Medium Scale Install
K2 blackpearl is a scalable platform, wherein the K2 Server can be separated from the SharePoint and IIS components. This allows for a Web farm to be set up for better rendering performance, and it lessens the impact of client requests through IIS on the K2 Server.
Medium Scale Install.
| Scaling for Medium Scale Install | |
|---|---|
| Server A | NLB SharePoint 2007 (MOSS or WSS), SharePoint 2010 (Server or Foundation) |
| Server B | NLB K2 blackpearl (all components) |
| Server C | MOSS Application Servers |
| Server D | Clustered SQL Server |
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Depending on the SharePoint product installed, either the MOSS, WSS, SharePoint 2010 Server or SharePoint 2010 Foundation components will be displayed for installation.
Also depending on your MOSS environment, the application servers such as Excel Services, InfoPath Server, and Indexing can be split off onto a separate server. Refer to the SharePoint installation guidance for installation options. These servers will not be needed if only WSS is installed. |
The figure below shows the Medium Scale Install scenario. K2 has its own dedicated server separating it from an NLB cluster set up for SharePoint and IIS. A SQL cluster is also introduced for data redundancy.
Considerations for the Medium Scale Install
By scaling out this install, there are several considerations such as Kerberos and NLB that should be addressed.
Kerberos
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The default method for user authentication for new distributed installations is K2 Pass-Through Authentication. Kerberos is recommended for all configurations, machines and services in a distributed environment except for those that use OAuth (SharePoint 2013 and Azure Active Directory SmartObjects). |
Since the IIS server does not share a server with the K2 Server, the credentials will be passed as a result. As discussed earlier, whenever credentials must pass more than one “hop” between servers, Kerberos must be configured. This is known as the “double-hop issue.”
Ensure that all Kerberos settings and necessary configuration takes place before attempting to install K2 blackpearl. To configure Kerberos, refer to the deployment considerations section on Kerberos later in this help file.
Network Load Balancing
NLB can be configured by using either the operating system or specific hardware. In either case, NLB configuration should be completed before installing K2 blackpearl.
When installing components that will be load balanced, the installation must be performed on each machine independently. In this install, the SharePoint and Web components are on NLB servers, therefore, these components need to be installed on each NLB server.
SQL Server
The location of the SQL Server is not critical for a K2 installation, as long as the network connection speed to the K2 Server meets minimum requirements. It is also important that the DTC component is configured properly in order for communications between the K2 Server and the SQL Server can function properly. The SQL Server can share physical resources, be located on an independent platform, such as in this install, or it also can be clustered. For more information regarding SQL Server clustering, refer to the SQL planning and architecture documentation (http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms157293.aspx).
In most cases K2 databases are installed on an established SQL Server 2008 cluster for an existing environment. This is a common occurrence and the installation documentation takes this into consideration.
K2 Workspace
Clients access Workspace via the IIS Server operating from the K2 Server. If the performance of the physical server is affected by the number of users logged into K2 Workspace, it is advised that the IIS be relocated to an independent hardware platform.
