Previous Topic

Next Topic

Book Contents

Book Index

Web Farms - Technical Discussion

MOVEit DMZ web farm support relies upon several capabilities that provide support for a tiered architecture, as well as synchronization of important shared information across the web farm application nodes.

Remote Database Support

MOVEit DMZ has always been able to use remote databases, but this ability is rarely used. With the addition of support for Microsoft SQL Server in MOVEit DMZ version 6.0, the ability to access a remote database became even more important, as few customers would consider using a locally resident installation of SQL Server to provide database services for MOVEit DMZ, as is the default for MySQL installations. As a result, MOVEit DMZ's support for remote databases has been improved to make configuring DMZ to use a remote database much easier than before. Simply open the Database tab on the Configuration Utility to view and edit database access settings.

Remote Filesystem Support

In version 6.0, MOVEit DMZ gained the ability to store only its encrypted file store on a remote server, leaving the rest of the files local on the DMZ server. Additionally, its access to the remote files store is gained by mounting the remote share internally using a provided username and password, making configuration of DMZ to use a remote file store much easier than before. Simply open the Paths tab on the Configuration Utility to view and edit file store location and authentication settings.

High Availability Service

The MOVEit DMZ High Availability Service (MOVEitDMZHA) is responsible for updating an application node's status information while it is active, and for keeping the application nodes' settings, shared files (such as logo images and CSS stylesheets), and SSL certificates synchronized. Additionally, it is responsible for shutting down the MOVEit DMZ services if it detects a loss in connectivity to either the database or the file store. While installed during a normal MOVEit DMZ installation, the service is only configured and started when a node is added to a web farm.

If Windows Network Load Balancing is used as the load balancer for the web farm, the High Availability service will stop the NLB service on its associated application node when a loss in connectivity is detected, and will restart the NLB service when the connectivity problem is resolved. This prevents connections from being routed to a node that is currently not active.

Error Notification

If the High Availability service detects a connectivity issue, in addition to shutting down the MOVEit DMZ services, it will send an email notification to the currently configured "Send Errors To" email address for the system. The message includes information about which server is encountering the error, what error was detected, and what steps the High Availability service has taken as a result of the error. If the error conditions change, additional messages will be sent to keep administrators updated about the state of the ongoing errors on the node. Finally, if connectivity is re-established, in addition to restarting the MOVEit DMZ services, an email notification will be sent informing administrators of this fact.