Patent ID: 7363365

Claim:
A method of ensuring service availability, the method comprising: connecting a service appliance to a network including a first production server providing a first service and a client system accessing the service, such that network traffic between the first production server and the client system is received by the service appliance; synchronizing a second service provided by the service appliance with the first service; monitoring the first service; and in response to a determination that the production server is unavailable, substituting the second service in place of the first service and monitoring the network for a third service; in response to a determination that the third service is available and capable of handling access by the client system, synchronizing the third service with the second service; and in response to the completion of synchronization of the third service with the second service, substituting the third service in place of the second service, such that the third service is responsive to client system communications directed to the first service.