Clustering: Management

1. Monitoring and Administration

1.1 Using CompleteFTP Manager

Effective management of your CompleteFTP cluster involves monitoring server status and administering servers through the CompleteFTP Manager. The Servers panel within the Overview tab provides a centralized view of all servers in the cluster.

Monitoring Server Status:

• Server List: The Servers panel displays a list of all servers in the cluster, including the primary and all secondary servers.
• Synchronization Status: For each server, you can view the last synchronization time and status, indicating whether the server is up-to-date with the primary server's configuration.
• Server States: Servers may have different states such as Online, Offline, or Synchronizing. These states help you understand the current status of each server.

1.2 Server Management

Managing Secondary Servers:

Once a secondary server has been added to the cluster, the primary server manages its configuration synchronization, but there are several actions you can take to manage the secondary servers effectively:

• Adding Secondary Servers: You can add more secondary servers to the cluster by using the Add server link in the Servers panel. This allows you to scale the cluster as needed.
• Removing Secondary Servers: If a secondary server is no longer required or is to be replaced, it can be removed from the cluster. To do this:
  1. Right-click on the secondary server in the Servers panel.
  2. Select Remove server from the context menu to remove it from the cluster.
  Removing a server from the cluster will stop the synchronization of configuration data between the primary and that server. It will revert to a standalone server with the same configuration as it had prior to being removed.

Viewing and Managing Sites:

• Accessing Sites: In the CompleteFTP Manager, navigate to the Sites panel to view and manage the sites configured on each server.
• Site Configuration: You can add, modify, or delete sites as needed. Remember that any changes made on the primary server will be synchronized to the secondary servers.

2. Synchronization Settings

2.1 Sync Enabled Option

The Sync enabled option controls whether configuration changes made on the primary server are automatically synchronized to the secondary servers.

• Importance of Sync Enabled: Keeping this option checked ensures that all servers in the cluster remain consistent with the primary server's configuration. It is recommended to keep synchronization enabled unless there is a specific reason to disable it temporarily.
• How to Enable/Disable: In the Servers panel, you can enable or disable synchronization for each secondary server by checking or unchecking the Sync enabled checkbox next to the server's name.

2.2 Adjusting Synchronization Frequency

By default, synchronization occurs every 60 seconds. You may adjust this interval based on your network performance and the frequency of configuration changes.

• Modifying the Interval: To change the synchronization frequency:
  1. In the CompleteFTP Manager, select the secondary server in the Servers panel.
  2. Right-click and choose Properties from the context menu.
  3. In the server properties dialog, adjust the Synchronization Interval to the desired number of seconds.
• Considerations: A shorter interval means changes are propagated more quickly but may increase network traffic. A longer interval reduces network load but may delay the application of configuration changes on secondary servers.

2.3 Manual Synchronization

If you need to force a synchronization outside of the regular interval, you can manually synchronize a secondary server.

• Forcing Synchronization:
  1. In the Servers panel, right-click on the secondary server you wish to synchronize.
  2. Select Force configuration update from the context menu.
• Use Cases: Manual synchronization is useful when immediate propagation of changes is necessary or if a secondary server has fallen out of sync due to network issues.

3. Changing the Primary Server

There may be situations where you need to change which server acts as the primary in your cluster, such as decommissioning the current primary server or promoting a more capable server to primary status.

3.1 Promoting a Secondary to Primary

To promote a secondary server to become the new primary:

1. In the CompleteFTP Manager connected to the current primary server, navigate to the Servers panel.
2. Right-click on the secondary server you wish to promote and select Select as primary from the context menu.

The selected secondary server will now become the primary server. All configuration changes should henceforth be made on this new primary server.

3.2 Removing the Old Primary

If the old primary server is to be decommissioned or removed from the cluster:

1. Connect to the new primary server using the CompleteFTP Manager.
2. In the Servers panel, right-click on the old primary server (now a secondary) and select Remove server.

This will remove the old primary server from the cluster. You can now proceed to decommission or repurpose the server as needed.

3.3 Considerations

• Avoid Configuration Changes During Transition: It is important not to make any configuration changes during the transition of primary servers to prevent synchronization conflicts.
• Confirm Synchronization: After promoting a new primary server, verify that all secondary servers are synchronizing correctly with the new primary.
• Update Load Balancer Settings: If your load balancer has been configured to minimize load on the primary server, you may need to adjust its settings to reflect the change in primary server.