Clustering Base Meeting Servers on AIX®, Linux, or Windows

A cluster of Sametime® servers requires a minimum of two nodes, a primary node and a secondary node, and at least one WebSphere proxy server to handle routing and caching tasks. To reduce the resource load on product nodes and avoid port conflicts, you can choose to install a stand-alone WebSphere proxy server on a separate computer instead of using the instance that was installed on a Sametime node. If you plan to have both the WebSphere Application Server and the WebSphere proxy server on the same computer, ensure it has been properly sized to handle the multiple workloads.

About this task

For a high availability solution, two or more Websphere proxy servers are required, depending on your planned capacity. With multiple WebSphere proxy servers, an HTTP load balancer is required to distribute the traffic across the servers.
Remember: Only Meeting Servers configured with the Base Meeting Server role can be clustered together using this procedure.

Install the first Base Meeting Server using the Primary Node profile, and then install one or more additional Base Meeting Servers using the Secondary Node profile

There are several procedures involved in creating a cluster; complete them in the sequence shown here.

  1. Installing the first Base Meeting Server using the Primary Node profile
    Install the first IBM Sametime Meeting Server using the Primary Node profile. Install the Meeting Server as a Base Meeting Server. This is the primary node in the Meeting Server cluster.
  2. Installing an additional Sametime Meeting Server as a secondary node
    Install one of more additional IBM Sametime Base Meeting Servers as a secondary node in your Meeting Server cluster. While installing the additional Base Meeting Server as a secondary node, use the Secondary Node profile in the Guided Activity.
  3. Setting clocks on the servers to be clustered
    Synchronize the system clocks on the servers to be clustered with an IBM WebSphere® Application Server network deployment.
  4. Setting up the Clustering Sametime servers running on WebSphere Application Server guided activity
    Use the IBM Sametime System Console to create a cluster of Sametime Servers hosted on IBM WebSphere Application Server. The Sametime servers must all be running the same type of server; for example, Sametime Meeting Server, Sametime Proxy Server, Sametime Media Manager Conference Manager, Sametime Media Manager SIP Proxy/Registrar, or Sametime Advanced.
  5. Configuring the cluster
    Complete the configuration for clustering IBM Sametime Meeting Servers using an IBM WebSphere Application Server network deployment.
  6. Setting up a WebSphere proxy server for the cluster
    Set up an IBM WebSphere proxy server for use with a cluster of IBM Sametime servers. The proxy server can be hosted on a product node, or on a separate computer; it performs routing and caching tasks for the servers in the cluster.
  7. Configuring ports for a Sametime Meeting Server cluster
    You have the option to adjust the ports of the Meeting Servers so they are consistent within the cluster. Any port can be used as long as it is available on all of the servers and does not create a conflict if there are multiple servers on the same host. Typically the ports used on the primary node are also set on each of the secondary nodes. The point of this process is not to dictate which port is set on the server, but to guide you through setting each of your servers so the ports are consistent.
  8. Setting up a distinct virtual host for a Sametime Meeting Server or cluster
    Configure a virtual host on the Sametime Meeting Server to avoid conflicts with other Sametime applications
  9. Verifying a Sametime Meeting Server cluster
    IBM Sametime Meeting Server clusters consist of a minimum of two Sametime Meeting Servers and one or more WebSphere Proxy Servers and are typically fronted by an intelligent load balancer.
  10. Setting up load balancing for a cluster of Sametime Meeting Servers
    Install a load balancer in front of a cluster of IBM Sametime Meeting servers to distribute connections among the servers. The cluster should have at least two IBM WebSphere HTTP proxy servers deployed in front of it, so that the load balancer can direct connections to those proxy servers for forwarding to the individual Sametime servers in the cluster.
Parent topic: Clustering Sametime Meeting Servers