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Configuring an NDC Server Cluster and Load Balancing with DQS Mode

The Distributed Query Server (DQS) mode lets you balance the processing load of data collection, indexing, and classification over multiple NDC Servers with a single shared database. This approach is strongly recommended if you need to process large data volumes, for example:

  • File Servers — Recommended if processing over 16M objects, supports up to 64M objects per cluster of 4 servers.
  • SharePoint — Recommended if processing over 8M objects, supports up to 32M objects per cluster of 4 servers.

To make use of Distributed Query Server mode, you need to arrange your NDC Servers in a 'cluster' for load distribution as described below. Each clustered NDC Server will store its own set of .CSE index files, thus distributing the NDC Index over the clustered servers. To assemble and combine data required for the search results, each NDC Server will automatically communicate with the other clustered servers.

note

All NDC Servers in the cluster will share a single NDC SQL database.

This functionality is implemented through the Query Server application.

Configuring DQS Mode​

DQS mode is configured via the administrative web console and, from version 5.7.10 onwards, the installer.

If you want to implement DQS configuration for your NDC deployment, be aware that you can't easily undo it. Netwrix strongly recommends taking a full backup of your environment before enabling DQS. Also, read the DQS documentation sections thoroughly before you start.

Ensure all servers you plan to add to the DQS cluster have a network connection and are visible to each other across the network. Adjust your firewall settings if necessary.

DQS mode can only be configured by a user whose account has the Superuser role.

Enabling DQS Mode (5.7.9 and earlier versions)​

  1. Install and configure the first Netwrix Data Classification Server as described in the Install Netwrix Data Classification section.

  2. Open the administrative web console.

  3. Navigate to Settings → Config → Utilities → DQS.

  4. Select Enable DQS.

  5. On the DQS tab, click Add to open the DQS addition menu, and input the details for the first secondary NDC server.

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    Complete the following fields:

    SettingValue
    ServerThe NDC Server name or IP address (name format is case-insensitive).
    QS PathThe path to the NDC QS process on the server being added. This is filled in automatically when filling in the server name; leave the default value.
    Alternate ServerOptional, Netwrix recommends using default values.
    Alternate QS PathOptional, Netwrix recommends using default values.

  6. Click Save to close the dialog. Repeat steps 5 and 6 for each server you intend to add.

  7. Prepare to install the other Netwrix Data Classification Server instances on their dedicated servers. To make best use of resources, each NDC server requires a dedicated machine. Ensure they meet the Hardware Requirements and general Software Requirements

  8. On each server, follow the installation steps as described in the Install Netwrix Data Classification section up to the SQL Database configuration step.

  9. On the SQL Database step, provide connection details for the SQL Server instance that hosts the NDC SQL database you configured for the first NDC Server. A popup will inform you that an existing NDC schema exists in the database. Ignore this and continue.

  10. Complete the installation.

  11. Repeat steps 7 - 10 for each NDC Server to be added.

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Enabling DQS Mode (5.7.10 and later versions)​

  1. Install and configure the first Netwrix Data Classification Server as described in the Install Netwrix Data Classification section.

  2. Open the administrative web console.

  3. Navigate to Settings → Config → Utilities → DQS.

  4. Select Enable DQS.

  5. Prepare to install other Netwrix Data Classification Server instances. Ensure each NDC server meets the Hardware Requirements and general Software Requirements

  6. On each server, follow the installation steps as described in the Install Netwrix Data Classification section up to the SQL Database configuration step.

  7. On the SQL Database step, provide the details of the SQL Server instance that hosts the NDC SQL database you configured for the first NDC Server.

  8. When you click Next, a message box should appear stating that an NDC configuration was detected and that the new install will be added to the existing DQS environment. Click OK.

    note

    When upgrading an existing NDC instance the installer will attempt to resynchronize the DQS instances in the background and, if successful, will skip the DQS Synchronization step. You can then skip ahead in these instructions to step 13.

    The DQS Synchronization step will only display for an upgrade if this process fails. Follow the steps below to resynchronize the NDC instance with the primary NDC server.

  9. The Primary NDC Server URL field should have the server URL of the primary NDC server (i.e. the first row in the DQS table) automatically inserted. If it isn't present or is incorrect, enter the address from the QS Path column of the corresponding row of the DQS table. Then click Connect to connect the installer to that server.

  10. After the installer has successfully connected to the primary NDC server, it will generate an authentication code and display it in the Authentication Code field. Click Sync to open the NDC DQS settings page in a web browser.

  11. On the web page, click Register/Resync. This will open the authentication code entry tab - the authentication code generated by the installer should be present in the input field. Click Submit to submit the authentication code.

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If the authentication code isn't autofilled, click the Authentication Code field in the installer to copy the value to your clipboard, then paste it in the Authentication Code field in the NDC UI.

  1. The Register/Resync tab should now display an 8-digit verification code. Copy this, paste it into the Verification Code field in the installer, then click Join. The NDC installer will then perform the resynchronisation.
  2. Complete the installation.
  3. Repeat steps 6 - 13 for each additional NDC Server to be added, then review the list of servers to ensure all new servers have been successfully added.

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If you were configuring the DQS mode for an existing NDC deployment, you will be prompted to re-collect data from the data sources to re-distribute the content index across all NDC Servers in the cluster. This will result in all data sources being recollected, which may take a significant amount of time.

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To force re-distribution when necessary, you can use the Re-Collect command available after clicking Run Cleaner button on the Settings > Core > Collector tab.

To review system health and check your configuration, use the product dashboards. See Operations and Health Dashboards for details on monitoring system status.