Guidance for Using Network Load Balancing in Service Manager 2010

Applies To: System Center Service Manager 2010 SP1

Network load balancing in Windows Server 2008 lets you to configure a pool of computers so that they take turns responding to requests. In Service Manager, the initial Service Manager management server you deploy is the server that processes workflows. You can deploy additional management servers to provide fail-over for a failed initial management server and to provide load balancing for handling Service Manager console. For more information about Windows Server 2008 network load balancing, see the Network Load Balancing Deployment Guide on Microsoft TechNet (https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=183567). For more information about additional Service Manager management servers, see Deploying Additional Service Manager Management Servers.

As a minimum, you have to deploy an initial Service Manager management server, the management server that hosts the workflow processes, and at least one additional Service Manager management server. In an environment of this kind that consists of two Service Manager management servers, configure network load balancing to use both management servers as shown in the following diagram.

network load balancing one

If you deploy two or more additional Service Manager management servers, you can isolate the initial Service Manager management server from the network load balancing pool. This reduces the workload on the initial Service Manager management server to result in better workflow performance and load balances all of the Service Manager consoles across the remaining addition of Service Manager management servers. This scenario is shown in the following diagram.

network load balancing two

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