Windows Clustering or NLB?

[gohsiauken]

Hi all,

Appreciate if anyone can help.

Currently i am working on a web portal project that will use IIS as the web server. We plan to use either windows server 2003 or 2008 entreprise edition as operating systems and SQL 2005 or 2008 enterprise to host the databases. Web server and Database server will be different machine.

The users of the web portal will be located at three separate locations that are few kilo meters away. Leased line connections will be built to interconnect these 3 zones. These 3 zone will be in the same network but in different subnet.

The requirements of this project is to have 2 servers (web+database) at each zone. The web server and SQL server are identical at these 3 zones.

Zone 1: Webserver1, SQL1
Zone 2: Webserver2, SQL2
Zone 3: Webserver3, SQL3

At normal operation, users should access the servers at their respective zone. The SQL data set in these 3 zones must synchronised to each other so all users will have up to date information.

If the webserver1 is down, the users at Zone 1 should access the webserver2 at Zone 2 but still update to SQL1. If the SQL1 is down, the users at zone 1 should access Webserver1 and update to SQL2. Only when both the SQL1 and SQL2 is down at the same time, then Webserver1 will update to SQL3.

Is it possible to achieve the requirements above by using Windows cluster & SQL Cluster services?

Thanks again,

Best regards,

Ken

[gohsiauken]

Hi all,

Please ignore my previous post as i had some misunderstanding on the requirements and i am pretty new to the Windows Clustering.

The correct scenarion should be as the following:

Currently i am working on a web portal project that will use IIS as the web server. We plan to use either windows server 2003 or 2008 entreprise edition as operating systems and SQL 2005 or 2008 enterprise to host the databases. Web server and Database server will be different machine.

The users of the web portal will be located at three separate locations that are few kilo meters away. Leased line connections will be built to interconnect these 3 zones. These 3 zone will be in the same network but in different subnet.

The requirements of this project is to have 2 servers (web+database) at each zone. The web server, SQL server and Interface server are identical at these 3 zones.

Zone 1: Webserver1, SQL1,NAS1, Interface server1 (Active)
Zone 2: Webserver2, SQL2,NAS2, Interface server2 (Hot standby)
Zone 3: Webserver3, SQL3,NAS3, Interface server3 (Reserve)

The SQL databases are stored in NAS in these 3 zones, and the data must be synchronised to each other so each will have up to date information.

In the event of webserver1 fail, webserver2 should be come active and webserver 3 should become Hot standby.

In the event of webserver2 fail, webserver3 should be become Hot standby o Webserver1.

If both webserver1 and webserver2 failed at the same time, webserver3 will become the active server.

The same logic apply to Interface servers and SQL servers.

Should i use NLB or Clustering for webserver? How about SQL servers and Interface servers? Please help!

Thanks,

Best regards,

Ken

[Ryan Sokolowski [MVP]]

While I'm not sure I follow your scenario entirely, why not simply implement
a Web Portal using NLB and a SQL Backend using Failover Clustering at a
single location? It sounds like you have excellent connectivity between
your (relatively) close locations and there wouldn't be much reason for
multiple instances of IIS and SQL in each location.

You'd also likely be looking at complex (and potentially expensive)
technologies in order to replicate your storage across all three locations.

Hope this helps,
--Ryan

--

Ryan Sokolowski
MVP - Clustering
MCSE, CCNA, CCDA, BCFP


"gohsiauken" <gohsiauken.39sw3f@DoNotSpam.com> wrote in message
news:gohsiauken.39sw3f@DoNotSpam.com...
>
> Hi all,
>
> Appreciate if anyone can help.
>
> Currently i am working on a web portal project that will use IIS as the
> web server. We plan to use either windows server 2003 or 2008 entreprise
> edition as operating systems and SQL 2005 or 2008 enterprise to host the
> databases. Web server and Database server will be different machine.
>
> The users of the web portal will be located at three separate locations
> that are few kilo meters away. Leased line connections will be built to
> interconnect these 3 zones. These 3 zone will be in the same network
> but in different subnet.
>
> The requirements of this project is to have 2 servers (web+database) at
> each zone. The web server and SQL server are identical at these 3
> zones.
>
> Zone 1: Webserver1, SQL1
> Zone 2: Webserver2, SQL2
> Zone 3: Webserver3, SQL3
>
> At normal operation, users should access the servers at their
> respective zone. The SQL data set in these 3 zones must synchronised to
> each other so all users will have up to date information.
>
> If the webserver1 is down, the users at Zone 1 should access the
> webserver2 at Zone 2 but still update to SQL1. If the SQL1 is down, the
> users at zone 1 should access Webserver1 and update to SQL2. Only when
> both the SQL1 and SQL2 is down at the same time, then Webserver1 will
> update to SQL3.
>
> Is it possible to achieve the requirements above by using Windows
> cluster & SQL Cluster services?
>
> Thanks again,
>
> Best regards,
>
> Ken
>
>
> --
> gohsiauken
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
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> View this thread: http://forums.techarena.in/showthread.php?t=973060
>
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>

[gohsiauken]

Hi Ryan,

Thank you for you reply.

That is the requirement of the project. The reason that the servers must be located at different zone is to provide physical diversity.

Can SQL Cluster nodes reside at different subnet? Can SQL 2005 Mirroring able to achieve the requirements of data synchronization to 3 zones?

Is anyone has any ideal on technologies in order to replicate your storage across all three locations?

Thanks,

Regards,

Ken