Patent ID: 8335765

Claim:
A computer-implemented method of provisioning a replicated relational database in a database environment using one or more self-service Web services of a control environment, comprising: under control of one or more computer systems configured with executable instructions, providing a plurality of application programming interfaces (APIs) each enabling a user to submit a Web service request to a control environment, the Web service request including at least a request to create a replicated relational database for the user in a database environment; in response to receiving the request to create the replicated relational database for the user to the control environment through a first API of the plurality of APIs, instantiating a workflow including tasks for: provisioning a primary instance replica in a first data zone in the database environment; installing a database engine in the primary instance replica; provisioning a secondary instance replica in a second data zone in the database environment using one or more snapshots of the primary instance replica; and connecting a block level replication mechanism to each of the primary instance replica and secondary instance replica, the block level replication mechanism configured to intercept any read or write for the primary instance replica and cause any data updated for the primary instance replica to be synchronously updated to the secondary instance replica; and providing the user with an alias name enabling the user to interact with the database engine installed in the primary instance replica, the interacting through the alias name causing the block level replication mechanism to update the data to the secondary instance replica, the alias name automatically updated to be associated with the secondary instance replica upon a failure of the primary instance replica.