Qlikview server Load balancing cluster on the existing environment

[#1]

Hello Qlik folks, I can't find better material to install the Qlikview server upgrade from single node to Load balancing cluster.

Currently, we have only one Qlikview server (qvsp01) that host all the services Qlikview server , Web server , Publisher & Management Console. We attached the data hard drives to qvsp01 and the shares were created on the these drives for source & user documents folders. We are using AJAX client on the access point.

But we got 2 more servers qvsp02 , qvsp03 and we are planing to modifying the existing architecture and finally we decided to go to below:

QVSP01:

     1. Qlikview Distribution Service (Publisher)

     2. Qlikview Management Service (QMS API)

Source & user Documents still on the QVSP01

QVSP02 & QVSP03: [Load balancing]

     1. Qlikview Server service

     2. Qlikview Web server

     3. Qlikview directory service.

How can I upgrade the above architecture ? what steps I need to take care of in this upgrade process ?

I can't find this type of upgrade documents in Qlikview server reference manual.

Please help me on this.

[#2]

Hi Peter, I installed Qlikview server component that includes directory service connector on QVSP02. I add the second server info on the QEMC & made the cluster.

How can I route AP traffic to two servers ? I can't find settings for this.

After changes:

http://qvsp01/qlikview/index.htm ‌This is working : This QVSP01 access point

http://qvsp02/qlikview/index.htm ‌‌This is not working

How can create one access point url to manage 2 servers?

[Peter_Cammaert]

You don't have to do that, your Access Point server (a single QVWS) will do this. As I explained before, you will have a single AccessPoint (which is perfectly ok). As soon as a user clicks on a Document thumbnail, the load balancing software inside QVWS will talk to the two QVS services and decide based on specific parameters where to send the user to.

The AccessPoint URL will always be one of the two non-publisher servers. Configure the two QVS in QMC with your cluster license, and configure QVWS so that it knows what load balancing strategy to use.

See chapter 17.3 in the QlikView Server Reference Manual for more information.

You do have a Cluster license, don't you?

[#4]

We have cluster license up to 5 nodes. I will look into server reference manual. According to your comments, qvsp01/qlikview/index.htm is send the traffic to either of servers depends on the cluster settings.

Our concerns is the access point url misleading to users, its have only one server. So can we markup the access point url like qvspv/qlikview/index.htm ?

Is it possible with QVWS ?

[Peter_Cammaert]

Correct.

There are two solutions for this issue:

• Either install QVWS on a fourth (scaled down) server that you call 'qvspv'. It doesn't have to be a high-performance server as it will only provide the AccessPoint landing page to users, and will forward them immediately to the appropriate QVS platform when they try to open a QlikView document,
• Or in your company's DNS database, register a domain alias like qvspv.yourcompany.internal or simply qlikview.yourcompany.internal and assign it to the same intranet ip-address of the machine that is running the QVWS. For example, if you do this for machine qvsp01 because that's where you installed QVWS and configured a load balancing strategy, your users will navigate to http://qvspv/qlikview (or even better: http://qlikview/qlikview) and land on the AccessPoint page.

Best,

Peter

[#6]

Thanks Peter. I will discuss with my IT team & go with option 2. Even though we can change the server it doesn't impact user bookmarks.

We are doing some OS upgrades, how can we back up the all our tasks & apply task back after upgrade.

Just move the QVPR xml repository move to shared drive and move back to folder after upgrades. I need to take any other precautions to avoid re creating the tasks again.

[Colin-Albert]

Hi Dathu,

It would be worth you getting a copy of Steve Redmond's book on QlikView Server as this have plenty of information on setting up QV Servers in a cluster environment.   stephen-x.redmond‌

The book is available from PACKT 

https://www.packtpub.com/networking-and-servers/qlikview-server-and-publisher

[Peter_Cammaert]

I guess your post contains two questions (not entirely clezr). If it does not, just ignore my reply.

"We are doing some OS upgrades, how can we back up the all our tasks & apply task back after upgrade."?

Just make a copy of C:\ProgramData\QlikTech\ManagementService\QVPR and put it back in the exact same place after your OS upgrade. An even easier method may be to make a small change to one of your tasks. QMS will make a backup itself of the entire Task database before the change and put it in the Backups folder. You can use that zip as backup.

" I need to take any other precautions to avoid re creating the tasks again."?

Make sure that after the OS Upgrade your Source documents have the exact same names and locations. Otherwise, the restored tasks will lose track of the actual QVW documents.