Connect MicroStrategy Web to a Cluster

You connect MicroStrategy Web to a cluster using MicroStrategy Web's Administration page. If the Intelligence Servers are on the same subnet as MicroStrategy Web and are accessible by User Datagram Protocol (UDP), the MicroStrategy Web Administration page can dynamically list the servers by looking for the listener service running on the machines. If the server is listed that you want to connect to, you can connect from this page. Alternatively, you can type the server name.

If the machine selected is part of a cluster, the entire cluster appears on the Administration page and is labeled as a single cluster. Once MicroStrategy Web is connected to a cluster, all nodes reference the same project. Load balancing directs new Web connections to the least loaded node, as measured by user connections. Once connected to a node, the Web user runs all MicroStrategy activity on the same node.

If nodes are manually removed from the cluster, projects are treated as separate in MicroStrategy Web, and the node connected to depends on which project is selected. However, all projects are still accessing the same metadata.

Clustering and Firewalls

Connecting to Intelligence Server from MicroStrategy Web through a firewall is the same process regardless of the cluster state. The only difference is that allowable ports, sources, and destinations may be available between MicroStrategy Web and each of the nodes in the cluster.

Exporting to PDF or Excel in a Clustered Environment

In MicroStrategy Web, users can export reports to PDF or to Excel for later viewing. Users must have the Write privilege for the Inbox folder on the Intelligence Server machine to be able to export reports.

To export to PDF or Excel in a clustered environment, users must have the Write privilege for the ClusterInBox folder on all Intelligence Servers in the cluster. For instructions on how to set up the ClusterInBox folder, see Configure Caches in a Cluster.

Node Failure

MicroStrategy Web users can be automatically connected to another node when a node fails. To implement automatic load redistribution for these users, on the Web Administrator page, under Web Server select Security, and in the Login area select Allow Automatic Login if Session is Lost.