Deployment-Installing scale out roles with PDT

This is the last of three posts that explain how PDT can be configured to deploy a highly available configuration.  The first post covered SQL clusters, the second post covered Virtual Machine Manager (VMM) clusters, and this post will cover scale out Building Clouds Blogroles.

Several System Center components offer high availability by having multiple instances of a role, and other components allow scale the same way.  During deployment, there are three different methods for installation of multiple instances of a role:

  • Concurrent – all instances of a role can be installed at the same time.  The Orchestrator Runbook Server role is an Cloud and Datacenter Solutions Hubexample of this type of role, although PDT actually treats it as first then additional so that a primary runbook server can be designated.
  • First then additional – an instance of a role must be installed first, then all additional instances of that role can be installed concurrently.  This is typically the case when the first instance of a role creates a database.  The Operations Manager Management Server role is an example of this type of role.
  • Sequential – all instances of a role must be installed sequentially.  This is typically because each installation of the role restarts the SQL instance that it is using.  The Data Protection Manager Server role is an example of this type of role.

PDT has the ability to install scale out roles for all components – you simply need to list the instances of those roles in the <Roles> section of Variable.xml, using the correct role name.  Role names are as follows:

Orchestrator (first then additional):

  • First role – System Center 2012 SP1 Orchestrator Primary Runbook Server
  • Additional roles - System Center 2012 SP1 Orchestrator Standby Runbook Server

Service Provider Foundation (first then additional):

  • First role – System Center 2012 SP1 Service Provider Foundation Server
  • Additional roles - System Center 2012 SP1 Service Provider Foundation Additional Server

App Controller (first then additional):

  • First role – System Center 2012 SP1 App Controller Server
  • Additional roles - System Center 2012 SP1 App Controller Additional Server

Operations Manager (first then additional):

  • First role – System Center 2012 SP1 Operations Manager Management Server
  • Additional roles - System Center 2012 SP1 Operations Manager Additional Management Server

Service Manager (first then additional):

  • First role – System Center 2012 SP1 Service Manager Management Server
  • Additional roles - System Center 2012 SP1 Service Manager Additional Management Server

Data Protection Manager (sequential):

  • All roles – System Center 2012 SP1 Data Protection Manager Server

PDT pre-deployment validation will validate that all roles have dependent roles in the deployment – for example, if you are installed an Operations Manager Additional Management Server you will also need an Operations Manager Management Server.  Pre-deployment validation will also validate that there are an appropriate number of instances of roles – for example, all “first role” roles above can only have a single instance, where all other roles above can have multiple instances.

Note that high availability of Service Provider Foundation and App Controller roles also requires a load balancer – PDT does not install or configure load balancing, that is required as a manual post-deployment step.


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