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Configuring Content Delivery Servers for a Load Balancer

In a content distribution model, the content delivery servers must be configured to be aware of the load balancer to enable redirects and other cases when the external URL is required.

Before you begin

Configure the load balancer to add the content delivery servers into a load balancer pool. Configure a URL that shares the same application context as the content delivery servers (such as /ContentDelivery/). Insure that the load balancer has sticky sessions configured, such that once a connection is established to a content delivery server, the same content delivery server continues to receive client requests until the session ends.

About this task

In order to configure a content delivery server to use a load balancer, you must input the fully qualified domain name, protocol, and port for the load balancer into the Global Config settings for each server. The best way to share this configuration amongst the content delivery servers is to include it in a configuration package to be pushed by the content distribution profile.

Define the following configuration in the configuration package being used for the content distribution profile.

Procedure

  1. Define and export a new configuration package specifically to distribute the load balancer settings. Do not include any skins, publications, or configuration items in this configuration package. See Defining a Configuration Package.
    1. In the breadcrumb trail, click Home.
    2. In the Administration Tools pane, click Manage Application.
    3. In the right pane, add a new custom config item named proxy.ugc.url. Leave its value field blank. See Adding Global Config Settings.
    4. In the left pane, click Distribution > Packaging to create a configuration packaging profile.
    5. On the Global Config tab, add only the proxy.url to the configuration package.
    6. On the Global Config tab, check the proxy.url configuration item to include it in the configuration package.
    7. In the proxy.url item, type the fully qualified domain name, protocol, and port of the load balancer.
      For example, https://lb.lc.example.com/ (where lc refers to an example related to Content Delivery, and lb specifies it further as a load balancing server)
    8. Click Save.
    9. Export the configuration package.
  2. Create a new content distribution profile. See Creating a Content Distribution Profile.
    1. In the Configuration Package drop-down, select the new package containing the user-generated content settings (proxy.url).
    2. On the Content Delivery Servers tab, add each of the servers.
    3. Click on Enable Synchronization.
    4. Save the distribution profile
    5. Return to the Distribution Center, select the profile then click Synchronize Selected.
  3. When this configuration package is pushed to the content delivery servers, they immediately will start to use the use the load balancer URL for any redirects, or external URLs that are provided by the system. This prevents a user from ever seeing or being incorrectly redirected to the URL of the content delivery server.