Discovery Accelerator - How many instances required in multi-site configuration

[berwin]

My client has a single EV directory with 3 sites and a single EV server at each site. They have a single DA server in one of the sites. Is it the case that the one DA server will suffice for the entire directory? I shouldn’t have to install a DA server at each site correct?

[Paul_Grimshaw]

The answer is yes you can have just one DA server but if that would suffice is something that cannot be answered as I do not know anything about your WAN etc.

To improve performance and scale properly it may be better to implement multiple DA servers to ensure that the web service is resposive enough for the users.

Your client must have implemented an EV server at each site for performance reasons rather than centrally.

[berwin]

Currenlty the 1 DA server in place today is located in the same physical location as the SQL server which houses the Directory, Monitoring, and Reporting Databases. If I place a DA server at the other locations/sites do I point them all back to the same SQL server or do I create a DA database locally at each site?

I'm thinking another option might be to simply have the other locations RDP into the single DA server which would minimize traffic accross the WAN. Thoughts?

Thanks

[Liam_Finn1]

So all your EV servers report to the one SQL server in the core site

If you were to place other DA servers in other locations then yes you would have to point them back the the core site where the SQl server is.

Remember with RDP you can only run two sessions at the same time to the DA server, three if you include the console mode

This is not a good solution because the DA user, because they logon locally to the DA server have full admin rights to the DA server and can easially screw the system up for you.

I think you get them to use the web interface for access to DA.

Next you need to consider your plans for moving forward. In EV8 DA is now run via a hard client  and not a web interface which is to be installed on each PC that will require access to DA. This will change your design model as the WAN traffic will jump because of the client - DA server communication.

I have yet to see a Symantec proposal on how this kind of environment should be setup going forward

[berwin]

This is great information but I'm still confused about the configuration if I put a local instance of DA at each site. Does that mean that the local DA server will only be able to run quieries against the local Vault Store? Or will I be able to run quieries against the local Vault Stores and any remote Vault Stores. I have a single Directory with 3 sites and local Vault Store databases.

Thanks

[Liam_Finn1]

ok you said you have 3 sites. Each site has a single EV server

Each of these servers links to a single SQL server in the core site

If this is the case then a single DA server connecting to the same SQL server should be your solution

Option 2

If you have three sites each with their own EV and SQL servers then depending on WAN speeds you should be looking at a DA server in each site

If you have the necessary WAN speed then you can have a centeral DA server in the core site that links to each of the EV servers in the repsective sites

The answer all depends on the exact config you have and also the WAN speed you have

[berwin]

OK Great Information. I'm still confused on one point though. My design is to have all core databases at a central site with only a Vault Store database at the other sites. If I install DA at each site will the local users assess their local DA server to query their local Vault Store, store queiries in a local Discovery Database, and be able to quiery the other remote Vault Stores through the same local DA server which would then query against the remote Vault Stores?

In other words, a user will see all Vault Stores in the DA user interface and if they are looking for something in their local Vault Store it should perform well and if they are looking for something in a remote Vault Store it will work but just slower if over a WAN link. Does this sound correct.

Thanks