Configure directory server failover (Microsoft Active Directory)

You can configure Content Engine for directory server failover by using a failover list. A failover list is a list of one or more directory servers specified in preference order (with each server other than the first considered an alternate for the preceding server.) Content Engine attempts to connect to an alternate directory server when the connection attempt with a preferred directory server fails. If a previously established directory server connection fails, Content Engine renews its attempts to connect to a directory server beginning with the first directory server listed. The directory servers in a failover list must be either Microsoft® Active Directory domain controllers or Active Directory global catalogs.

Format a failover list to represent directory servers in the following manner:

Hostname1:Port1 Hostname2:Port2 Hostname3:Port3 ... HostnameN:PortN

Separate the host name and port number pairs with a space character. Each pair must consist of a host name and port number. In the following example, the first pair specifies LaurelTree as the machine name and 389 as the port number:

LaurelTree:389 OliveTree:636 FigTree:389

Given the example list, Content Engine first attempts to connect to the directory server on the LaurelTree machine on port 389. If that attempt fails, Content Engine attempts to connect to the directory server on the OliveTree machine on port 636. If that attempt succeeds, the connection attempts stop. If, later on, Content Engine loses the connection to the directory server on OliveTree, the connection attempts start over again with LaurelTree.

The following table shows the port numbers typically used:

Port Directory Server Type Connection Type Property where used
389 domain controller non-secured Host
636 domain controller SSL Host
3268 global catalog non-secured Global Catalog Host
3269 global catalog SSL Global Catalog Host

To enter a failover list for an existing directory configuration

  1. In Enterprise Manager, right-click the Enterprise Manager domain node and click Properties.
  2. On the Directory Configuration tab, select the directory configuration you want to configure and click Modify.
  3. On the General tab, enter a failover list into the appropriate property. The Host property is for a domain controller failover list, and the Global Catalog Host property is for a global catalog failover list. See Directory configuration properties (General tab) for more information about the properties on this property page.