Set up TRUECHART cluster environments

Cluster node installation

The TRUECHART Service also supports installation in clustered environments, therefore on each server node a separate instance of a TRUECHART service must be installed and afterwards the cluster setting must be done, to ensure that each cluster instance of TRUECHART will be correct in sync.

At first on each node a separate instance of TRUECHART Service must be installed. Please use the installation instructions from the previous chapter.

For a clustered setup make sure that all installations use the same information, also the same database configuration. The Create tables option on the "Setup your Database" page should only be active for the first installation, otherwise the created tables will be overridden.

Figure 1. The Create Tables option during the installation.

Setting up clustering

After you have successfully installed each TRUECHART service and entered the licenses for each service we can now proceed to setup the clustering.

When you log into the TRUECHART Management Console you see the My Profile page. Click on the Settings button on the top right panel and on Cluster Servers in the Category tab.

Figure 2. The Cluster Servers section in the TRUECHART Management Console.

After the initial setup you will see one entry. This is the service, which also created the database tables in the installation process.

If you want to add an additional server to the cluster click on “New Slave”.

Figure 3. The New Server Slave dialog in the TRUECHART Management Console.

The dialog shown above is used to specify an additional slave to the cluster. Enter a name for the server. For the URL you need to use the following pattern in order to connect to the slave: http(s)://ip-address:port/TRUECHARTService

For ip-address, use the address of the service you want to add. port specifies the used port of the service, for example http(s)://192.168.0.1:8080/TRUECHARTService.

For the username field, specify a user that has the “Management Console” permission. Enter the corresponding password. Click on “Test connection”. When the test is successful you can save the slave. Now the slave has been added to the cluster.

Modifying the clustered servers

There are several options to modify a server. These include editing, deleting and setting another server as the master server. (Note: you need to move your mouse over the line of the corresponding server to see the actions)

Figure 4. Editing a Cluster Server in the TRUECHART Management Console.

To edit a server click on the “edit” button of the server you want to modify. You can then change all the specified information you entered previously. Click on “Test Connection”. When the test is successful you can then save the new entered information.

Figure 5. The Edit Cluster Server dialog.

To delete a server click on the “delete” button and confirm the dialog.

In order to set a new master server click on the “master” button and confirm the dialog. The master server is only used during an update process of TRUECHART. The selected server will then update the database. Please update the servers in the clustering promptly in order for the clustering to work.

Notes and restrictions on cluster services

Database Updates only for the master service

In case of later updates which will be installed, only during the update of the master service database changes will be made through the installation process. Update processes for slave services won’t change the TRUECHART database! Therefore in cluster environments the master service should be updated first and then all following slave services!
Transport not supported functionality for cluster services

The transport functions are not supported for Cluster Services, if the services will be addressed on a common URL, which is provided for example by a load balancer. This restriction is necessary because in the case of transportation is not clear which specific Web service must be addressed for communication. In this case it is necessary to configure a concrete cluster service with its own individual URL as a remote system for transportation.