Implementing a Cherwell Server Farm

Several implementation steps are required on your network and in CSM.

Some key points:

  • Ensure the CSM configuration is the same across servers.
  • A server farm can only be used when the Cherwell Application Server is hosted in IIS. HTTPS and REST are required for the Application Server.
  • Performance can be slightly impacted when a server farm is enabled because it adds overhead to the individual servers participating in the farm.

For additional requirements, see Server Farm Resource Recommendations.

Single-server Setup Steps for Testing

Before you implement a server farm, first set up a single-server farm for testing and sizing purposes. The single-server configuration ensures that Redis is configured correctly and measures how much memory the Redis Servers need. Once you confirm that the single-server farm is configured correctly, you can add additional servers.

To set up a single-server farm:

  1. Prepare a supported version of Redis Server or Redis Labs Enterprise Cluster (RLEC). See the System Requirements and the Redis documentation.
  2. Install the Cherwell Application Server and CSM Web Server on a single machine.
  3. In the Cherwell Server Manager, enable server farm features and connect to Redis. For more information, see Configure Server Farms in Cherwell Server Manager.
  4. Do not set up a load balancer. At this point you have a single server that behaves as if it is part of a farm. Open the CSM Portal and Browser Client to see the data being stored in Redis.

Production Configuration Steps

Implementation Task Task Location
1. Verify that your organization has a load balancer. Your network.
2. Prepare a supported version of Redis Server or Redis Labs Enterprise Cluster (RLEC). See the System Requirements and the Redis documentation. Your network.
3. Configure a Cherwell server farm for one CSM server in the farm. See Configure Server Farms in Cherwell Server Manager. Cherwell Server Manager on a CSM server.
4. Configure server farms in Internet Information Systems (IIS). See Configuring Server Farms in IIS. IIS for all CSM servers in a Cherwell server farm
5. Configure HTTP headers. See Configuring HTTP Headers for Load Balancers, Web Application Firewalls, and Reverse Proxies. Load balancers, firewalls, and reverse proxies.