Server high availability:
a. IIS clustering – ERAS supports installation as a clustered IIS instance providing for active – passive failover.
b. Load balancing – using either windows load balancing or HW load balancer to provide active/active or active/passive fail over and load balancing for ERAS. Load balancing should be configured for persistent connections (Client IP to specific server also known as sticky connections) and this configuration supports a theoretical unlimited number of ERAS servers providing a scale out solution.
Database redundancy:
a. SQL server clustering on windows cluster server/services – ERAS can be installed against a clustered SQL server instance, providing fail over.
b. ERAS can be installed and connected to a SQL database that can then be clustered. Each SQL server holding a clustered DB will provide fail over and optional (If configured) transparent load balancing.
Because of the encryption of the ERAS DB, all clusters must have a copy of the encryption key.
c. ERAS to SQL connectivity – multiple copies of ERAS can be connected to the same ERAS database, sharing configuration and inventory. This provides for fail over for ERAS, as well as for the DB connection if the DB resides on a clustered SQL server.
It is important to plan for the recovery of ERAS by backing up the ERAS database along with the backup of the database master key and service key. There will also be a reference to the use of SQL Server Management Studio.
This is a tool included with Microsoft SQL Server 2005 and later versions for configuring, managing, and
administering all components within Microsoft SQL Server. Note that this is not included as one of the necessary server prerequisites, but is a useful tool in the management of backup and restore of the ERAS database. The tool includes both script editors and graphical tools which work with objects and features of the server.
Changing ERASService Password using IIS6
1. Reset ERASService account password from AD or change it by logging as ERASService on ERAS machine.
2. Login using ERASService account with new password and log off.
3. Launch IIS and expand Application Pools. Right click "ERAS" and select Properties.
4. Go to Identity tab, enter the new ERASService password and apply. The re-entering of this password is required in order to confirm. Restart IIS.
Changing ERASService Password using IIS7
1. Reset ERASService account as stated using IIS6 steps 1 and step2.
2. Launch IIS7 and expand Application Pool (using Server Manager) as seen in screenshot below then re-enter password for ERASService account.
ERAS must be installed on Windows 2008 Servers in order to use 2008 Server failover clusters.
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/970759
When ERAS service account password setting contains a double quote (“) password when added to the application pool, this will cause the first time launch of the ERAS
management console to hang. Since a password with a double quote is not a supported format, one will need to correctly specify username/password and start the application pool in order to resolve the issue. ERAS will then be able to launch properly.
Database Backup and Recovery
A. Open “SQL Server Management Studio.”
B. Expand “Databases” Highlight “ERAS,” right-click and select “Tasks,” select “Back Up”
SQL Server Management Studio
C. From the “Back up Database” window one can perform the back up to the desired path.
D. A restore can be done by selecting the “Restore” from the menu to select the database for restores.
[Parameter values in red are sample data.]
“Back Up Database” window in SQL Server Management Studio
Update Master Password for Database
E. Open “SQL Server Management Studio.”
F. Expand “Database”
G. Highlight “ERAS,” right click and select “New Query” from the menu.
H. Copy the following code in the Query window:
ALTER MASTER KEY REGENERATE WITH ENCRYPTION BY PASSWORD = '[PASSWORD]'
Execute this code against ERAS database by pressing “F5.”
This specifies a new password with which to encrypt or decrypt the database master key.
It is also recommended to backup the database master key into a file so that it can be restored and activated in case the Master key gets corrupted.
The database master key is created during ERAS installation by running the following query:
CREATE MASTER KEY ENCRYPTION BY PASSWORD = '23987hxJ#KL95234nl0zBe' Where '23987hxJ#KL95234nl0zBe' is the password submitted as the input parameter
SetMasterKey_Password
Website reference for Transact – SQL commands:
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms189826.aspx
SQL QUERY: If ERAS is not selected before opening a query, this query could be addressed to another database. Another solution is to begin all queries by “use ERAS;”
The “REGENERATE” option re-creates the database master key and all the keys it protects. The keys are first decrypted with the old master key, and then encrypted with the new master key. This resource-intensive operation should be scheduled during a period of low demand, unless the master key has been compromised.
[Parameter values in red are sample data.]
Master Key Back Up
A. Open “SQL Server Management Studio.”
B. Expand “Database”
C. Highlight “ERAS,” right click and select “New Query” from the menu.
D. Copy the following code in the Query window:
Execute the query by pressing “F5” against ERAS database ERAS Database Restore and Resetting Database Connection
The database can be restored either on the same or on a different SQL Server instance.
1. After restoring the database or reinstalling ERAS application, while preserving the existing database, the database connection should be validated.
Make sure that database connection string in web.config file located in “\Wave Systems\EMBASSY Remote Administration Server\Server\” and “\Wave Systems\EMBASSY Remote Administration Server\
WCFService” on the Server, where the ERAS application is installed, points to the SQL Server instance where the database was restored. Change the SQL server instance name in the connection string if necessary.
2. Restart IIS service on a server, where ERAS was installed, by entering iisreset /restart command from DOS prompt.
MasterKeyBackup_Password
OPEN MASTER KEY DECRYPTION BY PASSWORD = '23987hxJ#KL95234nl0zBe' --SetMasterKey_Password
BACKUP MASTER KEY TO FILE = 'd:\temp\KeyBackup.bak' -- complete path including the file name where the master key will be exported ENCRYPTION BY PASSWORD = 'sd092735kjn$&adsg' --MasterKeyBackup_Password
GO
<connectionStrings>
<add name="ERAS" connectionString="Database=ERAS;Server=SQL_Server_Instance_Name;Integrated Security=SSPI;
providerName="System.Data.SqlClient"/>
</connectionStrings>
3. Activate database master key.
A. Open “SQL Server Management Studio.”
B. Expand “Database”
C. Highlight “ERAS,” right click and select “New Query” from the menu.
D. Copy the following code in the Query window:
Run following SQL code against the restored ERAS database by pressing F5.
4. Close and reopen ERAS management console.
5. Successfully expanding Domain - Computers node on ERAS management console would indicate that restoring the database and/or pointing ERAS to the correct database location completed successfully.
ERAS Database Restore on Different Database or Machine
If the database is restored on the different machine (or different SQL instance on the same machine) extra steps are needed:
1. Restore the database on another SQL server instance, can be for example SQLEXPRESS on the same Server 1 or any another SQL server instance on Server 2.
2. Change database connection string in web.config file located in “\Wave Systems\EMBASSY Remote Administration Server\Server\” and “\Wave Systems\EMBASSY Remote Administration Server\
WCFService” on Server 1 to point to the SQL server instance where the database was restored.
3. Restart IIS service on Server 1, where ERAS was installed, by entering “iisreset /restart”command from DOS prompt.
If one is required to restore the master key follow the steps provided in the next section.
Master Key Restore
To restore master key the “KeyBackup.bak” file should be copied to the local PC where the database is stored.
Copy the following query into a query window of SQL Server Management Studio and run it against the database where the key is being restored:
RESTORE MASTER KEY
FROM FILE = 'C:\MSSQL9\BACKUPS\Keys\KeyBackup.bak' --Master Key backup file location DECRYPTION BY PASSWORD = 'sd092735kjn$&adsg' --MasterKeyBackup_Password ENCRYPTION BY PASSWORD = '23987hxJ#KL95234nl0zBe' --SetMasterKey_Password GO
OPEN MASTER KEY DECRYPTION BY PASSWORD = 'password' -- The original database master key encryption password ALTER MASTER KEY ADD ENCRYPTION BY SERVICE MASTER KEY
Server Recovery on the New Platform
1. Prepare a server computer as described in the ERAS Installation Guide.
2. Restore ERAS Database if it was located on the obsolete (lost) platform (see ERAS Database Restore and Resetting Database Connection).
3. Start ERAS installation on the new server platform.
4. Point to ERAS database server when asked for database server.
5. Complete the setup.
Authorization Store Migration Note:
ERAS will install the role management into Microsoft SQL as part of the ERAS database when Microsoft SQL 2008 or better is detected on new installations only. Therefore the role management will become part of the database.
Authorization store deployed in the xml file does not have any ERAS Server host binding.
Authorization store deployed in Active Directory can certainly be used by other instances of ERAS Servers installed in the domain.
ERASPolicy.xml file with customer roles and Active Directory group assignments can be migrated (effectively be used) to another ERAS Server in the domain.
Clustered Environment
Additional setup instructions for ERAS
After ERAS is setup in a cluster and before any ERASConnector.msi installation, we need to first rename one of the computers under ERAS folder to the cluster name and delete the other computers that are part of a cluster, using ADSIEDIT.MSC. ERASConnector then will always connect to ERAS using the cluster name, not the ERAS server name because in a failover, anyone of the ERAS servers may be down.
For example: In the window below, there are two ERAS's installed on machines (joe2008_64b_vm1 and joe2008_64b_vm2). These two machines in a cluster named DeanzaCluster. In order for ERASConnector to correctly connect to ERAS, we need to rename either joe2008_64b_vm1 or joe2008_64b_vm2 to DeanzaCluster and then delete the other one.
Appendix I