Best Practices of Qlik Sense Multi-Node Setup, Load Balancing & Maintenance(Let's Discuss Here)

[rohitk1609]

Hello Everyone,

First of all, thanks for reading! I found it is amazing to connect myself to people around the world and communicate with my writings.

This page is indented to discuss best practices for  Multi-Node Setup & Load Balancing primarily, You may drop your use case or problem in comment, we will provide you best possible solution instantly.

Below content guide you to set up Multi-Node Qlik Setup & Load Balancing. It will help you to know Qlik technical terms, ask question more precious way which will help usor anyoe to provide solution more accurately.

Business intelligence is an agile process, gradually BI solution changes and updates. Enterprise grows so are data and end users.

When data grows and business logic gets complex, we need more resources to calculate the result and serve to users. Afterwards, Single Node (small) site performance decreases with time which could lay down the credibility and quality of BI solution.

Multi node site is  Qlik site(could have multiple Qlik servers ) where load is getting managed between more than one system and could have more than one  Fai-lover Candidate which takes charge in absence of central node automatically.

Note: we can have multiple fail-over candidates in one site, we call it passive central.

There are certain parameter which help you to take decision whether we should move to multi node site or remain on single node.

https://help.qlik.com/en-US/sense/June2018/Subsystems/PlanningQlikSenseDeployments/Content/Deploymen...

So below content is for such users who have made mind to upgrade their Qlik site to multi node.

Few naming conventions we will follow in below content:

1. Consumer node: which must has proxy service enable
2. Scheduler node: which has scheduler and engine services are enabled
3. Central: which is controlling whole Qlik site.
4. Failover Candidate(Passive central)
5. Resources: RAM and Cores(virtual cores)

Since June 2017 , installation setup has shared persistence way only where Apps and RepoDB data stay at persistence layer and both are shared with other nodes (rim or child).

Now why do we need to share Apps and Repository data with child or rim nodes?

Answer: to manage load in simple

Next Question: what exactly we share to balance the load practically?

Answer: Resources in Qlik site.

Next Question: what will be achieved if we share the resources?

Answer: Reduce the resource consumption while end users are accessing apps from one node i.e. central to consumer node (proxy service is must) and reduce the resource consumption and distribute it to scheduler node (scheduler and engine service is must) while any app reloads.

There could be many scenario how you would design your multi node site:

1. You want one central and one consumer and one scheduler node.
2. Two scheduler and two consumer and central
3. Central and scheduler node.

Ideally: Two scheduler and two consumer and central node comes in best practice for extra large enterprise.

You can read about single node, small, medium , large and extra large Qlik shared site in detail:

https://help.qlik.com/en-US/sense/February2019/Subsystems/PlanningQlikSenseDeployments/Content/Sense...

Multi node site would increase your Qlik Sense site availability, how?

We have a concept fail-over candidate, which is one of the scheduler node or such node which has all services and take charge automatically while Central node is down. We can manipulate the sensing time of failover candidate to central node in latest version.

Solutions which will guide you to deply multi node side

1. How to Install multi node site:

Installation of Multi Node site

Installing Qlik Sense in a multi node site - Qlik Sense

Qlik Sense September 2017 - Installing Qlik Sense in a multi-node site

1. How to configure multi-node site:

         Configure a multinode installatio

       2.  Load balancing:

      Adding load balancing

       Load balancing

       Configuring load balancing to isolate development nodes

          3. Fail-over candidate

Fail- candidate or we can call it passive central node which is ping in a set time(you can customize it below 10 minutes) to central or master node and when it doesn't get response it will take charge and become active central or master node.

Note: Where you install your postgresDB during installation that server has one extra service Qlik Repository Database which is running the postgresDB. So in case you don't have a dedicated persistence layer and installed Repo DB on central node(any server which has Qlik Sense too) then if your central node get down due to power failure or blue screen then fail-over node won't take charge. 

Primary condition of fail over concept needs QlikSenseRepositoryDatabase to be run all time. if QlikSenseRepositoryDatabase is down then whole site is down. 

One important application is attached to article which helps you to review your Qlik site. If you  have any concern over Qlik repository size, QLogs DB size or any component which is accessing excess size than expected, then download the app, import to your Qlik Sense, open it on HUB, there will be three connection which come along with application i.e. PostgreSQL_postgres, PostgreSQL_QLogs and PostgreSQL_QSR. Update password with your super user password of postgresDB which you entered during installation and save it. 

If your user name added as postfix after updatation of connections , go to QMC and make it as they were earlier.

Please do above activities by RDP not from end user side. Reload the app and share it with me so I can review it.

After utilizing above solutions, please post your queries in comment section what is your use case i.e. how many servers are available, how your user comes to site, network load balancer is available or not, reloads are executing on scheduler nodes etc.

In general, multi node or load balancing concept is vast and vary with client to client, so I do believe you may ask question much better when you understand the right terms of Qlik, went through above articles and requirements are clear.

Consider this resource as a open form where we all can post our queries on load balancing and multi node site.

There are few other documents which would help you in Qlik administration

1.Dynamic Sheet Exception With Stream and App Level Security

2.Sheet or App Object Level Security Qlik Sense

Reach to me if there is need of any clarification or need assistance with kumar.rohit1609@gmail.com

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When applicable please mark the appropriate replies as ACCEPT AS SOLUTION and LIKE it. This will help community members and Qlik Employees know which discussions have already been addressed and have a possible known solution. Please mark threads as LIKE if the provided solution is helpful to the problem, but does not necessarily solve the indicated problem. You can mark multiple threads as LIKE if you feel additional info is useful to others.

Thanks,
Rohit Kumar

[npmurray]

Hi Rohit,

I have followed the great video about how to create a failover Central Node and have installed a failover central node without any issues. However, all of our scheduled tasks are now failing as they are trying to run on the failover candidate and not the original central node.

I've had to stop all the windows services on the failover candidate node which has allowed us to run the tasks again on the original central node.

My question is why are the scheduled jobs trying to run on the failover candidate when it hasn’t failed over to it, is this a configuration issue or something else?

We are running November 2017 release.

Thanks,

[rohitk1609]

Thanks for reaching to me.

Your task are trying to run on failover because a failover node is also a scheduler node and its good thing. your load will be balanced with this new node.

My question is why they are failing if your script executes on failover node ? try to use NTLM path instead of direct folder path and I hope your data source is accessible from failver candidate too.

Read the logs and try to fix the error rather than stopping service. If your scripts are failing on scheduler node then what is the purpose of it, what will happen when you central node will be down and failover node will become master or central ? same tasks will fail, please fix the error and donot stop any services.

If a post helps to resolve your issue, please mark the appropriate replies as "Accept as Solution" or Like it.

Best,
Rohit

[npmurray]

Thansk Rohit.

Which logs should I be looking at and on what server, the failover candidate one?

[rohitk1609]

Sorry for late reply. Yes on failover candidate, if your scheduler node of master or central node is set to Master and Slave then execution of any app will happen on any node, central or failover ,so when you run a task there is a information sign , check there on which node execution was happened. then go to that node and find the logs. If you setup centrallize logging you can check the logs in archived logs folder in QlikShare folder. 

Moreover, I assume the task you are running, associated app script is not having NTLM path for data source or static files.

If a post helps to resolve your issue, please mark the appropriate replies as "Accept as Solution" or Like it.

Best,

Rohit

[amrinder]

Hi,

I have installed Qlik Sense Multi Node Architecture...for whiteliting IPs I want to know what all IPs should be whitelisted on Active Central Node, Passive Central Node, Scheduler Node and Consumer Nodes?

Please help its urgent.

Thanks,
Amrinder

[rohitk1609]

White list the IP and HostName of  Consumer Nodes because your user will fall on them not on any other node.

[rohitk1609]

Whitelist consumer nodes(virtual proxy ) is enough.

If a post helps to resolve your issue, please mark the appropriate replies as "Accept as Solution" or Like it.

Best,

Rohit

[amrinder]

Thanks Rohit for help.

I have one more query I am using external load balancer with consumer nodes and Networking team is asking me about port numbers associated with Servers(Consumer Nodes) to configure load balance the traffic across the nodes.

[amrinder]

Hi Rohit,

I have successfully installed Qlik Sense Multi Node architecture. i am trying to test Fail Over Scenario for Central Node, I have kept Fail Over Time to be 1 Minute and stopping All services on Central node or Restarting Server of Central Node but during that time I am not able to access Qlik Sense on Consumer Nodes/ Backup(Secondary Node. Once Central Node is made up by starting services or it has restarted at that if I Check Node Roles its assigned to Failover Candidate Node and I am able to access Qlik Sense Properly.

What to do? I want if services of my central node are down or central node is not available Qlik Sense should be accessible.

Kindly help its really urgent.

Thanks,

Amrinder

[rohitk1609]

Did you enabled the Failover candidate option under nodes section in QMC ? when your central node is down, the failover node services are running ? if