redirection of website if not connecting

[quartz]

Hello,
I am wondering if it is possible to set up a "backup website"! In case the server or host of your website is down, and instead of getting the message: "connection timed out" (or sth. like that-not possible to connect), the same website would come up, from diferent host for example. So basicly webiste http address would have to redirect or open a mirror in case the primary server is down? Possible? And mybe where to learn how to do it?

Thanx you, Al

[stapel]

I think you would need to engage the services of a DNS-management company, which could maintain multiple nameservers for your domain. If your local DNS was suffering (the server was down, so there is no response at all; or the server was being hammered, so response was too slow; etc), then calls to your site could be relocated to another, back-up, server. Or, if your site is very large, so that you have a "farm" or distributed collection of back-up or geographically-specific servers, traffic could be allocated according to need and speed.

Note: I have never used such a service, so I cannot provide specific advice. The above is my (lay) understanding; I could be wrong....

Eliz.

[dstiles]

I think ZoneEdit used to provide DNS switching for this sort of thing. Probably still do - I haven't looked at them for a couple of years.