Creating an active-passive configuration (Microsoft Windows)

Regardless of the Microsoft Windows operating system version that you use, you must complete the same basic steps to configure a two-server active-passive configuration.

About this task

This procedure describes an active-passive configuration where both the services and engine tiers have a standby server available. Refer to Tech Note 1591193, for a procedure on an active-passive engine configuration. The tech note contains detailed instructions and screen captures.

Procedure

  1. Set up the servers and storage, and cable the network.

    The servers must be able to communicate with each other over high-speed networks. To minimize single points of failure, each server must have redundant connections to at least two physically separate high-speed networks.

    To support failover when a problem occurs, the high availability software creates a heartbeat signal between the servers. Set up at least two more physically separate networks for this signal. The networks that carry the heartbeat signal must be physically separate and isolated from the high-speed networks.

    Each server must connect to a shared storage device. The storage device can be connected to each server by using a Fibre Channel Switch or SCSI interface. The storage device is listed as a local disk on both servers. At any given time, only one node has exclusive access to the storage device.

    Configure a separate server as the Windows domain controller.

  2. Install the operating system on both servers. The operating system includes high availability functions.
  3. Set up the cluster. Verify that all cluster resources are running correctly, and that all resources failover properly from server to server.
  4. Set up the virtual IP address.
  5. Create users and user groups on the shared storage device.
  6. On both servers, make sure that the directories that are listed in the following table are shared. The directories might differ depending on your configuration.
    Table 1. Directories for active-passive configuration
    Configuration of tiers Directory Default directory
    All Project directory C:\IBM\InformationServer\Server\Projects
    Engine tier on both servers IBM® InfoSphere® Information Server installation directory C:\IBM\InformationServer
    Services tier on both servers IBM WebSphere® Application Server installation directory C:\IBM\WebSphere
    Metadata repository tier on both servers, IBM Db2® database system
    • Db2 database system installation directory
    • Db2 administrator home directory
    C:\IBM\db2
  7. If the active-passive configuration will include only the engine tier (that is, the metadata repository or services tiers are to be located outside of the active-passive configuration), install and configure the metadata repository and services tiers first, before you continue with the engine tier installation and configuration. The engine tier installation requires that the metadata repository tier and services tier are installed first, unless you install them all at the same time in a single pass of the installation program.
  8. Run the InfoSphere Information Server installation program on the primary server.

    When prompted by the installation program, specify the virtual host name. Whenever prompted for an installation directory, specify a path within the shared storage device.

  9. Cause a failover to the backup server.
  10. Delete the InfoSphere Information Server installation directory on the shared storage device. Repeat the installation on the backup server with the same user names, passwords, and directories that are used on the primary server.
  11. Use the appropriate high availability software administration tools to complete the following steps:
    1. If the engine tier is included in the high availability configuration, add Generic Service resources for each of the engine tier services.
    2. If the services tier or metadata repository tier is included in the high availability configuration, add Generic Service resources for WebSphere and Db2 services.
    3. Create a Generic Script resource and add the supplied script in installdir\InformationServer\HAScripts\DSHARestart.vbs.
    4. For each of the resources you just added, set the appropriate dependency in the cluster software.
  12. Test the setup by simulating different failures.