Summary:

Microsoft Application Center 2000 Resource Kit delivers essential reference information and tools to IT professionals who want to fully exploit the functionality of Microsoft Application Center , a deployment and management solution for Web applications built on the Microsoft Windows 2000 operating system. Application Center lets users easily deploy and manage Web applications across arrays of PC servers: Web "clusters" or "farms". This resource kit provides readers with information for a variety of Application Center deployment scenarios, ranging from those who want to deploy simple Webapplications to those who develop multi-tier e-commerce applications. The kit contains support and maintenance information needed to use Application Center to its fullest, and it demonstrates how to use Application Center to support line-of-business applications. A supplemental CD provides tools and utilities to aid in productsupport and deployment. Packed with use-now tools and information, this authoritative kit can help IT professionals save time, reduce ownership andsupport costs, and maximize their organization's investments in Web technologies.

Table of Contents:


Preface Page xv
Acknowledgments Page xvii
Introduction Page xix
CHAPTER 1 Scaling Business Web Sites with Application Center Page 1
Building Blocks Page 1
 The Applications Architectural Shift Page 2
 An Overview of Distributed Web Applications Page 5
 .NET Enterprise Servers Page 7
Positioning Application Center Page 9
The Web Computing Model for Business Page 9
Enabling Highly Available and Scalable Application Services Page 13
 The Traditional Approach - Scaling Up Page 14
 Scaling Out as an Alternative Page 15
 Clustering Page 17
 Scaling Up vs. Scaling Out Page 20
 Scaling n-Tier Sites with Microsoft Clustering Technology Page 23
Resources Page 24
 Books Page 24
CHAPTER 2 Feature Overview Page 25
Application Center Overview Page 25
 Design Goals Page 26
Application Center Feature Summary Page 27
Application Center Cluster Services Page 28
 Cluster Creation Page 28
 Cluster Administration Page 31
Load Balancing Page 33
 Integrated NLB Page 33
 Component Load Balancing Page 35
 No Load Balancing Page 36
Synchronization and Deployment Page 36
 Controller Configuration Settings Page 37
 Content Publishing and Application Deployment Page 37
 Cluster Synchronization Page 41
Monitoring Page 42
 Events Page 42
 Performance Page 44
 Health Page 45
Programmatic Support Page 46
 Monitoring Page 47
 Performance Counters Page 47
 Command-Line Administration Page 47
 COM+ Provider Page 48
Local and Remote Administration Page 48
High Availability Page 50
Online Help Page 50
Resources Page 51
 Books Page 51
 Web Links Page 51
CHAPTER 3 The Application Center Architecture Page 53
The Architecture Layers Page 53
The User Interface Page 54
The Feature Set Page 56
The Operating System Page 56
 MMC version 1.2 Page 56
 WMI Page 57
 IIS version 5.0 Page 59
 NLB Page 65
 COM+ Page 66
Health Monitor version 2.1 Page 66
SQL Server 2000 Desktop Engine Page 67
Resources Page 68
 Book Page 68
 Web Links Page 68
CHAPTER 4 Cluster Services Page 69
Recommended Server Configuration Page 69
 Memory Page 70
 Fixed Disk Page 70
 Network Adapter Page 71
 IP Addresses Page 71
Default Accounts and Services Page 74
Deployment Infrastructure Example Page 77
Application Center Cluster Services Page 77
Connecting to a Cluster Page 78
Creating a Cluster Page 79
 Processing Activities and Their Sequence Page 80
Cluster Administration Page 83
 Adding a Server Page 83
 Removing a Server Page 87
 Restarting a Member Page 88
 Changing the Cluster Controller Page 89
 Disbanding a Cluster Page 92
Background Services Page 92
 Cluster Time Synchronization Service Page 92
 Reliable Name Resolution Service Page 94
CHAPTER 5 Load Balancing Page 95
Load Balancing Options Page 95
Network Load Balancing Page 96
 Network Load Balancing Architecture Page 96
 Load Balancing Distribution Page 100
 Convergence—Redistributing the Load on an NLB Cluster Page 102
Maintaining Session State with Network Load Balancing Page 105
 The Request Forwarder Page 106
 Scenarios that Require Request Forwarding Page 116
Request Handling Examples in a Network Load Balancing Cluster Page 117
 Stateless Session Page 117
 Stateful Session Page 118
Network Load Balancing Administration Page 120
 Setting a Server Offline or Online Page 120
 Configuring Load Balancing Weights Page 121
 Configuring Client Affinity Page 123
 Configuring Request Forwarding Page 123
Component Load Balancing Page 124
 CLB Architecture Page 125
Component Load Balancing Scenarios Page 131
 Two-Tier with Full Load Balancing Page 132
 Three-Tier with Full Load Balancing Page 133
 Three-Tier with Fail Over Page 136
Resources Page 137
 Books Page 137
 Web Links Page 138
CHAPTER 6 Synchronization and Deployment Page 139
Synchronization Service Overview and Architecture Page 139
 Synchronization Service Architecture Page 140
Synchronization Reliability Page 148
 Transport Recovery Page 148
 Apply Time Recovery Page 148
Synchronization Modes and Processing Page 149
 Processing Activities During a Full Synchronization Page 151
Synchronizing Cluster Configuration Settings Page 154
 Replicating Network Settings Page 154
 Replicating NLB Settings Page 154
Synchronizing Content and Applications Page 155
 The Default Applications Page 155
 User-Defined Applications Page 156
 Editing Applications Page 158
 The Replication Definition Page 159
Deploying Applications Page 160
Special Cases Page 163
 Deploying User Accounts Page 164
 Deploying COM+ Components Page 164
 Deploying Global ISAPI Filters Page 165
 WMI/Health Monitor Replication Driver Page 166
Configuring, Managing, and Monitoring Synchronization Page 170
 Synchronization Exclusions Page 170
 Monitoring Synchronization Page 172
CHAPTER 7 Monitoring Page 175
The Role of Monitoring Page 175
High-Level Architecture Page 176
Windows Management Instrumentation Page 179
 Managed Applications Page 179
 Managed Objects Page 180
 WMI Providers Page 181
 Management Infrastructure Page 184
Health Monitor 2.1 Page 197
 High-Level Architecture and Operation Page 198
SQL Server Desktop Engine and ACLog Page 207
 The Application Center Log Page 207
 Table Layouts Page 209
 Table Views Page 212
 ACLog Capacity Requirements Page 213
Monitoring: a Four-Step Process Page 215
 Generating Data Page 216
 Logging Data Page 220
 Querying and Preparing Data Page 222
CHAPTER 8 Creating Clusters and Deploying Applications Page 225
Setting Up and Testing a Two-Tier Cluster Environment Page 227
 Build the Web Tier Page 227
 Build the COM+ Tier Page 252
Setting Up a Stager Page 259
 Create a Staging Cluster Page 260
Sample Applications for Staging Page 261
 Installing the Applications on the Stager Page 261
Deployment Issues Page 266
Using a Stager to Deploy Applications Page 268
Deploy a New Application to a Web Cluster Page 270
Deploy an Application Update to a Web Cluster Page 273
 Deploying Applications Without COM+ Components Page 273
 Deploying Applications with COM+ Components Page 274
 Deploy ACPFCOM Page 276
Deploy a New Application with COM+ Components to Two Tiers Page 277
 Prepare the Application Page 277
 Phase One: Install to the COM+ Application Cluster Page 278
 Phase Two: Install to the Web Cluster Page 279
 Summary Page 280
Resources Page 281
 Web Links Page 281
CHAPTER 9 Working with Monitors and Events Page 283
The Event Schema Page 284
The Monitors Hierarchy Page 288
Anatomy of a Monitor Page 290
 Data Groups Page 290
 Data Collectors Page 290
 Thresholds and Actions Page 297
The Default (Synchronized) Monitors Page 298
The Sample Monitors Page 301
Creating a Custom Monitor Page 306
Modifying and Creating Actions Page 311
 The Default Actions Page 312
 Creating a New Action Page 313
Configuring Event Logging Page 318
CHAPTER 10 Working with Performance Counters Page 323
Performance Management Page 324
 The User's Perspective Page 325
 The Administrator's Perspective Page 325
An Overview of Performance Tuning Page 326
 The Tuning Cycle Page 327
An Overview of Capacity Planning Page 331
Testing and Tuning the Infrastructure Page 333
 The Network and Server Page 335
 The Web Server Page 337
Testing and Tuning Applications Page 343
 Anticipating Application Load Page 343
 Stress Test the Application Page 344
The Web Application Stress Tool Page 345
 Using WAS to Test NLB Web Clusters Page 348
Performance Counters Page 348
 The Default Performance Counters Page 349
 Adding Additional Performance Counters Page 355
 Enabling Counter Graphing Page 359
Performance Monitoring Samples Page 360
 Cluster Test Configuration Page 360
 Counter Graphs Page 361
 The Base Environment Page 363
 Scenario: Single-Node Web Cluster and Single-Node COM+ Application Cluster Page 364
 Scenario: Two-Node Web Cluster and Single-Node COM+ Application Cluster Page 365
 Scenario: Three-Node Web Cluster and Single-Node COM+ Application Cluster Page 365
 Scenario: Three-Node Web Cluster and Two-Node COM+ Application Cluster Page 368
Resources Page 369
 Books Page 369
 Web Sites Page 370
CHAPTER 11 Working with the Command-Line Tool and Scripts Page 371
Windows Scripting Host Page 371
 WSH Architectural Overview Page 372
 Running Scripts By Using the Command-Based Scripting Host Page 373
 Running Scripts by Using the Windows-Based Scripting Host Page 374
 The .wsh File Page 375
 The .wsf File Page 376
The Command-Line Tool: Overview and Reference Page 379
 Command Overview Page 379
 Command Reference Page 381
Command-Line Example: Setting Up a Staging Environment Page 400
 Preparation Page 400
 Create the Staging Cluster and Preflight Check Application Page 402
 Deploy the Preflight Check Application Page 403
Script Samples Page 404
 Script: Asynchronously Trap an Event Page 404
 Script: Synchronously Trap an Event Page 404
 Script: Obtain the Available Disk Space and Directory Listing Page 405
 Script: Save ACLog Database as CSV Text File Page 406
 Script: Backup the ACLog Database Page 407
 Batch File: Clean ACLog Tables Page 408
 Additional Samples Page 408
Resources Page 409
CHAPTER 12 Security: For Administrators and Developers Page 411
Security: Trends and Perspectives Page 412
 What's Been Happening in the Computer Industry Page 412
 The Nature of the Beast Page 413
 Insights From the Experts Page 414
The Nature of Security Breaches Page 417
The Security Design Process Page 420
 Risk Assessment Page 422
The Three-Tier Security Model Page 425
 Presentation Services Page 426
 Business Services Page 426
 Data Services Page 426
 Topologies for the Three-Tier Model Page 427
Platform Security Page 429
 Network Security Page 429
 General Security Guidelines for Windows 2000 Server and Web Servers Page 430
 The Applications and Components Page 438
 The Back-End Databases Page 439
Application Center Security Page 440
 User Accounts Page 440
 User Credentials Page 440
 File Systems Page 441
 Network Adapters Page 441
 Health Monitor and WMI Page 441
 Monitoring Page 442
 Logging Page 442
 Remote Control Page 442
Secure Remote Administration Page 442
 Securing Off-Site Computers Page 443
 The Application Center Administrative Client Page 444
 The Application Center Web-Based Administrative Client Page 445
 Windows 2000 Terminal Services Page 445
Monitoring and Auditing Page 445
Think Like a Hacker Page 449
Resources Page 449
 Books and Articles Page 449
 Web Sites Page 450
CHAPTER 13 Third-Party Load Balancer Support Page 453
Conceptual Overview and Functional Requirements Page 454
 Device Monitoring Page 455
 Device Management Page 456
Application Center and Load Balancers—Concepts Page 456
 Alteon WebSystems 180E Page 457
 Cisco Systems LocalDirector Page 458
 F5 Networks BIG-IP Page 459
 Intel NetStructure 7175 and 7185 Page 460
Device Monitors Page 461
 Lbdevicehm.mof Page 461
The ACEXT.EXE Command-Line Tool Page 462
 Using ACEXT.EXE Page 463
Device Set Up Page 465
 Install the Load-Balancer Programs and Files Page 465
 Configure the Alteon WebSystems 180E, Intel NetStructure 7175 and 7185, and Cisco Systems LocalDirector Devices Page 466
 Configure the F5 Networks BIG-IP Device Page 467
 Configure All of the Devices Page 467
 Troubleshooting Page 469
APPENDIX A A Blueprint for Building Web Sites Using the Microsoft Windows DNA Platform Page 471
Executive Summary Page 471
Architecture Overview Page 472
An Example Site Page 480
Scalability Page 487
Availability Page 496
Security Page 499
Management and Operations Page 508
Summary Page 519
APPENDIX B Network Load Balancing Technical Overview Page 521
Abstract Page 521
Introduction Page 521
 Advantages of Network Load Balancing Page 523
 Installing and Managing Network Load Balancing Page 524
 How Network Load Balancing Works Page 526
 Managing Application State Page 527
Network Load Balancing Architecture Page 528
 Distribution of Cluster Traffic Page 530
 Load-Balancing Algorithm Page 532
 Convergence Page 534
 Remote Control Page 535
Network Load Balancing Performance Page 535
 CPU Overhead Page 536
 Throughput and Response Time Page 539
 Switch Occupancy Page 542
Summary Page 543
 For More Information Page 544
Glossary of Key Terms Page 544
APPENDIX C The Art and Science of Web Server Tuning with Internet Information Services 5.0 Page 549
Abstract Page 549
Introduction Page 550
Performance Tuning as an Art Page 550
Why Tune Your Web Servers? Page 551
What to Tune Page 551
 Monitoring Your Hardware Page 552
 Security Page 558
 Monitoring Your Web Applications Page 560
 Tuning Your Web Applications Page 561
 Tools to Monitor and Test Server Performance Page 563
 Features and Settings in Windows 2000 and IIS 5.0 Page 564
 Tuning and Troubleshooting Suggestions Page 567
Testing, Piloting, and Going Live Page 571
Performance Settings Page 572
 Metabase Settings Page 572
 Registry Settings Page 575
Tips for Optimizing Windows 2000 Web Server Performance Page 578
ASP Caching Page 580
Tips for Getting the Most Out of an 8-Processor Machine Page 581
Resources Page 582
APPENDIX D Application Center Status Events Page 585
APPENDIX E Sample Performance Charts Page 611
APPENDIX F Resource Kit Software Tools Page 619
ACSystemTray Page 619
 Requirements Page 619
 Installation Page 619
 Usage Instructions Page 619
Advanced Configuration Editor Page 620
 Requirements Page 620
 Installation Page 620
 Usage Instructions Page 620
Application Exporter Page 620
 Requirements Page 621
 Installation Page 621
 Usage Instructions Page 621
 Command Syntax Page 621
Cluster Monitor Page 621
 Requirements Page 621
 Installation Page 622
 Usage Instructions Page 622
Command-Line Scripts Page 622
DumpHM Page 622
 Requirements Page 622
 Installation Page 622
 Usage Instructions Page 622
 Command Syntax Page 623
 Notes Page 623
Pre-Flight Manual Page 623
 Requirements Page 623
 Installation Page 623
Scanner Page 623
 Requirements Page 624
 Installation Page 624
 Usage Instructions Page 624
 Command Syntax Page 624
SQL Partitioner Page 624
 Requirements Page 625
 Installation Page 625
 Usage Instructions Page 625
SQL Event Logger Page 625
 Requirements Page 625
 Installation Page 626
Uptime Page 626
 Requirements Page 626
 Installation Page 627
 Usage Instructions Page 627
 Command Syntax Page 627
APPENDIX G Managing IIS IP Bindings Page 629
INDEX Page 633