Windows Server 2003 : Clustering Servers - Using Network Load Balancing (part 2) - Deploying a Network Load Balancing Cluster

3. Deploying a Network Load Balancing Cluster

Once you have planned the network infrastructure for your NLB cluster and decided on the operational mode, you can plan the actual deployment process. The basic steps in deploying NLB for a cluster of Web servers on a perimeter network are as follows:

1. Construct the perimeter network on which the Network Load Balancing servers will be located.

   Create a separate LAN on your internetwork, and isolate it from the internal network and from the Internet by using firewalls. Install the hardware needed to give the Web servers Internet access.

2. Install additional network interface adapter cards in the NLB servers if necessary.

   If you intend to use a separate network interface adapter for cluster-related communications, you must first install the second adapter card in the computer. During the Windows Server 2003 installation, you configure the network interface adapter driver for the second card just as you normally would.

3. Install Windows Server 2003 on the NLB servers.

4. Configure the TCP/IP configuration parameters for the network interface adapters on the NLB servers.

   When using two network interface adapters, you must configure them both in the normal manner, using the Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) Properties dialog box and assigning them standard IP addresses and subnet masks, just as you would configure any other computer on the network.

   Important

   If you are using a second network interface adapter for cluster traffic, at this point do not configure that adapter with the IP address you want to use to represent the cluster. Use a standard IP address for the subnet to which you have connected the adapter. Later, when you create the cluster, you specify the cluster IP address and NLB reconfigures the adapter’s TCP/IP configuration parameters.

   
   

5. Join the NLB servers to an Active Directory domain created specifically for managing servers on the perimeter network.

6. Install the additional applications required by the NLB servers.

   For Web servers, you must install Internet Information Services (IIS), using the Add Or Remove Programs tool. At this point, you should also install any other applications that the servers need, such as the Microsoft DNS Server service.

7. Create and configure the cluster on the first host server.

   You use the Network Load Balancing Manager (shown in Figure 2) to create the new cluster and configure its parameters.

   Figure 2. Network Load Balancing Manager

   

8. Add additional hosts to the cluster.