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Home > Archive > BizTalk Server > February 2006 > High Availability with Multiple Message Boxes
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High Availability with Multiple Message Boxes
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| sanket.bakshi@gmail.com 2006-02-14, 2:48 am |
| Hi All,
I was just trying to understand this.
Pl correct me if I am wrong at any point.
When I have multiple message boxes configured for a Biztalk Server, the
first SQL Server becomes my Master Message Box. The others will follow.
Now the Biztalk engine balances the load in a round robbin fashion.
However, the subscriptions are held and matched only in the Master
Message Box.
In this case, this single Message Box will be potentially a single
point of failure.
If this box geos down, then I belive that the Biztalk will not be able
to do any subscription matching. (Am I right at this?)
With Multiple message boxes, performance benefits would be obvious, but
how would we be able to maintain high-availability in such a case?
Clustering is an option but then why do we need all these things to be
done in a single place?
Curios to know
--Sanket
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| Sanket,
You are correct in you statements, multiple message boxes are
definately not for HA.
HA is depedent on the availability of the underlying SQL Database
server itself, and the only solution is to use Microsoft Clustering
technology for the SQL Databases.
Also, you must remember that the there are no non-critical databases in
the core BizTalk Databases.
If you have a single database server then that server should be
clustered.
If you have a master database server for the routing message box and
put the content message boxes on seperate SQL Servers, then each one of
those SQL Servers must be clustered.
If the BIzTalk Management, SSO, or any other database is on a seperate
SQL Server, then those servers must be clustered.
I would think long and hard about performance options and read the
white paper on MSDN about BizTalk Performance to determine your
solution.
Once you have determined your database distribution strategy using
those principles, then you can determine what exactly you need for
hardware.
I consider the minimum BizTalk configuraiton to consist of two BizTalk
Servers (provides both HA and Performance improvements) with a seperate
clustered SQL Server (to provide HA for the databases).
the BizTalk Servers themselve do not lend themselves to running on a
Cluster and there are many issues that cannot be readily resolved if
BizTalk is on a clustered server, so if you use clustering to provide
HA for SQL Server then you must have a seperate server for BizTalk.
Once you have a seperate server for BizTalk then you must use two
servers for BizTalk so that a single BizTalk server failure does not
cause the system to go down.
It is possible to use non-Clustered services for things like the BAM
and DTA Tracking and OLAP Databases, but also in this scenario you must
consider the impact on your LOB information that BAM and DTA provides.
If you have chosen to use BAM or DTA tracking, then you must consider
that information to be fairly critical to your business needs.
Clustering Analysis Services is pretty difficult, but can be done
(there is a MSDN white paper on how to do that).
But, once to you cross into the HA arena, then you must start
considering the whole picture.
What external resources does the solution require? External web
services? How HA and hardened are those web services?
Are you using File Drops to move files around? Then the File Drop
location must be HA itself.
Are you using FTP to receive or send files? Does the remote FTP Server
or the inbound connection require HA, then for inbound you must use
load balancing technology to the BizTalk Server. If the remote FTP
Server is not HA, then what will you do when the messages cannot be
delivered?
Are you exposing BizTalk as a web service? Then you have to put load
balancing in front of the web service so that if one biztalk server is
down, then the other will respond.
Are you thinking about using something like IBM WebSphere MQ? What is
your MQ HA Solution?
If you are using an external FTP Server for SFTP or FTP-S then does
that service run in an HA environment, if it is a Windows Service, then
does it support load balancing or Clustering?
It's not enough for HA to just look at the HA behavior of the BizTalk
engine itself, it takes a full understanding of all the interlocking
components that the biztalk solution depends on.
Tom
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| sanket.bakshi@gmail.com 2006-02-23, 2:53 am |
| Hi Tom,
Thanks for the exhaustive reply.
That was definitely a great insight and I agree with your point that
its not enough just to look at HA behaviour of Biztalk.
I am now trying to understand more on the HA prespective of the entire
solution.
Thanks
--Sanket
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| Sanket,
Glad to help!
Yes, I do love to hear myself talk 
Good luck!
Tom
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