Verifying Load Balancing Configuration

[This is preliminary documentation and is subject to change. Blank topics are included as placeholders.]

In order to confirm that the Communicator Web Access servers are correctly configured for load balancing, you must first prepare an environment for the verification procedures. Then, verify the LDAP/DNS traffic. After every Communicator Web Access server passes LDAP/DNS verification, then verify the client HTTP/HTTPS traffic and server SIP traffic.

To prepare the verification environment

  1. Set up two client computers, Client A and Client B, and enable two users, User A and User B, for the array being tested. The Communicator Web Access array being tested should consist of only two servers.

    If you have more than two servers in your Communicator Web Access array, repeat these verification steps multiple times with different pairs of servers each time.
  2. On each of the two Communicator Web Access servers in the array being tested, open the Performance Monitor snap-in. With a classic style start menu, click Start, point to Programs, point to Administrative Tools, and then click Performance.

  3. In the Performance scope pane, expand Performance Logs and Alerts.

  4. Right-click Counter Logs, and then click New Log Settings. In the New Log Settings dialog box, under Name, type a name for the log. In the properties sheet, on the General tab, click Add Counters. In the Add Counters dialog box, under Performance Object, click CWA - 03 - User session Service. In the list of counters, click CWA - 002 - Sessions, click Add, and then click Close. Click OK.

  5. Open the Internet browser on Client A and Client B, and then enter the Communicator Web Access URI for the two-server array.

  6. Sign in to Client A as User A, and then sign in to Client B as User B.

To verify LDAP/DNS traffic

  1. On each Communicator Web Access server in the array, verify that a ping of the domain controller and of the global catalog server by IP address results in a successful reply from each.

  2. Verify that you receive a successful reply with correct DNS name resolution from the domain controller and the global catalog server when you run a ping –a command using each respective server’s IP address.

  3. Verify that using Ldp.exe with both the domain controller and global catalog server results in a successful connection.

To verify client HTTP/HTTPS traffic and server SIP traffic

  1. If you are using a load balancing method that prevents the two clients from connecting to the same server (for example, the "round-robin" or "least connections" method), verify that the CWA – 002 Sessions performance counter for each server shows one connection each.

  2. Verify that User B, signed in to Client B, can search for User A and can add User A to User B's contact list.

  3. Verify that User A, signed in to Client A, can search for User B and can add User B to User A's contact list.

  4. Verify that the following functions work as expected:

    • IM exchange
    • Presence change
    • Block and unblock of each contact from each client
    • Contact deletion on each client
  5. Verify that when you unplug the network cable from the load balancer to one of the Communicator Web Access servers, the client that is connected to that server is signed out within a few minutes.

  6. Verify that when you click Sign In using the client that was signed out in the previous step, the user is successfully connected to the remaining connected Communicator Web Access server.

  7. Verify that the CWA – 002 Sessions performance counter for the remaining server shows two connections.