eviden-logo

Evidian > Products > High Availability Software - Zero Extra Hardware > Microsoft Azure: The Simplest Load Balancing Cluster with Failover on Windows and Linux

Microsoft Azure: The Simplest Load Balancing Cluster with Failover on Windows and Linux

Evidian SafeKit

How the Evidian SafeKit software simply implements a load balancing cluster with failover in Microsoft Azure?

The solution in Microsoft Azure

Evidian SafeKit brings load balancing and failover in Microsoft Azure between two Windows or Linux redundant servers or more.

This article explains how to implement quickly a Microsoft Azure cluster without specific skills.

A generic product

Note that SafeKit is a generic product on Windows and Linux.

You can implement with the same product real-time replication and failover of any file directory and service, database, complete Hyper-V or KVM virtual machines, Docker, Kubernetes , Cloud applications.

Architecture

How the Evidian SafeKit farm cluster implements load balancing and failover in Microsoft Azure?

How it works in Microsoft Azure?

  • The servers are running in different availability zones.
  • The critical application is running in all servers of the farm.
  • Users are connected to a virtual IP address which is configured in the Microsoft Azure load balancer.
  • SafeKit provides a generic health check for the load balancer.
    When the farm module is stopped in a server, the health check returns NOK to the load balancer which stops the load balancing of requests to the server.
    The same behavior happens when there is a hardware failure.
  • In each server, SafeKit monitors the critical application with process checkers and custom checkers.
  • SafeKit restarts automatically the critical application in a server when there is a software failure thanks to restart scripts.
  • A connector for the SafeKit web console is installed in each server.
    Thus, the load balancing cluster can be managed in a very simple way to avoid human errors.

Partners, the success with SafeKit

This platform agnostic solution is ideal for a partner reselling a critical application and who wants to provide a redundancy and high availability option easy to deploy to many customers.

With many references in many countries won by partners, SafeKit has proven to be the easiest solution to implement for redundancy and high availability of building management, video management, access control, SCADA software...

Building Management Software (BMS)

Video Management Software (VMS)

Electronic Access Control Software (EACS)

SCADA Software (Industry)

Free trial + Azure template for a quick start of a SafeKit farm cluster between several Windows or Linux servers

SafeKit Modules for Plug&Play Redundancy and High Availability Solutions

Advanced clustering architectures

Several modules can be deployed on the same cluster. Thus, advanced clustering architectures can be implemented:

Demonstrations of Redundancy and High Availability Solutions

SafeKit Overview

Examples of redundancy and high availability solutions with SafeKit.

Full training here

Microsoft SQL Server Cluster

This video shows a mirror module configuration with synchronous real-time replication and failover.

The file replication and the failover are configured for Microsoft SQL Server but it works in the same manner for other databases.

Free trial here

Apache Cluster

This video shows a farm module configuration with load balancing and failover.

The load balancing and the failover are configured for Apache but it works in the same manner for other web services.

Free trial here

Hyper-V Cluster

This video shows a Hyper-V cluster with full replications of virtual machines.

Virtual machines can run on both Hyper-V servers and they are restarted in case of failure.

Free trial here

SafeKit High Availability Differentiators against Competition

SafeKit Technical Documentation

SafeKit Training

Introduction

  1. Overview / pptx

    • Demonstration
    • Examples of redundancy and high availability solution
    • Evidian SafeKit sold in many different countries with Milestone
    • 2 solutions: virtual machine or application cluster
    • Distinctive advantages
    • More information on the web site
    • SafeKit training
  2. Competition / pptx

    • Cluster of virtual machines
    • Mirror cluster
    • Farm cluster

Installation, Console, CLI

  1. Install and setup / pptx
    • Package installation
    • Nodes setup
    • Upgrade
  2. Web console / pptx
    • Cluster configuration
    • Configuration tab
    • Control tab
    • Monitor tab
    • Advanced Configuration tab
  3. Command line / pptx
    • Configure the SafeKit cluster
    • Configure a SafeKit module
    • Control commands

Advanced configuration

  1. Mirror module / pptx
    • start_prim / stop_prim scripts
    • userconfig.xml
    • Heartbeat (<hearbeat>)
    • Virtual IP address (<vip>)
    • Real-time file replication (<rfs>)
    • How real-time file replication works?
    • Mirror's states in action
  2. Farm  module / pptx
    • start_both / stop_both scripts
    • userconfig.xml
    • Farm heartbeats (<farm>)
    • Virtual IP address (<vip>)
    • Farm's states in action
  1. Checkers / pptx
    • userconfig.xml
    • errd checker
    • intf and ip checkers
    • custom checker
    • splitbrain checker for a mirror module
    • tcp, ping, module checkers
    • Checkers in action

Troubleshooting

  1. Troubleshooting / pptx
    • Analyze yourself the logs
    • Running an application without SafeKit
    • Take snapshots for support
    • Boot / shutdown
    • Web console / Command lines
    • Mirror / Farm / Checkers

Support

  1. Evidian support / pptx
    • Get permanent license key
    • Register on support.evidian.com
    • Call desk