the vast majority of men", he says, "life seems to be a meaningless muddle. Not many seem to realise that life, at its noblest, is a yatra, a piligrimage to God: the Infinite is our true Home."

This book takes the reader through a journey of how fear of loss progressively creates barriers and bureaucracy that inevitably cause companies to fail -- and what leaders need to do to overcome these seemingly impenetrable walls. The greatest threat to an organization's success is not always the competition. Often, it is what a company does to itself. Because of fear, companies become plagued with barriers and bureaucracy that limit success, crush employees, and infuse frustration and a sense of futility across the enterprise. It starts with a narrowing of focus, which leads to the first level of bureaucracy: parochialism. Parochialism exists when managers and departments begin to view the world through the filter of their own little silo and build walls made of rules and policies to protect their turf. As businesses grow and become more complex, the second level of bureaucracy is reached: territorialism. While parochialism is about protecting a department from outsiders, territorialism is about controlling those inside the silo. The third and final level of bureaucracy is empire building, which is a response to perceived threats to a department's ability to be self-sufficient. These barriers cost organizations a fortune in inefficiency, turnover, waste, and demoralization. Tearing down these barriers is difficult, but it can be done. Parochialism can be eliminated by resetting rules and policies and refocusing on the ultimate mission of the organization. Territorialism can be eliminated by creating true empowerment, along with appropriate levels of accountability. Empire building can be addressed through shared goals and a set of guiding principles that help act as a referee in decision making. But that's not enough. Managers must also create a culture of courage to enable employees to take advantage of these new freedoms and accountabilities. Courage killers must be rooted out and dealt with swiftly and strongly. Finally, leaders must refocus on mission success rather than just checking off their part of the process, manage reference points, and engage employees. By doing all these things, an organization can become fearless and unstoppable.

The race to build the first time machine.