Managing Replication and High Availability Scenarios › Create SharePoint Server Scenarios › Create Multiple Scenarios for SharePoint Server Farm (distributed deployments)

Create Multiple Scenarios for SharePoint Server Farm (distributed deployments)

SharePoint deployments often include application, database, and load balancing web-front-end servers, each critical to the successful operation of the application. To protect distributed deployments like this, a separate scenario is required for each of the following:

• SQL scenario to protect the database server
• SharePoint scenario to protect the application server
• SharePoint scenario to protect the web front end server (For SharePoint Server 2007 only)

With this release, you can now create a single scenario group that configures the required individual scenarios needed to protect a distributed deployment, and lets you set switchover properties at the group level, so the entire farm can switch over when a failure is detected anywhere in the deployment. Arcserve RHA automatically discovers the farm topology and creates the required scenario for each discovered component.

Note: If you installed the SQL Server and SharePoint Server software on the same host, you need only one SharePoint HA scenario to protect it. The Farm Discovery panel does not appear if this host is the only server in the farm.

To create multiple SharePoint Server scenarios for a SharePoint Farm

1. From the Manager, click the New Scenario button to launch the Scenario Creation Wizard.

   The Welcome screen opens.

2. From the Welcome screen, do the following:
   1. Click Create a New Scenario.
   2. Enter a new Scenario Group name, which Arcserve RHA will create with the scenario.
   3. Click Next.

   The Select Server and Product Type screen opens.

3. From the Select Server and Product Type screen, do the following:
   1. Select MS SharePoint Server as the Server Type.
   2. Click High Availability Scenario as the Product Type.
   3. Click None for Tasks on Replica. For more information on performing Assured Recovery, see the Arcserve RHA Administration Guide.
   4. Click Next.

   The Master and Replica Hosts screen opens.

4. Do the following:
   1. Enter a name for the scenario to add to the group.
   2. In the Master Hostname/IP field, enter the host name or IP address of your SharePoint web front end server. Arcserve RHA discovers all the SharePoint servers in your deployment.
   3. In the Replica Hostname/IP field, enter the host name or IP address of a server you wish to use as the stand-by server.
   4. For the Port numbers, accept the default value.
   5. Enable the option, Verify Arcserve RHA Engine on hosts.
   6. Click Next.

   The Engine Verification screen opens.

5. Wait while verification completes. If needed, install the Engine on one or both servers and click Next.

   The Configure the Master/Replica Host Mappings screen opens, showing a list of the discovered servers in your deployment.

6. On this screen, do the following:
   1. In the Host Mappings list, select the SharePoint servers you want to protect. The first Master is automatically listed from the information you provided on the Master and Replica Hosts screen.
   2. In the Replica Hostname column, enter the Replica hostname for each selected server.
   3. In the Scenario Name column, enter a unique scenario name for each selected server.
   4. Enable the option, Verify Arcserve RHA Engine on Hosts.
   5. Click Next.

   The Engine Verification screen opens again, showing the status for each discovered Master and assigned Replica server. The first server you specified is excluded from this list because it was previously verified.

7. Install the Engine on any server, if needed, and click Next.

   The Database for Replication screen opens.

8. Enable the option, Replicate new databases in the selected root directories and click Next.
9. Wait while the server configuration on the Master and Replica servers is compared. Replicas are auto-configured to match Masters.
10. When the Replica Configuration screen opens, click Next if any Replica is not auto-configured. For server farms, enter the domain administrator's account credentials. For SharePoint Server 2007, enter the user name, password and domain. For SharePoint Server 2010, enter the user name, password, domain, and farm pass phrase. The account you specify is applied as the logon account for the Arcserve RHA SharePoint COM+ service on the Replica to process auto-configuration. For more information, see Arcserve RHA SharePoint COM+ Service

    The Scenario Properties screen opens.

11. This screen displays properties with each scenario on its own tab. You may configure scenario properties independently for each scenario. Click Next when done.

    The Master and Replica Properties screen opens.

12. This screen also features a tab for each scenario so you can set properties independently. Click Next when done.

    The Switchover Properties screen opens after Arcserve RHA retrieves default settings for all scenarios in the group.

13. Set properties on each tab and click Next when done.

    The Switchover and Reverse Replication Initiation screen opens.

14. All scenarios share the same settings on this screen. Select either Switchover or Reverse Replication and set to automatic, but not both. Click Next.

    The Group Properties screen opens.

15. This screen lets you specify the group switchover settings. Do the following:
    1. Expand the Switchover Settings properties group.
    2. If you want the whole group to switchover as a single entity, turn on the Switchover as a Group property.
    3. Expand the Failure Triggers Group Switchover property. All scenarios in your group are listed. Set the value to On for any scenario that should trigger whole group switchover if it fails.
    4. If Arcserve RHA is unable to switch over the whole group, you can set the Actions When Unable to Switchover as a Group option to On.
    5. Click Next.

    Wait while Arcserve RHA performs Group Verification.

16. The verification process actually verifies every scenario in the group and lists any errors or warnings found. You must resolve errors and should fix warnings before continuing. Finally, click Next.

    Note: If scenario verification reports an error about replicas still existing in the farm, this is due to a configuration error. Launch the SharePoint configuration wizard from the Windows Start menu on the Replica server to disconnect it from the Master's farm and then repeat auto-configuration.

17. The scenario group is ready. Do one of the following:
    • Click Finish to save the scenario group. You can add additional scenarios, if desired. For more information, see the topic Create a SharePoint Server Scenario, or view the Operation Guides for instructions on creating other scenario types. You can run the group later.
    • Click Run Now to run the scenario group immediately.