Installation Planning Guide - TIBCO Software · PDF fileNimbus Control Architecture ... 27...

Installation Planning Guide

TIBCO Nimbus Control ®

Software Release 8.1.409 January 2012

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Nimbus Control Installation Planning Guide

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3Contents


Table of Contents

Chapter 1 Introduction

Chapter 2 Planning ............................................................................................................................ 7Nimbus Control Architecture

............................................................................................................................ 9Hardware and Software Requirements

.................................................................................................... 9Author Client Hardware Requirements

.................................................................................................... 10Author Client Software Requirements

.................................................................................................... 11Web Server Hardware Requirements

.................................................................................................... 12Web Server Software Requirements

.................................................................................................... 13Action Server Software Requirements

.................................................................................................... 13Business Intelligence Server Software Requirements

.................................................................................................... 13Nimbus Control Performance Monitor Software Requirements

............................................................................................................................ 14Sizing Requirements

.................................................................................................... 14Author Client Sizing

.................................................................................................... 15Web Server Sizing

............................................................................................................................ 17General Considerations

............................................................................................................................ 20Web Server Installation Planning

............................................................................................................................ 22Windows Server 2003 Considerations

............................................................................................................................ 25Windows Server 2008 Considerations

............................................................................................................................ 27Windows Vista Considerations

Chapter 3 Deployment ............................................................................................................................ 30Simple Deployment

............................................................................................................................ 31Complex Deployment

Introduction

Chapter 1

Installation Planning GuideNimbus Control

5Installation Planning Guide


Introduction

This guide provides an overview of the technical architecture of the Nimbus Control suite and how thearchitecture can be scaled to support multi-national corporations. It also describes the hardware andsizing requirements for deploying and hosting the Nimbus Control suite. The figures given are purelyindicative and each organization will have their own characteristics that determine the actualrequirements. In addition, the requirements for a particular organization will change over time, driven bya changing usage profile. This means that there will be an ongoing capacity planning activity required toensure that Nimbus Control performs to the requirements of an organization.

Disk Space Requirements

The data volume requirements are not discussed in detail. In practice, Nimbus Control does not use alarge amount of disk space, however associated documents (files, documents, media files, etc) requirethe largest amount of disk space, which are clearly site-specific. The Web Server image cache, which isalso site-specific, is used to store .emf and .gif files for fast serving of images in the Web Server. Theimage cache could easily grow to over 1GB in time, therefore a capacity of 10GB of disk space isrecommended.

Planning

Chapter 2




2.1 Nimbus Control ArchitectureNimbus Control has an enterprise architecture which is capable of scaling from the smallest departmentto a large multi-national, geographically-located organization. The suite consists of the followingcomponents:

· Process Repository

· Desktop Client

· Web Server

· Action Server

· Business Intelligence Server

· Nimbus Control Performance Monitor

The diagram below represents a schematic overview of the components and structure of the basicarchitecture.

8 Installation Planning Guide


Desktop Client

The Desktop Client is a Windows-based application that provides authors with the tools in which to createand manage process maps, supporting information and documents.

Web Server

The Web Server allows users to access and collaborate on data, anywhere across the internet orcorporate intranet. It runs as a standalone application that interacts with IIS using a small ISAPIextension that serves to redirect the requests to the application. The Web Server can also be integratedinto a SharePoint solution.

Action Server

The Action Server runs as three separate Windows-based services that run in the background. Theprimary tasks are to act as the Nimbus Control E-Mail Server, by utilizing basic SMTP services to providea gateway into a corporation's E-Mail system, and to integrate with Directory Services.

Business Intelligence Server

The Business Intelligence Server provides the ability to send SMS text messages and E-Mail notificationswhen defined measures are breached.

Nimbus Control Performance Monitor

The Nimbus Control Performance Monitor provides system administrators with the ability to monitor theinternal behaviour of the Web Server and it allows all of the normal capabilities of Performance Monitor tobe used.

Data

Nimbus Control data is managed in three databases:

· Process RepositoryThe Process Repository holds the process diagrams and all process-related information (resources,metadata, access rights). It is a folder in the file system that consists of an internal folderstructure containing a number of flat files and DBISAM database tables and index files.

· The Document RegistryThe Document Registry is a document management system that holds all files related to processes(forms, media files, templates, spreadsheets, application links, policy documents, etc).

· Business Intelligence RepositoryThe Business Intelligence Repository tracks trend data for the key metrics in order to producegraphs and launch alerts.



2.2 Hardware and Software Requirements

2.2.1 Author Client Hardware Requirements

The hardware requirements for the Nimbus Control Desktop Client are as follows:

Hardware Minimum Requirement Recommended Requirement

Processor Pentium III compatible, 1GHz or higher

Memory(RAM)

256MB - Windows Server 2003256MB - Windows XP 32/64-bit512MB - Windows Vista 32/64-bit512MB - Windows 7 32/64-bit512MB - Windows Server 2008 32/64-bit512MB - Windows Server 2008 R2 64-bit

512MB or greater512MB or greater768MB or greater768MB or greater768MB or greater768MB or greater

Disk Space 120MB

Graphics 800x600 with 16 bit color depth 1024x768 with 32 bit color depth

LAN Requirements

In order to support Nimbus Control authors and users exclusively using the Client over a LAN, therequirement is a server with a suitable amount of disk space and a stable, low-latency connection to allusers. An unstable or excessively high network latency connection should not be used as it can causesignificant issues, including poor performance and data corruption. The bandwidth requirements are nothigh except at start-up (if the executable is stored centrally and must be loaded across the network). If aproblem arises with accessing the executable over the network, i.e. a significant reduction in speed, theexecutable may be stored locally for each user.

WAN Requirements

The Nimbus Control Client is not supported for use across a WAN infrastructure. For Client use across aWAN, a Terminal Services or other virtual desktop solution (e.g. Citrix) should be used.

Please Note: iSCSI is not supported over TCP/IP.



2.2.2 Author Client Software Requirements

The following platforms are supported for the Nimbus Control Author Client:

Nimbus Control Author Client Platform Support

Windows XP 32-bit and 64-bit (all service packs)

Windows Vista 32-bit and 64-bit (service pack 1 or above)

Windows 7 32-bit and 64-bit (all service packs)

Windows Server 2003 32-bit and 64-bit (all service packs)


Windows Server 2008 R2 64-bit (all service packs)

Nimbus Control Author Client Thin Client Platform Support

Windows Server 2003 Server (all service packs) with Citrix Metaframe XP

Windows Server 2003 (all service packs) Terminal Services

Winders Server 2008 32-bit and 64-bit (all service packs) Remote Desktop Services

Windows Server 2008 R2 64-bit (all service packs) Remote Desktop Services

Citrix Presentation Server 4.0 and 4.5

Citrix XenApp 5.0

SAP Solution Manager Support For Integration With Nimbus Control

SAP Solution Manager 4.0

SAP Solution Manager 7.0

Please Note: If you plan to access a file server that is installed on Windows Server 2003 R2 (SP2) thenplease be aware that file handles may disappear when the Author Client is installed on Windows Server2008 R2.



2.2.3 Web Server Hardware Requirements

Classic Web Server

The Classic Web Server is a normal Web Server installation, i.e. not a SharePoint integration.

Hardware Minimum Requirement Recommended

Processor Pentium III compatible, 1GHz or higher

Memory(RAM)

512MB - Windows Server 2003 32/64-bit768MB - Windows Server 2008 32/64-bit768MB - Windows Server 2008 R2 64-bit

1GB or greater1.25GB or greater1.25GB or greater

Disk Space 120MB

Graphics 1024x768 with 16 bit color depth 1024x768 or greater with 32bit color depth

Note: In Windows Server 2003 64-bit mode, IIS must be configured to run in 32-bit compatibility mode(see Windows Server 2003 Considerations for more information). In a Windows Server 2008/2008 R2 x64environment, the Nimbus Control application pool must be running in 32-bit compatibility mode.

SharePoint Integration

Nimbus Control can be integrated into SharePoint, allowing users to access Nimbus Control data in aSharePoint environment. There are no additional hardware requirements other than the requirements ofeither Windows SharePoint Services 3, SharePoint Server 2007, SharePoint Foundation 2010 andSharePoint Server 2010. These are as follows, as defined by Microsoft:

Windows SharePoint Services 3.0

Hardware Minimum Requirement

Processor 2.5 GHz

Memory (RAM) 1 GB

Disk Space 3 GB

Graphics 1024x768

Please refer to Microsoft's site for more information - Determine hardware and software requirements(Windows SharePoint Services)

SharePoint Server 2007


Processor 2.5 GHz

Memory (RAM) 1 GB

Disk Space 3 GB

Graphics 1024x768

Please refer to Microsoft's site for more information - Determine hardware and software requirements(Office SharePoint Server)

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc288751(office.12).aspx






SharePoint Foundation 2010


Processor Quad Core, 64-bit

Memory (RAM) 8 GB

Disk Space 80 GB

Graphics 1024x768


SharePoint Server 2010


Processor Quad Core, 64-bit

Memory (RAM) 8 GB

Disk Space 80 GB

Graphics 1024x768


2.2.4 Web Server Software Requirements

The following platforms are supported for the Nimbus Control Web Server:

Classic Web Server Platform Support




SharePoint Server Platform Support




Browser Support (Classic Web Server and SharePoint Integration)

Internet Explorer 6.0



Note: Nimbus Control is 32-bit, however the suite can run in 64-bit operating systems in 32-bitcompatibility mode.

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc288751.aspx






2.2.5 Action Server Software Requirements

The following platforms are supported for the Nimbus Control Action Server:

Action Server Platform Support




Note: Nimbus Control Action Server is 32-bit, however it can run in 64-bit operating systems in 32-bitcompatibility mode.

2.2.6 Business Intelligence Server Software Requirements

The following platforms are supported for the Nimbus Control Business Intelligence Server:





Note: Nimbus Control Business Intelligence Server is 32-bit, however it can run in 64-bit operatingsystems in 32-bit compatibility mode.

2.2.7 Nimbus Control Performance Monitor SoftwareRequirements

The following platforms are supported for the Nimbus Control Performance Monitor:





Note: Nimbus Control Performance Monitor is 32-bit, however it can run in 64-bit operating systems in32-bit compatibility mode.



2.3 Sizing Requirements

2.3.1 Author Client Sizing

If authors are going to access a Process Repository remotely, Remote Desktop technology is required. Inthis situation a server architecture is required to support the processing requirements. Windows TerminalServices or Citrix Metaframe can be run in conjunction with the Web Server, however in many casesseparate servers are desirable.

When considering hardware sizing, a number of assumptions have to be made:

· At any point 20% of the registered authors will be actively connected.

· 50MHz of processor power is required per connected user plus 1GHz for the server overhead.

· 50MB of RAM is required per connected user for Nimbus Control Desktop Client plus a global256MB to allow for infrequent but memory intensive operations such as generating very largereports.

· 25MB of RAM is required for other application and system overhead per connected user. This willvary depending on the other software installed on the server.

· 512MB per server for the operating system and other software overhead such Windows TerminalServices, Citrix and anti-virus software. This will vary depending on the operating system versionand other software installed on the server.

The assumptions here can vary wildly. In particular, the percentage of authors accessing the Clientacross the internet using terminal services could be much higher depending upon the characteristics ofthe organization or project at any one time. A range of user sizes and hardware sizing requirements isshown below:

Users (Authors) Connected (20%) Processor Minimum Server Memory

25 5 1.25Ghz 1.25GB

50 10 1.5GHz 1.5GB

100 20 2GHz 2.25GB

200 40 3GHz 3.75GB

500 100 6GHz 8.25GB

1,000 200 11GHz 15.75GB

In practice, a 100 active author installation, where 20 are connected and active at any one time, could behosted on a single dual processor server with between 2GB & 3GB of RAM provided it had similar per userand overall system overhead as per the assumptions above. An installation supporting 200 active authorscould be hosted on a 4-way server box, or across several boxes with Load Balancing capabilities.



2.3.2 Web Server Sizing

When considering the hardware sizing requirements for the Web Server, these values apply both to thestandard Web Server installation and one that is deployed through a SharePoint integration.

In order to determine the hardware sizing requirements for the Web Server, a number of assumptionshave been made:

· At any point 5% of the registered users will be actively connected.

· A user will request 2 pages per minute.

· 10% of page requests are for non-cached diagram pages that take 500mS of 1GHz of processorpower.

· 60% of page requests are for cached diagram pages that take 250mS of 1GHz processor power.

· 30% of page requests are for other pages that take on average 200mS of 1GHz processor power.

· 4MB of memory per connected user (up to 50 user threads) and 500MB cache

· 512MB per server for the operating system and other software overhead such as anti-virussoftware. This will vary depending on the operating system version and other software installed onthe server.

These assumptions, especially the processor usage, will vary considerably depending on how NimbusControl is being used. At peak load times it is possible that the demand will exceed these numbers. Theaverage page takes approximately 300mS of processor time. With 30 seconds between requests thismeans that 50 connected users can be supported per 1GHz of processor power. A range of user sizes areshown below:

Users Connected (5%) Processor Minimum Server Memory

200 10 0.25GHz 1.5GB

500 25 0.5GHz 2GB/Box

1000 50 1GHz 2GB/Box

5000 250 2.5GHz 3GB/Box

10000 500 5GHz 3GB/Box

50000 2500 25GHz 3GB/Box

In practice, a 5,000 user site would be able to host the Nimbus Control Web Server on a single dualprocessor server with the Process Repository on the same server with 3GB of RAM. In the case of a50,000 user site the infrastructure would require a significant Network Load Balanced Infrastructure. Seethe Nimbus Control Technical Architecture document for more information.

SharePoint Integration

The hardware sizing values for the standard Web Server installation, as stated above, should be added toany standard SharePoint hardware sizing requirements.

Windows SharePoint Services 3.0For hardware performance planning in Windows SharePoint Services 3.0, please refer to Microsoft's site - Estimating performance and capacity planning (Windows SharePoint Services 3.0).

SharePoint Server 2007For hardware performance planning in SharePoint Server 2007, please refer to Microsoft's site - Estimating performance and capacity requirements (SharePoint Server 2007).





SharePoint Foundation 2010For hardware performance planning in SharePoint Foundation 2010, please refer to Microsoft's site - Performance and capacity test results and recommendations (SharePoint Foundation 2010).

SharePoint Server 2010For hardware performance planning in SharePoint Server 2010, please refer to Microsoft's site - Performance and capacity management (SharePoint Server 2010).

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ff678214.aspx




2.4 General ConsiderationsThe following provides information that will assist you in planning your installation.

Directory Sharing

A default installation will install the directory structure shown below; however, any structure can beused:

<Destination Directory Path> Nimbus Control

Action Server BI Server Cache Client Logs PerfMon Process Repository Process RepositoryATTACH Process Repositorycred Temp Web Server

The location and sharing rights of each of the directories needs to be considered. By default, the ProcessRepository needs to be shared and if users are going to access the Client executable over the networkthen the Client install folder must also be shared. The Action Server, Business Intelligence Server andWeb Server do not need to be shared as user access across a network is not required.

Important Information on sharing the Process Repository

If you are going to share the Process Repository then you must share a higher level folder and not theactual Process Repository folder, otherwise users may not be able to access folders on the same level asthe Process Repository, such as Process RepositoryATTACH and Process Repositorycred.

There are three approaches to managing the sharing (assuming all of the software is installed on onemachine - if the software is installed on multiple machines then the planning is driven by what capabilityis required on each machine):

All directories shared, but sharing the parent folder using the Default Directory Structure.This is the easiest approach, however it does allow the server-based software installation to beaccessed by unauthorized users.

Client and Process Repository as separate shares but still using Default Directory Structure. This approach requires two separate shares but allows the default directory structure to be preservedand either requires two mapped drives or UNC path names to be used.

Client and Process Repository installed into one folder structure which is shared and theother components into another folder that is not shared. This approach requires a differentdirectory structure but only a single share.

All three approaches are valid but will depend on the requirements of the site.



Service Account

Whilst a simple single box install can use the default accounts, as soon as multiple machines are used orLDAP integration is required it is necessary to use a domain account.

A Nimbus Control service account should be created as a domain account and used to run all of theservices. This account does not need Administration rights. It should be created with the password set to'never expire', and can be set as a policy not to allow login. However, if this account is used to run theOffice Integration Service then, whilst establishing Excel, this account will need to be used to log in to thebox. Once this has been done the policy can be applied.

The Service Account also requires access to the following folders:

· ...\Nimbus Control\Process Repository\

· ...\Nimbus Control\Process Repository\Temp

· ...\Nimbus Control\Web Server\Reload

· Any document folders that are linked to on other servers

Excel on the Server

In order for the measures and scorecards to be displayed through the web browser interface, a copy ofExcel needs to be available on the same machine to the Office Integration Server. This can be on thesame machine as the Web Server or on a different machine. The version required to support thescorecard capability is Excel 2002, Excel 2003 and Excel 2007 - previous versions will result in an errormessage being displayed in the Scorecard window. The service needs to be run as a known user and thisaccount must have launched Excel on the machine once before the service is used.

UNC Paths

For the Server components it is strongly recommended to use a UNC path to the Process Repository if theProcess Repository is not on the same box as the Server component. This ensures that drive mappingsdo not have to be made. A problem that does occur with the Action Server and drive mappings is thatthe service starts before the drives can be mapped, resulting in the failure of the services to startcorrectly.

LDAP

If LDAP is planned for but is not going to be immediately implemented, it is very important that the useraccounts are set up to be the same as their network logon account names, otherwise when LDAP is usedit will treat the user's accounts as new and remove their existing accounts, thereby removing all of thecurrent access to Nimbus Control information and any authorization lists, review lists, etc.

If using LDAP it is recommended to implement SLDAP.

Anti-Virus Software

Anti-virus software that checks files as they are written and read from the file system will have adramatic impact on the performance of the system. If an anti-virus system is installed it is importantthat .npdat, .npidx, .nplck, .nploc, .npdta, .npblb and .npjnd file extensions are excluded from viruschecking.



Upgrading Versions

When upgrading a minor version release, for example upgrading from 8.1.0 to 8.1.1, you must copy theProcess Repository, Process RepositoryATTACH and Scorecard Repository folders to the new location priorto the installation process. When upgrading major releases you must first migrate the Process Repositorybefore installing the Nimbus Control suite.

Please refer to the Administration Guide for more information.

Installing the Action Server on a different machine to the Process Repository

If the Action Server is installed on a different box to the Process Repository then the services must beconfigured to run as a domain account that has access to the Process Repository folder. Failure to do thiswill result in the services failing to execute.

What Ports does Nimbus Control use?

Nimbus Control uses standard ports, including:

For Web Server HTTP, ports 80, 8080, etc.If HTTPS is required then port 443 should be used.For SMTP traffic, port 25.For Excel communication, i.e. the Office Integration Server, port 51001.



2.5 Web Server Installation PlanningThe following guidelines should be considered before installing the Web Server:

Changes to IIS Configuration

The Web Server installation requires two changes to the IIS configuration. It is important to be aware ofthese changes since these may affect other applications running in the same IIS environment.

· WebDAV

WebDAV is automatically disabled as part of the installation process. This is required for certainversions of Microsoft Office in order to interact with IIS. If WebDAV is required by other applicationsand there is a version conflict with Microsoft Office, for example a SharePoint Portal Server orExchange Server, then the Nimbus Control Web Server will need to be installed on another machinethat is running IIS.

· Front Page Server extensions

If the Front Page Server extensions are enabled then they should be manually disabled. If theserver extensions are required on the site then you can create a new site specific for the NimbusControl installation. To remove server extensions, right-click the Nimbus Control virtual directory(under the Web site that it was installed into) and choose All Tasks>> Remove ServerExtensions.

Platform considerations

There are a number of aspects that should be considered with respect to the server that is hosting theWeb Server.

· Font Support

Any fonts that are going to be used must be installed on the server.

· Language Settings

The language of the server needs to be the same as the core language that is used in the WebServer. Contact Nimbus Technical Support for more information.

· Color Depth

The color depth and graphics settings must support the generation of the images used by NimbusControl. It is recommended that the color depth is set to 32-bit.

Installing the Web Server on a different machine to the Process Repository

It is possible, and often desirable, to have the Web Server and Process Repository on two separatemachines.

· (Recommended) If a domain exists, both machines must be in the same domain, or if they are indifferent domains they must have an established trust relationship.

· If a domain does not exist, both machines should be in the same workgroup. To make this work,identical accounts with identical passwords must be assigned to both machines.

· The Anonymous Access and Authentication user must be changed from the site default to a domainaccount that has access rights to the Process Repository.



Installing multiple instances of the Web Server running from the sameProgram Folder

Issues may arise if multiple instances of the Nimbus Control Web Server are running from the sameprogram folder. For example, when using multiple virtual directories for the same ISAPI dll, or whenusing a single installation for both the Classic and remoted Web Server interfaces. Issues include theISAPI and Websvr log files only being accessed by one process at a time, and the restart.js and appinfo.jsnot working for both processes.

These issues can be resolved by having multiple Web Server installations with only the ProcessRepository shared.

Installing the Web Server in a SharePoint Farm

Nimbus Control can be run within a SharePoint farm under the following conditions:

· Remoting is required. The web.config changes (required for remoting) must be applied on everySharePoint Front-end Web Server. See the Administration Guide for more information.

· The Control.wsp only needs to be deployed on the machine in which the SharePoint CentralAdministration site is installed, i.e., it is not necessary to manually deploy the file on every machinewithin the farm.



2.6 Windows Server 2003 ConsiderationsIf Nimbus Control is to be hosted on a Windows Server 2003 platform, there are a number of specificissues that need to be considered. Whilst Windows Server 2003 is superficially similar to Windows 2000Server, there are differences that can cause problems when installing and configuring the software. Before installing on Windows Server 2003, a good knowledge of the operating system, especially withregards to IIS 6.0, is required. The remainder of this section is designed to give an overview of the areaswhere the changes are most likely to impact.

The changes affect a number of areas, including:

· Folder Access Rights, which are different by default

· The IIS structure, which is radically different

· The Default IIS accounts, which are different and therefore require DCOM configuration

· Windows Integrated Authentication - (Single Sign On - SSO) Issues

Server Configuration

By default Windows Server 2003 requires the following to be configured before Nimbus Control can beinstalled:

· IIS needs to be installed, as it is not installed by default.

· Once IIS is installed it needs to be configured to allow ISAPI extensions to be run.

Folder Security

By default, in Windows Server 2003 the security rights given to a folder for Users is 'Read'. This is achange from Windows 2000 Server. Any Nimbus Control Client application connecting to the ProcessRepository other than from the account it was installed by will fail. The security rights on the ProcessRepository need to be changed to include 'Delete' and 'Write'.

Internet Information Services (IIS)

The Web Server requires IIS to be installed. In Windows Server 2003, IIS is not installed by default.

To install IIS:

1. In the Add Remove Programs dialog click Add or Remove Windows Components.2. Click Application Server to select it and click Next.

This will install IIS6, including ISAPI Extensions.

Application Pools

With Windows Server 2003 the overall structure and the way IIS6.0 manages its virtual directories haschanged significantly. With IIS 6.0 there is now the concept of application pools. Each process pool canhost multiple virtual directories. The concept of different isolation modes (low, medium and high) hasdisappeared. Each application pool has its own set of properties.

When Nimbus Control is installed, it looks for an application pool called 'Nimbus Control Pool'. If it doesnot exist then one is created. The Nimbus Control virtual directory is created in the same way but isassigned to the new application pool.



Internet Explorer 9 Compatibility

Internet Explorer 9 is not currently supported and issues may be experienced by users on IE9. To resolvethese issues you must force IE8 rendering mode on the web site.

To force IE8 rendering mode:

1. In IIS Manager, right-click the web site and choose Properties.2. Click the HTTP Headers tab to select it.3. In the Custom HTTP headers panel click Add, then enter the following custom HTTP header details:

Name: X-UA-Compatible,Value: IE=EmulateIE8

DCOM Configuration

In Windows Server 2003, DCOM must be configured to allow Network Service, or a replacement account,to have default access and launch rights. See Installing the Web Server in the Administration Guide formore information.

Windows Integrated Authentication (WIA) - Single Sign On (SSO)

The changes to support WIA are relevant to all server platforms but are detailed here as they need to beimplemented to support WIA and will affect 2003 Server implementations.

For Windows 2003 the Application Pool identity must have a Server Principle Name (SPNs are uniqueidentifiers for services running on servers) defined for SSO to function successfully. This can be achievedin two ways:

· Ensure the Application Pool identity is set to the default of the Network Service account.

· If the Application Pool is set to run under the Nimbus Control service account then establish an SPNusing the setspn.exe tool. Microsoft's Knowledge Base holds all the information you will need to usethis tool.



Web Gardens

There may be issues if a Web garden is configured and enabled on a Windows Server 2003 environment.Two major issues include repeated logon requests and diagrams within storyboards not being displayed.

Windows Server 2003 64-bit

The Web application can only run in 32-bit, therefore IIS6 must be configured to run in 32-bitcompatibility mode. Open a command prompt and navigate to the %systemdrive\Inetpub\AdminScriptsdirectory, then run the following command:

cscript.exe adsutil.vbs set W3SVC/AppPools/Enable32BitAppOnWin64 "true"

Opportunistic Locking ("OpLocks")

Possible data corruption issues may arise if opportunistic locking is enabled in deployments where theControl Process Repository is placed on one server and then accessed by another server or workstation.Nimbus highly recommends disabling opportunistic locking on the file server.

To disable Opportunistic Locking:

The CD image contains registry files to enable/disable Opportunistic Locking on a server (found in SystemUpdates and Utils/Oplocks and SMB2).

DisableFileServerOplocks.reg will disable opportunistic locking

Alternatively, the Windows Server 2008/2008 R2 System Registry can be manually edited:

To disable Opportunistic Locking, change or add the following REG_DWORD value:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\LanmanServer\Parameters\EnableOplocks

Set the value to 0.

Note: You must restart the computer for the above registry change to take effect.

To enable Opportunistic Locking:

EnableFileServerOplocks.reg will enable opportunistic locking

Alternatively, manually set the registry value above to 1.

Performance Implications

Opportunistic locking can provide significant performance improvements but only when a single PC orserver accesses remote files. However, once a process on the file server or on another PC/server startsaccessing the same file, this gain is lost. As the Process Repository will either be accessed either entirelyfrom the local server or more usually several servers, opportunistic locking is not in use and thereforedisabling it should not have any significant impact on performance.



2.7 Windows Server 2008 ConsiderationsA number of configuration changes are required if Nimbus Control is to be hosted on a Windows Server2008 platform.

IIS Setup

In Windows Server 2008, IIS is not installed by default and therefore needs to be installed. You must alsoinstall the IIS Management Console and ISAPI Extensions roles. This can be achieved through ServerManager.

To install IIS:

1. Run Server Manager and under Roles Summary click Add Roles.

2. In the Add Roles Wizard click Next, then select Web Server (IIS).

3. Click Add Required Features when prompted, then click Next.

4. Click Next and then click to select the IIS Management Console and ISAPI Extensions in theRoles services list.

5. Click Next, then click Install.

Internet Explorer 9 Compatibility

Internet Explorer 9 is not currently supported and issues may be experienced by users on IE9. To resolvethese issues you must force IE8 rendering mode on the web site.

To force IE8 rendering mode:

1. Run IIS Manager and click the web site to select it.2. Under the IIS options double-click HTTP Response Headers.3. In the Actions panel click Add, then enter the following custom HTTP header details:

Name: X-UA-Compatible,Value: IE=EmulateIE8



SMB2 and Opportunistic Locking ("OpLocks")

A potential data corruption issue has been identified when the Control Process Repository is placed on aMicrosoft Windows Server 2008/2008 R2 (or on a Microsoft Windows Vista/Windows 7 workstation) andthen accessed by another Windows Server 2008/2008 R2 or a Vista/Windows 7 workstation that is SMB2enabled. To avoid any possible corruption to the data in this deployment set-up, Nimbus highlyrecommends disabling both the Server Message Block 2 (SMB2) file sharing protocol and OpportunisticLocking on the file server.

Note: Opportunistic locking can only be disabled when SMB2/2.1 has been disabled. After disablingSMB2, SMB1 will be used, even when clients that are SMB2/2.1 capable open files on the file server.

To disable SMB2/2.1 and Opportunistic Locking:

The CD image contains registry import files that will disable SMB2/2.1 and Opportunistic Locking on aserver (found in System Updates and Utils/Oplocks and SMB2).

Force SMB1.reg will disable SMB2/2.1 and use SMB1

DisableFileServerOplocks.reg will disable opportunistic locking

Alternatively, the Windows Server 2008/2008 R2 System Registry can be manually edited:

To disable SMB2/2.1, change or add the following REG_DWORD value:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\LanmanServer\Parameters\SMB2

Set the value to 0.

To disable Opportunistic Locking, change or add the following REG_DWORD value:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\LanmanServer\Parameters\EnableOplocks

Set the value to 0.

Note: You must restart the computer for the above registry changes to take effect.

To enable SMB2/2.1 and Opportunistic Locking:

AllowSMB2.reg will enable SMB2/2.1

EnableFileServerOplocks.reg will enable opportunistic locking

Alternatively, manually set the registry values above to 1.

Performance Implications

Disabling SMB2 will only have a very minor impact on performance and hence this will not usually benoticeable. Opportunistic locking can provide significant performance improvements but only when asingle PC or server accesses remote files. However, once a process on the file server or on anotherPC/server starts accessing the same file, this gain is lost. As the Process Repository will either beaccessed either entirely from the local server or more usually several servers, opportunistic locking is notin use and therefore disabling it should not have any significant impact on performance.

Securing a Process Repository

For Microsoft Windows Server 2008 Client installations, the User Account Control (UAC) option must beenabled in order to secure a Process Repository. This is enabled by default.



2.8 Windows Vista ConsiderationsThe following issues may arise when installing on Windows Vista.

Error Message: This program might not have installed correctly

The following warning dialog may be displayed when installing the Nimbus Control client or other NimbusControl applications, even though the installation was successful. This is due to the way in whichWindows Vista detects application installations as it does not recognize installations that are not added tothe Add/Remove programs option. This issue may arise for a network Client installation, if the Client isinstalled again or if an installation is canceled before completion.

Note: If the application is run from a remote location the warning dialog is not displayed.

If the option This program installed correctly is selected, or a legacy installation was run which doesadd an item to the Add/Remove program options, Windows Vista will not display this warning again.

Common file and registry virtualization issues in Windows Vista (Microsoft Support KB927387)

File and registry virtualization allows users who have non-administrative access to the registry and to thefile system to write to certain protected areas. Virtualization creates a 'per user' copy and then redirectssuccessive data operations.

If the virtualization feature of Windows Vista is used and Nimbus Control is installed into the ProgramFiles folder, any writing to the Program Files folder will be virtualized to a 'per user' folder, unless theaccount that the program is running under has administrative rights and elevated if UAC is enabled. Thismay cause issues with some users accessing files in their private virtualized folders and others accessingfiles in the Program Files folder.

See Microsoft Support issue KB 927387 for more information.

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/927387



Running the client after installation can have side effects on Vista if rights elevation occurred

If running the Nimbus Control client installation on Windows Vista as a non-administrator, the user willbe prompted to proceed with the installation and their rights will be temporarily elevated to anadministrator's account. When the installation has finished and the user selects to run the client uponexiting the installation, the client will run under the administrator's account and not the user's account.This will result in any user-specific registry keys and specific files not being accessible when the user nextruns the client.

Deployment

Chapter 3




3.1 Simple DeploymentPhysically, the Nimbus Control components can be installed on a single server, or distributed across anetwork. When deploying the Nimbus Control suite, the following guidelines should be considered toensure that performance is maintained:

· The Process Repository should be hosted on the same box as the Web Server, or there should be ahigh performance network connection between boxes.

· The image cache should remain enabled (this is enabled by default). This will allow the Web Serverto deliver optimum performance as the generation of diagrams is a CPU-intensive operation.

· The desktop clients should have good network access to the Process Repository. If a LAN is heavilyloaded it will result in some operations taking a long time to complete, and this can lead to dataintegrity issues. In this case Nimbus recommends that a server-based solution using TerminalServices technology, such as Citrix, is used (see below).

· The Web Server should be hosted on a dedicated box, since during peak loading times it will utilize100% of the CPU and will either be restricted by other applications or restrict the operation ofother applications.

· The Action Server can be run on any Server, since it does not require significant resources.However, in a simple deployment it is recommended to install the Action Server on the same boxas the Web Server.



3.2 Complex DeploymentThe Nimbus Control suite is a solution designed to support organizations of significant size, as well assmaller organizations. The application is designed to be scaled by using the range of technologiesprovided as part of the Microsoft operating system environment. The diagram below represents thearchitecture designed to support a very large deployment of global organizations. It is based on twotechnologies, Network Load Balancing, which enables large quantities of computing power to bedeployed, and Terminal Services, which allows remote access to the Client application.

Network Load Balancing

Nimbus Control supports Network Load Balancing using Network Load Balancing Manager. The MicrosoftNetwork Load Balancing (NLB) technology allows an array of Windows 2000 Advanced Server or WindowsServer 2003 boxes to be clustered together under a virtual IP address, and all IP-based requests (HTTPor Terminal Services) will be automatically routed to the least loaded box. Up to 32 boxes can be scaled,thereby providing virtually unlimited performance handling for large deployments.

Network Load Balancing Manager can be used to cluster the Nimbus Control Web Server 'My Page' forlocal and remote installations. Please note that, in either case, the client affinity parameter must be setto 'none' if multiple hosts are being clustered. Also, if a Web Server in the cluster becomes unavailable,users may be requested to log in again, since requests will be redirected to a different Web Server.

Network Load Balancing a Remoted SharePoint Integration

Please note that there are issues when Network Load Balancing is used between one SharePoint serverand multiple back-end Nimbus Control web servers.

The remoting framework uses a pool of connections to communicate with the specified Nimbus Control

web server. For each request from a user’s browser to Nimbus Control content shown in SharePoint,

either a current free connection is used or, if the maximum number of pooled connections has been

reached, another connection is created. These connections between SharePoint and the Nimbus Control

web server are completely separate to HTTP connections from users’ browsers.



At the receiving end of the communication the Nimbus Control web server process stores user session

data in memory so user sessions are specific to each running instance of the Nimbus Control web server.

Therefore when using multiple SharePoint servers to increase scalability, each one must be connected to

only one Control web server process to ensure user sessions are maintained across related requests. If a

load balanced arrangement is used where one SharePoint server connects to multiple Nimbus Control

web server processes via a load balancer, users will experience issues due to loss of session information.

The is because the load balancer has no context to know which connection is being used for which user

session and hence could assign sequential requests from a user to different back end servers.

As users are automatically logged on to the Nimbus Control web server with their SharePoint credentials,

this loss of session is not immediately apparent as a new session is automatically created. However some

tasks that rely on data stored in user sessions will be affected, such as searching and other operations

that involve a number of steps.

Load balancing ahead of the SharePoint servers and configured to ensure each user session is served by

a single SharePoint server is not a problem though, as ultimately each user’s session will be served by a

single Control web server process.

Please see the following Microsoft links for more information:

Network Load Balancing Manager

Network Load Balancing Clusters

Network Load Balancing in Windows 2000 Advanced Server

Network Load Balancing in Windows Server 2003

Virtualization

Nimbus Technical Support supports virtualization of Nimbus Control. Virtualization essentially allows onecomputer to do the job of multiple computers by sharing resources of a single computer across multipleenvironments. Nimbus Control can be hosted on a virtual server, providing access to both local andremote users, thereby freeing an organization from physical and geographical imitations. NimbusTechnical Support supports the use of Microsoft Virtual Server, VMware and VMware Storage VMotion.

Microsoft Virtual Server 2005VMwareVMware Storage VMotion

WAN Deployment

For Author Client access across a Wide Area Network, a Terminal Services or other virtual desktopsolution should be used, as described below.

Terminal Services

Installing the Nimbus Control Desktop Client in a Citrix or Windows Terminal Services environment isrecommended due to the large amount of I/O operations to the Process Repository. This preventspossible data integrity issues arising when users prematurely terminate the Client executable on theirPCs in the middle of an operation, such as during a promotion operation. This applies in a WANenvironment but it is also important in a LAN environment where premature termination of the Clientexecutable on a user's PC is more likely.

Terminal services allows the Desktop Client to be run on a server box, with the Desktop Client connectingto the server and acting as a thin terminal, thereby providing an excellent solution to deploying theDesktop Client to users globally.

Windows Terminal (Remote Desktop) Services

With the Advanced Terminal Server Client (Remote Desktop Web Access) it is possible for users to



http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb742454.aspx



http://www.vmware.com/

http://www.vmware.com/products/vi/storage_vmotion_overview.html



connect to the terminal server box through a browser installation. However, Citrix is the preferredsolution due to less bandwidth utilization.

Citrix Metaframe

Citrix Metaframe is a technology that extends the Terminal Server capabilities. It utilizes a differentprotocol called ICA, which is more efficient than the RDP protocol used by straight terminal services. Inaddition, it provides support for a range of additional capabilities for providing server-enabled desktopapplications. Citrix Metaframe is the preferred approach, recommended by Nimbus, when Desktop Clientaccess is required across a WAN, or there are performance issues arising through a LAN environment. Forthe greatest user experience, it is recommended to run Citrix in Full Desktop Mode.

The following versions of Citrix Metaframe are available in the market:

· Citrix Metaframe 1.8

· Citrix Metaframe XP

· Citrix Presentation Server 4.5

· Citrix XenApp 5.0

Nimbus Control will function with all four, however there is a known issue with Citrix Metaframe 1.8 inSeamless Published Application mode in that dialog windows can disappear, resulting in the applicationappearing to hang. In Published Desktop mode this problem does not appear, therefore this is therecommended mode. Please note that Citrix Metaframe 1.8 is not supported by Nimbus TechnicalSupport.

Please refer to the Citrix home page for more information on Citrix technology.

http://www.citrix.com

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