Understanding Server Load Balancing

Creating Metadata for Load-Balancing Clusters

At this stage in the process of creating a load-balancing cluster, you have identified hosts, chosen server names and port numbers, and selected server login credentials. In the metadata creation stage you will establish metadata identities for the servers in your cluster and set load-balancing parameters. After this stage you will install and configure the server software on your hosts.

If you need to install a new SAS Application Server and SAS Logical Server on a new host, do so now using the SAS Deployment Wizard in Configuration Mode. Return to this section afterwards. For information about creating new servers, see Add an Additional SAS Application Server.

Convert the Logical Server to Load Balancing

To convert your logical server to load balancing (workspace and OLAP servers only), follow these steps:

Open SAS Management Console and click Server Manager to display the available servers.
To display the SAS Logical Server that will contain your cluster, double-click the appropriate SAS Application Server.
Right-click the logical server and select Convert To Load Balancing.
In the Load Balancing Options window, choose a load-balancing algorithm and choose values for the other available options. For information about the load-balancing algorithms, see Understanding the Load-Balancing Algorithms. Click Help to learn about the load-balancing options.
Provide data for the remaining fields in the wizard. For the logical server credentials, refer to Select and Configure Logical Server Login Credentials.

CAUTION:
Credentials are required on logical servers to enable peer-to-peer communication.

Edit Metadata and Convert the Server Instance to Load Balancing

At this point, your logical server should contain one server instance and one associated spawner process (for all cluster types except OLAP). To edit metadata for the first server and convert the server to load balancing, follow these steps:

Open the properties window of the initial server instance beneath the load-balancing logical server.
On the General tab, rename the server according to the naming convention of your cluster. In the Description field, mention the purpose of your load-balancing cluster. Then click OK to close the properties window.

Note: This step is optional. Renaming the server helps to identify that it is configured as load balanced in the SAS Management Console Server Manager and in log files.
For an OLAP server only, move to the Connections tab and open the properties window of the server connection. On the Options tab, change the port number if necessary, and then click OK to close the properties window.

Create Metadata for the Other Load-Balancing Servers

To create metadata for the new servers in your cluster, follow these steps:

Right-click the logical server that has been converted to load balancing and select Add Server.
In the New Server Wizard, select the server type that you want to add to your cluster and fill out the rest of the information that is requested. Be sure to enter the appropriate host name, server name, and port number.
Repeat these steps for the rest of the new servers in your cluster.

Move to the server software installation and configuration stage.

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