Deployment Overview

The following sections provide broad overview of the deployment process. Links to detailed procedures and instructions are also provided.

Before installing the components, read the product’s release notes for additional information not covered in this section.

The software components must be deployed in the following order:

  1. CommNet Server Software

    Installation always begins with the installation of the CommNet Server which connects all of the components of the system.

  2. CommNet Agent Software

    Next, all the Agents are installed on the CommServe computers associated with the CommCells you want to manage.

    Note that the CommNet Agent software is not required to be installed on the QSM Server computers. However, the QSMCells must be registered in the CommNet domain. See Getting Started for more information.

  3. CommNet Browser

    Optionally, you can also install the CommNet Browser on any computer from which you wish to remotely monitor and administer your CommCells.

  4. CommNet Explorer

    Optionally, you can also install CommNet Explorer on the CommNet server. CommNet Explorer provides a way to query information on the CommNet components directly from the SQL database.

The installation procedures above describe typical installations of the CommNet Server, CommNet Agent, CommNet Browser and CommNet Explorer. The installation steps will differ if multiple software components are selected for install on a computer. The steps provided in this section are the recommended steps for installing and configuring the software.

Microsoft SQL Server instance used by CommNet Server

The CommNet Server software can be installed either on a computer which already has the CommServe software installed or on a totally independent computer.

When the CommNet Server is installed on a computer with no other software, the CommNet Server database engine is created on the BullCalypso instance.

When the CommNet Server is installed on the CommServe computer, the CommNet Server database engine automatically reuses the Microsoft SQL Server instance used by the CommCell( i.e., BullCalypso instance). However, note that the instance name may vary if the software was upgraded from an earlier version.

Selecting Multiple Components During Install

Multiple components can be selected at the time of installation. You will be required to enter a common path for the software, as well as any component-specific parameters. The selected components are then installed in the correct sequence. For example, if you install both the CommNet Server and the CommNet Browser on the same computer, the install program will prompt you for all of the required setup parameters in one session. This speeds the deployment of software components. Furthermore, installs are re-startable in the event of a cancelled or failed installation. This provides you with the option of resuming the install, or restarting the installation process.

The following flowchart illustrates software deployment process:

Installing the Software on a Cluster

All software components must be installed correctly to take advantage of the clustered environment. The following sections describe the basic principles of installing the software on a cluster. Refer to Clustering for a general overview of clustering concepts in relation to the software.

Physical, Virtual and Passive Installations

The software requires that each node within a cluster has the necessary software components and Windows registry information. Installing the software to be cluster-aware involves both the active and passive node installations of each component.

Physical Installation

A physical installation of a software component is the default option when installing the software. When you choose a physical installation, the software is installed on a node or machine and acts independently of the cluster. Services installed in this way do not take advantage of clustering features like failover protection. If you intend to back up the CommNet Server database on the virtual server with the SQL iDataAgent as is recommended, then the Windows File System iDataAgent must be installed on each physical node in the cluster. See Books Online for more information on installing products.

Virtual Installation

Software components can also be installed to virtual servers. When this option is selected, the software will be installed to a virtual server and its associated disk group, and will be able to take advantage of cluster features such as failover. If all passive nodes are available, installations to the selected virtual server will update the active (owning) node and all passive nodes.

Passive Installation

In some cases when your passive node was not available during the automated installation, you can perform a passive installation. The passive installation sets up other nodes within a cluster to take over for that active node in case of failure. This is performed after the active installation of each component so that the registry information can be duplicated from the active nodes to the passive nodes, where applicable. If any passive node was not available, follow the steps for manually installing a passive node provided in Manually install or upgrade a passive node.

For example, suppose a cluster has five nodes (node1, node2, etc.). The automated installation sets up the CommNet Server software onto a virtual server hosted by node1. The software automatically retrieves the list of nodes to which node1 can failover. Let's assume that node3 is not available during the automated installation. The software automatically installs onto the active node (node1) and on all available passive nodes (node2, node4, and node5). After that, a separate passive node installation needs to be performed on node3 in order to prepare it for failover protection.

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