load balance Project Application Service servers?

[Jeroen Wijnands]

I've got a 4 server enviroment. 2 web application servers which I've
load balanced with NLB and two Project Application Service servers.
According to the documentation the requests from the webservers should
be distributed evenly among the application servers. But what happens
with the requests from users that do not use PWA but use the project
professional client?

Jeroen

 

[Nico Oosthuysen]

Hi Jeroen,

the requests from the MSP clients will also be load balanced - remember,
they talk to the Application components via HTTP - same as PWA.

 

[Jeroen Wijnands]

Thanks Nico. I guess I'm still adjusting to 2007.

Makes we wonder, would it make sense to add the web service to the
application servers as well? I'd planned on keeping two dedicated
webservers.

 

[Nico Oosthuysen]

Indeed you can have everything on the same machine, but for larger
implementations is probably better to have the application parts sperate
from the web services.

 

[Jochen Ruhland]

Hi,

unfortunately the documentation only talks about "load balancing" of the
application servers, not about "high availability" which is a different topic.

I have nearly the same setup as you (2 machines as SQL-cluster, 2 machines
as Project Application,. 2 Frontend Webservers with NLB). Failover works fine
when one of the front-end servers is not there but I constantly get errors
"Project Web Access cannot connect to Project Server" not on all but on some
actions in the PWA.

The sharepoint logs show:

10/04/2007 13:14:50.04 w3wp.exe (0x152C) 0x18EC
Project Server Project Server - General 8mqg Exception
System.Net.WebException: Unable to connect to the remote server --->
System.Net.Sockets.SocketException: No connection could be made because the
target machine actively refused it at
System.Net.Sockets.Socket.DoConnect(EndPoint endPointSnapshot, SocketAddress
socketAddress) at System.Net.Sockets.Socket.InternalConnect(EndPoint
remoteEP) at System.Net.ServicePoint.ConnectSocketInternal(Boolean
connectFailure, Socket s4, Socket s6, Socket& socket, IPAddress& address,
ConnectSocketState state, IAsyncResult asyncResult, Int32 timeout, Exception&
exception) --- End of inner exception stack trace --- at
System.Net.HttpWebRequest.GetRequestStream() at
System.Web.Services.Protocols.SoapHttpClientProtocol.Invoke(String
methodName, Object[] parameters) at Microsoft.Offic...

I looks like that the system does not recognize that one of the application
servers is down and still tries to connect to the service.

 

[Jeroen Wijnands]

Hmm... that worries me a bit, should be some sort of solution to this.
If you manage to solve this I'd apprieciate some explanation of how
you did it.

Hi,

unfortunately the documentation only talks about "load balancing" of the
application servers, not about "high availability" which is a different topic.

I have nearly the same setup as you (2 machines as SQL-cluster, 2 machines
as Project Application,. 2 Frontend Webservers with NLB). Failover works fine
when one of the front-end servers is not there but I constantly get errors
"Project Web Access cannot connect to Project Server" not on all but on some
actions in the PWA.

The sharepoint logs show:

10/04/2007 13:14:50.04 w3wp.exe (0x152C) 0x18EC
Project Server Project Server - General 8mqg Exception
System.Net.WebException: Unable to connect to the remote server --->
System.Net.Sockets.SocketException: No connection could be made because the
target machine actively refused it at
System.Net.Sockets.Socket.DoConnect(EndPoint endPointSnapshot, SocketAddress
socketAddress) at System.Net.Sockets.Socket.InternalConnect(EndPoint
remoteEP) at System.Net.ServicePoint.ConnectSocketInternal(Boolean
connectFailure, Socket s4, Socket s6, Socket& socket, IPAddress& address,
ConnectSocketState state, IAsyncResult asyncResult, Int32 timeout, Exception&
exception) --- End of inner exception stack trace --- at
System.Net.HttpWebRequest.GetRequestStream() at
System.Web.Services.Protocols.SoapHttpClientProtocol.Invoke(String
methodName, Object[] parameters) at Microsoft.Offic...

I looks like that the system does not recognize that one of the application
servers is down and still tries to connect to the service.

--
Jochen

I've got a 4 server enviroment. 2 web application servers which I've
load balanced with NLB and two Project Application Service servers.
According to the documentation the requests from the webservers should
be distributed evenly among the application servers. But what happens
with the requests from users that do not use PWA but use the project
professional client?

Jeroen

 

[Jochen Ruhland]

Hi,

I got some news ... bad news indeed.

Take a look at the PPT in
http://blogs.msdn.com/brismith/archive/2007/10/29/project-conference-day-1.aspx

On slide 7 ut clearly states that there is no fault-tolerance with multiple
application servers.

--
Jochen

Hmm... that worries me a bit, should be some sort of solution to this.
If you manage to solve this I'd apprieciate some explanation of how
you did it.

Hi,

unfortunately the documentation only talks about "load balancing" of the
application servers, not about "high availability" which is a different topic.

I have nearly the same setup as you (2 machines as SQL-cluster, 2 machines
as Project Application,. 2 Frontend Webservers with NLB). Failover works fine
when one of the front-end servers is not there but I constantly get errors
"Project Web Access cannot connect to Project Server" not on all but on some
actions in the PWA.

The sharepoint logs show:

10/04/2007 13:14:50.04 w3wp.exe (0x152C) 0x18EC
Project Server Project Server - General 8mqg Exception
System.Net.WebException: Unable to connect to the remote server --->
System.Net.Sockets.SocketException: No connection could be made because the
target machine actively refused it at
System.Net.Sockets.Socket.DoConnect(EndPoint endPointSnapshot, SocketAddress
socketAddress) at System.Net.Sockets.Socket.InternalConnect(EndPoint
remoteEP) at System.Net.ServicePoint.ConnectSocketInternal(Boolean
connectFailure, Socket s4, Socket s6, Socket& socket, IPAddress& address,
ConnectSocketState state, IAsyncResult asyncResult, Int32 timeout, Exception&
exception) --- End of inner exception stack trace --- at
System.Net.HttpWebRequest.GetRequestStream() at
System.Web.Services.Protocols.SoapHttpClientProtocol.Invoke(String
methodName, Object[] parameters) at Microsoft.Offic...

I looks like that the system does not recognize that one of the application
servers is down and still tries to connect to the service.

--
Jochen

I've got a 4 server enviroment. 2 web application servers which I've
load balanced with NLB and two Project Application Service servers.
According to the documentation the requests from the webservers should
be distributed evenly among the application servers. But what happens
with the requests from users that do not use PWA but use the project
professional client?

Jeroen

 

[Jeroen Wijnands]

Excuse my language but this sucks! We've got the means to create fault
tolerance in the web front end and in the database backend but not in
the application layer?

Hi,

I got some news ... bad news indeed.

Take a look at the PPT inhttp://blogs.msdn.com/brismith/archive/2007/10/29/project-conference-...

On slide 7 ut clearly states that there is no fault-tolerance with multiple
application servers.

--
Jochen

Hmm... that worries me a bit, should be some sort of solution to this.
If you manage to solve this I'd apprieciate some explanation of how
you did it.

Hi,
unfortunately the documentation only talks about "load balancing" of the
application servers, not about "high availability" which is a different topic.
I have nearly the same setup as you (2 machines as SQL-cluster, 2 machines
as Project Application,. 2 Frontend Webservers with NLB). Failover works fine
when one of the front-end servers is not there but I constantly get errors
"Project Web Access cannot connect to Project Server" not on all but on some
actions in the PWA.
The sharepoint logs show:
10/04/2007 13:14:50.04 w3wp.exe (0x152C) 0x18EC
Project Server Project Server - General 8mqg Exception
System.Net.WebException: Unable to connect to the remote server --->
System.Net.Sockets.SocketException: No connection could be made because the
target machine actively refused it at
System.Net.Sockets.Socket.DoConnect(EndPoint endPointSnapshot, SocketAddress
socketAddress) at System.Net.Sockets.Socket.InternalConnect(EndPoint
remoteEP) at System.Net.ServicePoint.ConnectSocketInternal(Boolean
connectFailure, Socket s4, Socket s6, Socket& socket, IPAddress& address,
ConnectSocketState state, IAsyncResult asyncResult, Int32 timeout, Exception&
exception) --- End of inner exception stack trace --- at
System.Net.HttpWebRequest.GetRequestStream() at
System.Web.Services.Protocols.SoapHttpClientProtocol.Invoke(String
methodName, Object[] parameters) at Microsoft.Offic...
I looks like that the system does not recognize that one of the application
servers is down and still tries to connect to the service.
--
Jochen
:
I've got a 4 server enviroment. 2 web application servers which I've
load balanced with NLB and two Project Application Service servers.
According to the documentation the requests from the webservers should
be distributed evenly among the application servers. But what happens
with the requests from users that do not use PWA but use the project
professional client?
Jeroen

 

[Jochen Ruhland]

Hi,

there's always one one more version ...

 

[Vadim Gerya, PMP]

Hi Guys !
May be I do not understand fault tollerance but ...

I really configured 2 application/front-end servers with NLD and used DB
cluster (SQL 2005)
Totally 4 servers and shared storage.

When I physically disconnect network cable from any server everything works
OK. (except WSS central admin site)

--
Vadim Gerya, PMP

Hi,

I got some news ... bad news indeed.

Take a look at the PPT in
http://blogs.msdn.com/brismith/archive/2007/10/29/project-conference-day-1.aspx

On slide 7 ut clearly states that there is no fault-tolerance with multiple
application servers.

--
Jochen

Hmm... that worries me a bit, should be some sort of solution to this.
If you manage to solve this I'd apprieciate some explanation of how
you did it.

Hi,

unfortunately the documentation only talks about "load balancing" of the
application servers, not about "high availability" which is a different topic.

I have nearly the same setup as you (2 machines as SQL-cluster, 2 machines
as Project Application,. 2 Frontend Webservers with NLB). Failover works fine
when one of the front-end servers is not there but I constantly get errors
"Project Web Access cannot connect to Project Server" not on all but on some
actions in the PWA.

The sharepoint logs show:

10/04/2007 13:14:50.04 w3wp.exe (0x152C) 0x18EC
Project Server Project Server - General 8mqg Exception
System.Net.WebException: Unable to connect to the remote server --->
System.Net.Sockets.SocketException: No connection could be made because the
target machine actively refused it at
System.Net.Sockets.Socket.DoConnect(EndPoint endPointSnapshot, SocketAddress
socketAddress) at System.Net.Sockets.Socket.InternalConnect(EndPoint
remoteEP) at System.Net.ServicePoint.ConnectSocketInternal(Boolean
connectFailure, Socket s4, Socket s6, Socket& socket, IPAddress& address,
ConnectSocketState state, IAsyncResult asyncResult, Int32 timeout, Exception&
exception) --- End of inner exception stack trace --- at
System.Net.HttpWebRequest.GetRequestStream() at
System.Web.Services.Protocols.SoapHttpClientProtocol.Invoke(String
methodName, Object[] parameters) at Microsoft.Offic...

I looks like that the system does not recognize that one of the application
servers is down and still tries to connect to the service.

--
Jochen

:
I've got a 4 server enviroment. 2 web application servers which I've
load balanced with NLB and two Project Application Service servers.
According to the documentation the requests from the webservers should
be distributed evenly among the application servers. But what happens
with the requests from users that do not use PWA but use the project
professional client?

Jeroen

 

[Jochen Ruhland]

Hi,

that is maybe because in such a setup (application server and web frontend
on same machine) the webfrontend never tries to load balance the project
website. I'm talking about a 6 server setup: 2 NLB web frontend, 2
application server and 2 server as a sql cluster. In such a setup the web
frontend distributes the calls to the project server on the two servers in
the middle tier.