After You Install ColdFusion Server

After you successfully install ColdFusion Server 5 on all members of the cluster and any administrative systems, you are ready to create your first cluster.

If you are administering ClusterCATS from a Windows NT system, then you can use the Cluster Setup Wizard or manually create the cluster. For more information, see Advanced ColdFusion Administration

If you are administering ClusterCATS from a Solaris or Linux system, see Advanced ColdFusion Administration.

Regardless of the method that you use to create your first cluster, you should familiarize yourself with the procedures in the following table when implementing your Web applications in a clustered environment.

Option

Description

Load thresholds for servers
Two response time thresholds configured for each server. One threshold defines maximum or busy load; the second activates load management. If the load for the server exceeds the busy threshold, no new sessions can start on that server. If another server in the cluster has the capacity to handle additional users, requests are redirected to that server. The load-management activation threshold is referred to as the gradual redirection threshold and is designed to prevent the server from ever reaching the peak threshold.
For more information on load thresholds, see Advanced ColdFusion Administration.

Email addresses for alarm recipients
ClusterCATS generates alarm notifications for several events including HTTP server failures, server busy, and Web server failover. You provide e-mail addresses of all administrators you want ClusterCATS to notify for each generated alarm notification.
For more information on ClusterCATS alarms, see Advanced ColdFusion Administration.

Session-aware load balancing
If your Web applications use session variables that store information in Web server memory, you should enable session-aware load-balancing. This feature prevents users who have established a session from being redirected to another server as a result of load-balancing.
For more information on enabling session-aware load balancing, see Advanced ColdFusion Administration.

Administering with the ClusterCATS Web Explorer
If you are using a UNIX system to administer your cluster with the ClusterCATS Web Explorer, you must configure your Web server to host the Web Explorer pages.
For more information, see Advanced ColdFusion Administration.

Administrative authentication
Password protect administrative access to your cluster members using domain accounts (Windows NT only) or local accounts on each system (UNIX and Windows NT). Administrative users must also be members of the group sys, or a special BT_<clustername> group.
For more information, see Advanced ColdFusion Administration.

Installing and Configuring ColdFusion Server
Preparing Your Server for ClusterCATS

Option	Description
Load thresholds for servers	Two response time thresholds configured for each server. One threshold defines maximum or busy load; the second activates load management. If the load for the server exceeds the busy threshold, no new sessions can start on that server. If another server in the cluster has the capacity to handle additional users, requests are redirected to that server. The load-management activation threshold is referred to as the gradual redirection threshold and is designed to prevent the server from ever reaching the peak threshold. For more information on load thresholds, see Advanced ColdFusion Administration.
Email addresses for alarm recipients	ClusterCATS generates alarm notifications for several events including HTTP server failures, server busy, and Web server failover. You provide e-mail addresses of all administrators you want ClusterCATS to notify for each generated alarm notification. For more information on ClusterCATS alarms, see Advanced ColdFusion Administration.
Session-aware load balancing	If your Web applications use session variables that store information in Web server memory, you should enable session-aware load-balancing. This feature prevents users who have established a session from being redirected to another server as a result of load-balancing. For more information on enabling session-aware load balancing, see Advanced ColdFusion Administration.
Administering with the ClusterCATS Web Explorer	If you are using a UNIX system to administer your cluster with the ClusterCATS Web Explorer, you must configure your Web server to host the Web Explorer pages. For more information, see Advanced ColdFusion Administration.
Administrative authentication	Password protect administrative access to your cluster members using domain accounts (Windows NT only) or local accounts on each system (UNIX and Windows NT). Administrative users must also be members of the group sys, or a special BT_<clustername> group. For more information, see Advanced ColdFusion Administration.