Quick start configuration for Site Selector

This quick start example shows how to create a site name configuration by using Site Selector to load balance traffic among a set of servers that are based on the domain name that is used on a client request.

Before you begin

Simple Site Selector configuration. Simple Site Selector configuration
For this quick start configuration example, you must meet the following conditions:
  • Administrative access to the name server for your site
  • Four servers (server1, server2, server3, server4) configured to the network and an extra server with the Site Selector component installed
Tip: If you collocate Site Selector on one of the load balanced servers, then you need four servers instead of five. However, collocation has an impact the performance of the load balanced servers.

About this task

With Site Selector, you can create a configuration by using the command line, the configuration wizard, or the graphical user interface (GUI). For this quick start example, configuration steps are demonstrated by using the command line.

Procedure

  1. Prepare the servers. For this quick start example, the company site domain is mywebshop.com. Site Selector is responsible for a subdomain within mywebshop.com. Therefore, define a subdomain within mywebshop.com, for example: apps.mywebshop.com.

    Site Selector is not a fully implemented DNS, such as BIND, and acts as a leafnode in a DNS hierarchy. Site Selector is authoritative for the apps.mywebshop.com subdomain. Subdomain apps.mywebshop.com includes the following site names: marketing.apps.mywebshop.com and developer.apps.mywebshop.com.

    1. Update the company site’s domain name server, as shown in the figure. Create a name server record in the named.data file for the subdomain (apps.mywebshop.com) where Site Selector is the authoritative name server:
      apps.mywebshop.com. IN NS siteselector.mywebshop.com
    2. Ensure that the fully qualified host name or site does not resolve in the current domain name system.
    3. Install Metric Server on the servers (server1, server2, server3, server4) that you intend to have Site Selector load balance. Read the Getting advice with Metric Server topic to learn how to use Metric Server with the Site Selector component.
  2. With Site Selector, you can create a configuration by using the command line, the configuration wizard, or the graphical user interface (GUI). For this quick start example, configuration steps are demonstrated using the command line.
    Important: The parameter values must be entered in English characters. The only exceptions are parameter values for host names and file names.
    • Configuring with the command line:
      1. Start ssserver from the install_root/ss/server/bin directory:
        • [AIX][HP-UX][Linux][Solaris] Run the following command as root user:
          ssserver
        • [Windows] Start ssserver (IBM® Site Selector) from the Services panel: Start > Settings (for Windows 2000) > Control Panel > Administrative Tools > Services.
      2. Start the name server on the Site Selector configuration. Enter the command
        sscontrol nameserver start
      3. Configure the site names (marketing.apps.mywebshop.com and developer.apps.mywebshop.com) on Site Selector:
        sscontrol sitename add marketing.apps.mywebshop.com@ 
        sscontrol sitename add developer.apps.mywebshop.com@
      4. Add the servers to the Site Selector configuration. (Configure server1 and server2 to site name marketing.apps.mywebshop.com. Configure server3 and server4 to site name developer.apps.myeebshop.com):
        sscontrol server add marketing.apps.mywebshop.com@server1+server2 
        sscontrol server add developer.apps.mywebshop.com@server3+server4
      5. Start the manager function of Site Selector:
        sscontrol manager start
      6. Start the advisor function of Site Selector (HTTP advisor for marketing.apps.mywebshop.com and FTP advisor for developer.apps.mywebshop):
        sscontrol advisor start http marketing.apps.mywebshop.com@80 
        sscontrol advisor start ftp developer.apps.mywebshop.com@21
      7. Ensure that the Metric Server is started on each of the load-balanced servers.
  3. Test your configuration.
    1. From a client, that has a primary DNS configured as the name server responsible for mywebshop.com, try to ping one of the configured site names.
    2. Connect to the application. For example:
      • Open a browser, request marketing.apps.mywebshop.com and a valid page is served
      • Open an FTP client to developer.apps.mywebshop.com and enter a valid user and password
    3. Look at the results of the following command:
      sscontrol server status marketing.apps.mywebshop.com@
      sscontrol server status developer.apps.mywebshop.com@

      The total hits entry of each server adds up to the ping and application request.

What to do next

You can also configure Site Selector with the graphical user interface (GUI) and the configuration wizard. Read the Configuring Site Selector and GUI: General Instructions topics for more information.
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Last updated: April 16, 2014 11:59 AM EDT
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