Cross-cloud mirroring
MyWikis is currently testing a new feature to mirror wikis from the U.S. cloud (mywikis.wiki) to the EU cloud (mywikis.eu).
Background
Currently, wikis hosted under mywikis.wiki are in the U.S. cloud, while wikis hosted under mywikis.eu are in the EU cloud. While they have the same features and functionality, they are two distinct clouds that operate separately from one another.
To bolster global reliability, one possible option is to make a wiki available on multiple clouds. It is possible for wikis on the U.S. cloud to be synced to the European cloud, due to the data transfer regulations in the United States being different than those of the European Union. (In general, however, it is illegal to transfer personal data on the European cloud to the U.S. cloud.)
Because the clouds are distinct from one another, instantaneous mirroring is currently not possible. However, it is possible to create a mirrored wiki that is never more than one day off.
How it works
Wikis on the U.S. cloud enrolled in mirroring will have their wikis' daily backups uploaded to the EU cloud soon after the backups are taken.
The mirrored wikis have the same configuration as the original wikis, but they cannot be edited.
Mirroring is currently only available in one direction: from the U.S. cloud to the EU cloud. Due to GDPR regulations, personal data on the EU cloud cannot be transferred to the U.S. cloud; in fact, the safekeeping of said data and the full GDPR compliance of MyWikis.eu is one of the major benefits of the EU cloud!
Benefits
Cross-cloud mirroring is a great way to increase global availability to your wiki, especially when networking issues may prevent certain internet endpoints from accessing our web servers.
By utilizing cross-cloud mirroring, you get an easy way to instantly supercharge your wiki's reliability.
Limitations
To ensure data consistency and GDPR compliance, these mirrors are read-only. Allowing seamless editing from the mirrored wiki would be illegal because the EU's GDPR regulations prevent us from moving private data outside of the borders of the European Union.
Due to a difference in how the wiki's database and media files are stored on the cloud, the media files will still be retrieved from the U.S. cloud. In the future, we will explore supporting mirroring files across clouds too.
Most configuration settings remain the same between the original wiki and the mirrored wiki, but a few may be slightly altered solely for compatibility reasons.
By default, wikis using SSO will not be able to use the same SSO SP to access the EU mirror due to the difference in URLs of the wikis preventing the SSO process from succeeding. To work around this limitation, we would recommend creating a local account on the original wiki with credentials shared to those who normally access the wiki. Those credentials will then appear on the mirrored wiki and can be used to log in and view the wiki's contents. Contact our support team if you need help with doing this.
Availability
Mirroring across clouds is currently only available in beta for MyWikis Business and MyWikis Enterprise wikis on the U.S. cloud. If your wiki ends with mywikis.wiki, it is eligible for cross-cloud mirroring.
Pricing
Cross-cloud mirroring starts at $50 per month, per wiki for once daily mirroring. More frequent mirroring is also available at different price points. For business and enterprise plans, contact the sales team to discuss what works best for your mirroring needs.