Configure Failover Server - Endpoint Central

What is Failover Server?

Failover server will act as a standby server ensuring uninterrupted services for your network (High availability). If the primary server goes offline, Failover Server will take the workload and communicate with the agents.

How does a Failover Server work?

The failover server will be in sync with the central server. Failover server will be notified when the primary server fails, and then the failover server will be taken online. This event change will take place swift ensuring business continuity and uninterrupted connection between agents and server.

How to setup a Failover Server?

Follow the instructions given below to setup a failover server system in your network.

What are the pre-requisites for Failover Server management?

• Failover Server License
• Remote MSSQL Database
• Remote Repositories
  • Patch Repository
  • Software Repository
• Static IP Address

Note:
1. Ensure that the central server, failover server, and remote MSSQL database are in the same domain.
2. If NAT Settings is configured to redirect all communications to a local IP, ensure that the redirected communication reaches the virtual IP address.

How to configure a Failover Server?

To configure your failover server system, navigate to Admin > Server Settings > Failover Server. Ensure that all the pre-requisites are met before configuring and activating the failover server. Follow the below mentioned steps to complete this configuration.

• Primary Server IP - Points to the location of the central server on the network.
• Secondary Server IP - Points to the location of the failover server on the network.
• Virtual IP - The virtual IP is automatically binded to the central server, or the failover server if the central server is not reachable. The virtual IP is used by the agents to figure out which server to report to, ensuring seamless communication.

Note: Kindly ensure that the all three IP addresses are part of the same subnet range.

How to clone server components?

• Stop the service of Endpoint Central
• Open the command prompt in administrator mode and change the directory to Installation_Directory/ManageEngine/DesktopCentral_Server/bin
• Execute "Clone_Primary_Server.bat", to clone and create a zip folder which contains the server components.
• A new zip file "Product.zip", will be created in the "Installation_Directory>/ManageEngine/DesktopCentral_Server" folder.

How to configure share permissions?

Note:Ensure that the the secondary server do have permissions to synchronize the data from the primary server and vice versa.

To configure, enable the following settings

• Access to computer where Endpoint Central Primary & Secondary Server are installed.
• Permission for the system user to manage both the Endpoint Central Primary & Secondary Server.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Make sure that the share permissions for "everyone" is turned OFF in both primary server and secondary server as it may lead to security vulnerabilities. Also ensure that you login as a domain user while configuring the failover server.

How to share the permissions?

• Right click on the folder choose Sharing tab > Click Advanced Sharing > Enable Share this Folder
• Specify the name as DesktopCentral_Server
• Click Permissions > Add > Object Types > Computers > Ok
• Under Enter Object Name, specify the secondary server name and the user name with Admin privileges
• Click share permission and select user and computer and ensure that Full Control is enabled

If the Endpoint Central server is installed in Windows 10 or Windows Server 2012 R2, you will have to ensure that the permissions are modified here, (Right click) Desktop Central folder -> Properties -> Security -> Edit Permissions -> Edit -> Add (add the name of the secondary server).

How to activate a Failover Server?

Perform the below mentioned step on the computer where the Secondary server is installed:

• Start the primary server and proceed after it has started completely.
• Open Command Prompt as an administrator in the secondary server and navigate to the location where you have downloaded or placed the .bat file and execute Configure_Failover_Server.bat {PrimaryServer_IP}
• Repeat the steps for sharing, as mentioned above on the secondary server and ensure that you provide name of the computer, where the primary server is installed, in step 10.