Frequently asked questions about clustering

Find below frequently asked questions regarding clustering

What do I need to cluster Aurea List Manager?

In addition to the hardware and software requirements for a single Aurea List Manager installation, the following is also required:

• An MSSQL or Oracle database. Aurea List Manager clustering is not supported for MSDE.
• A separate database server with ample hardware to handle the load of multiple Aurea List Manager nodes. Aurea List Manager clustering is not supported when one of the Aurea List Manager nodes is on the same machine as the database server.
• A LAN (Local Area Network). Clustering Aurea List Manager on a WAN (Wide Area Network) is not recommended.
• Adequate hardware for each Aurea List Manager node. Each node must run on its machine; two nodes may not run on the same machine. Optimally, the hardware should be the same for all Aurea List Manager nodes to make configuring the nodes easier, though not strictly required. Different nodes may use different platforms if connecting to an Oracle database.
• Clustering license(s): The serial code for additional Aurea List Manager nodes must be enabled for clustering. If a node has no license or has a license for which clustering is disabled, it is disabled. Contact Account Representative for more information about purchasing clustering licenses.

What happens when a Aurea List Manager node fails?

If a node is lost for whatever reason, the task the node was working on is interrupted until the node is restored. If the node was delivering mail, no data is lost, but some recipients might not receive mail until the node is restored. Depending on the sending speed of the lost node, the number of recipients delayed may be in the low thousands.

How difficult is it to use and administer a Aurea List Manager cluster?

A Aurea List Manager cluster should be mostly transparent to users. The administrator may need to initially configure some IP and DNS settings for each node in the cluster, but otherwise administration of a cluster is not significantly more complicated than the administration of a single Aurea List Manager instance.

Does clustering increase the Aurea List Manager sending speed?

Depending on the licenses, a cluster can potentially send out mail more quickly than mail from a single Aurea List Manager instance. However, keep in mind that Aurea List Manager cannot control how quickly ISPs ( Internet Service Provider) accepts mail. In some cases, an ISP may limit the number of inbound connections not just from a single IP address, but from an IP block or range.

Where can I see the performance of nodes versus the cluster?

In Reports > All Reports > Server Performance > Server Sending Speed, you may view charts displaying the attempted, successful, and failed messages per hour for individual nodes or the cluster.

Can I cluster the database?

Aurea List Manager does not include tools to run against multiple databases. However, your database may be clustered so that the database clustering is transparent to Aurea List Manager. Contact your database vendor for more information about database clustering.

Are there ever conflicts?

Usually, each node in a Aurea List Manager cluster picks up tasks as they are created, and there is no conflict between them. In rare instances, two moderated messages could be approved twice from two separate nodes, causing a posting to be sent twice. To eliminate the possibility of such mishaps, have list administrators use the interface from one of the nodes.