1) I believe what they're referring to is a second CSMARS that has the same configuration as the other (for example, restored using pnrestore). You can probably have both online at the same time, if you plan it carefully. You have to at least consider:
a) devices where information is pulled (i.e. Cisco IPS, Checkpoint, Windows)
b) SNMP to network devices
c) the archive settings
d) rules with notifications
e) you'll have to update the license after a restore
f) obviously you'd have to change the IP address
Regarding using the second appliance to analyze old archived data, I keep hearing people talk about that but fail to see how it's feasible. I'm not aware of a pnrestore option that allows you to restore a range of dynamic data. I believe you can only restore from a certain date in the past to the present. Cisco recommends simply manipulating the archive date so that only the correct range is available. I don't consider that even remotely realistic or advisable.
2) no, there is no support for automatic failover.
We have a secondary device for DR purposes. It runs concurrently, for testing only. In the event of a failure of the primary, we will use pnrestore to recover it from archived data. We have tested this numerous times and it works.
