DriveWorks Pro 22

How To: Load Balance IIS (KB20111601)

How To: Load Balance IIS

Load Balancing distributes network traffic across multiple servers, this allows:

• DriveWorks load to be spread across multiple machines
• Expansion during busy periods
• Seamless upgrades
• Heightened security
• Redundancy back up

Is Load Balancing required?

• Are there 10+ concurrent users regularly creating Specifications?
• Would order processing be halted if a server went offline?
• Are there periods that demand more resources from a server?
• Is the hardware limit of the current server being reached?

Application Request Routing (ARR)

This is a free Microsoft extension to IIS that:

• Enables IIS to be load balanced
• Supports multiple methods of load balancing
• Provides health checking

Application Request Routing (ARR) should be installed on a dedicated server from which the IIS servers can be reached.

• Web Users connect to an IIS server through the ARR server
• The ARR server monitors load and distributes resource accordingly
• Each IIS server pools DriveWorks Live Licenses from the DriveWorks License Manager.

  The DriveWorks License Manager can serve any type of DriveWorks Live License (for example Centralized Network or OnDemand Licenses).

Installing Application Request Routing (ARR)

1. Download and install the Microsoft - Web Platform Installer extension

   We recommend using the Web Platform Installer as it provides a simplified installation workflow for installing common open source web applications and web platform technologies.

2. Launch Internet Information Services Manager and select the server name from the Connections list.
3. Double click the Web Platform Installer from the Management Section of the main window.
4. Enter ARR 3.0 in the search box at the top of the Web Platform Installer window.
5. Click Add to add the ARR extension.
6. Once installed create a Server Farm and add the IIS Servers to it.
7. Customize the Server Farm settings for:
   • URL Rewrite
   • Server Affinity
   • Load Balancing Preferences

More information on ARR can be found here: Application Request Routing Overview.

Caching

Load balancers can have their own preferences that negate any cache settings that have been applied elsewhere.

If caching is occurring, but everything is set not to cache, check the settings of the load balancer itself.

See Also:

How To: Configure IIS For The Web and Application Theme

How To: Configure IIS For The Integration Theme