Feedback Server Compatibility with Load-Balanced Servers

[donrasky]

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POTENTIAL SOLUTION
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Hello Don,

Thank you for contacting MadCap Technical Support.

Unfortunately Feedback Server has not been tested in a load-balanced server environment, but given how Feedback Server works it may still be possible to do this. You would need to install Feedback Server on one of the servers, then copy the Feedback website and all of its related settings to each other computer that will be part of the load balancing. This should allow for both Feedback Servers to talk to the same SQL database.

Please let me know if you have any other questions regarding this topic.


Sincerely,

MadCap Technical Support

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ORIGINAL ISSUE
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This is an issue that is preventing us from deploying the Feedback Server in Production for our Help systems. We do not have a support plan and are not currently authorized to obtain one. If someone has an answer to this that I can forward for review by our IS staff, that would be very Helpful.

Our IS installation team members have made the following request.

[Please] touch-base with ...MadCap ...to see if we can tweak what database it uses?
This may enable us to use the [load-balanced] ...servers [available to us].

The current situation is that we have MadCap installed on two servers, and each MadCap [Feedback Server] install created [its] own database. If we can point one MadCap installation to the other database, we should be good.

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BACKGROUND
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We have two servers on which we can install the MadCap Feedback Server. These servers are in a load-balanced configuration. These servers support the same URL to provide our training servers with failover protection.

The only ways we have at present to make the Feedback Server URL work on either of these servers is to take one of the two servers offline or if for internal purposes we use a URL that points directly to the server box (including the actual machine name from the network).

With both "legs" or servers that support our training URL active, we cannot get the Feedback Server to respond or the URL to work even if it is installed on both Servers for failover protection. I am told that this is because in this load balanced environment the Help user only has a 50/50 chance of getting Help data to the server with Feedback installed if we install it on just one of the servers. I'm told that our IS folks believe that if we install on both servers and if we could get both installations to target a common database that Feedback should function correctly in the load-balanced server environment available to us.

Is there a way to install or configure the Feedback Server in load-balanced server environment?

Our IS installation team tell us that they do not want to create a server just for the Feedback Server as that will create a single point of failure risking potential issues, errors, etc. in our products, server/web environments for our users and our Customer Care staff.

Thank you in advance for any assistance you can offer.

dRASKY

[Nita Beck]

Respectfully, you should contact MadCap technical support directly. These forums are for peer-to-peer assistance. Generally speaking, MadCap personnel don't hang out here much.

[donrasky]

I have been advised that MadCap staff DO monitor the forums. If a MadCap staff member were able to respond, it would be very helpful. It seemed that being direct and honest about what I was seeking would draw the most useful responses. In addition to submitting this request to the forum, I did also submit this query to the Technical Support group and other avenues made available by the MadCap team. It also seemed that if a response that resolved this issue for us were posted here, it might also be helpful to more than just persons in our company, group, or team. Thank you for taking the time to respond. Happy Thanksgiving!

[RamonS]

Support staff monitors the forums, but they don't use this avenue as their prime means of providing support. The reason for that is, I guess, that getting support from peers is free, but support from MadCap is for pay. Support would do their employer (MadCap) a disservice when any support need would get addressed here.
Posting here versus contacting support is a matter of how fast you need a response. If it is a show stopper and you need help now call support. If it has a few days time try the forums first, then contact support. Then again, if it is absolutely dire use any avenue you can get to.

[donrasky]

Thank you for your reply. Unfortunately, we do not have support plan for the Feedback Server, and I am not authorized to obtain one at this time. This is also why in light of the posts on this post that I changed the original post from requesting a MadCap staff member to "someone" (See above).

While I understand the point being made, does anyone actually have insight into the actual post?

If not, while I very much appreciate folks taking the time to join in, an answer or at least a lead would be more useful to the current situation. The situation will eventually be resolved. I am simply seeking any reasonably open avenue for the information we need.

NOTE: We do have Platinum support for Flare. We have not, however, been authorized to purchase support for Feedback Server.

[Nita Beck]

Sorry if I inadvertently offended you, if I did. I took "someone" to mean "someone from MadCap," especially that IS wanted you to contact MadCap, and I wanted to forestall your not getting an answer from "someone from MadCap" to a question posted on a user forum. That was my only intention. Might not seem helpful to you, but my intention was indeed to be helpful to you. Unfortunately, I have no insight to your problem.

[donrasky]

No worries. I'm just a little desperate. Any assistance I can get is helpful, truly. I understand that I am casting a very broad net and that I might not find any free answers. Ideally, this would be a Platinum or Per Call support request. I'm simply not authorized to take those actions at this time for our copy of the Feedback Server. I've been blessed to get so much more from MadCap than I could ever have had any reason to expect whether from a Platinum, Bronze, Help Comment, or Forum. I POSITIVELY LOVE MADCAP SUPPORT, STAFF, ETC. Whenever they have mentioned that they have been unable to assist because it should be a paid request, I fully support that business and customer care decision. I'm just not above asking for assistance when I need it from whomever may be able to provide it. I also ask for directions when actually lost.

[jamesw]

I don't have the ultimate solution here but here's one approach that may turn up a solution:
1. back up the registry on the feedback server
2. uninstall the feedback server
3. reinstall the feedback server, and select the remote server as the Server Name
At this point I expect it will create a new feedback database on that remote database. At this point, you have 2 different databases there instead of only one.
4. Do a diff between the two registries. Not sure which tool is best for this. I just googled and there are a few tools you could use , e.g. http://wareseeker.com/download/registry ... rar/413092
I would hope that this will turn up a registry key that holds the value of the feedback database name.
I'd think it must be in there somewhere (hopefully not encrypted) because if it is in a file I couldn't find it.

[RamonS]

The only other idea I have is to install the two instances and then redirect the traffic on the SQL Server end. I have absolutely no clue if that is an option and how to do that, but it may be a solution to go after. It might be as simple as entering the IP of the other database server in to host file so that the name lookup comes up with a different IP. Again, just a bunch of ideas...