This document discusses N:1 replication, which allows multiple master databases to replicate to a single slave database. It describes how N:1 replication works and some limitations, like inability to keep up with schema changes or restarting easily. The document then introduces MHA (Master High Availability), a tool that can automate failover between masters. While N:1 replication and MHA have similar mechanisms for switching masters, N:1 replication requires specifying the exact binlog position, so it does not support automatic failover when a master completely fails like MHA can.