Configure Site Map
Desktop Authority will attempt to connect to either the DA Administrative Service or the Update Service on the user's logon server (the server where slogic.bat is executed from, upon logon). If the requested service does not respond, or is not installed on that server, Desktop Authority will use a default site map to locate a server that has an active and responsive service. The default site map is created based on the information in the Server Manager list, and groups all servers to their respective site. The default site map will instruct Desktop Authority to attempt to connect with the service on one of the other server(s) that are listed in the same site as the workstation's site.
If for some reason, Server Manager does not include any servers within the workstation's defined site, or there is no available service to connect to in the list of servers on the site, Desktop Authority will then randomly select a server from the Server Manager list.
The default site map can be customized to utilize the enterprise's topology. Select Custom to customize the default site map settings.
DA Administrative Service/Update Service
Site map configuration
Automatic
Select this option to use the site map that is created by default by Desktop Authority. This option will try to locate a responsive service on the DA login server first, look to the default site map and check other servers on the same site as the workstation. As a last resort, Desktop Authority will randomly select a server from the Server Manager list.
Custom
Select this option to define a custom site map for specific to the enterprise's topology. Selecting this option will enable the Site Map grid and allow for changes to it. The default site map configuration will appear in the grid, before any changes are made.
Disable
Select this option to disable the site map functionality of Desktop Authority. When not using a site map, default or custom, Desktop Authority will first try to locate a responsive service on the DA login server. If the service does not respond, then a random server will be selected from the Server Manager list until a responsive service is found.
Client execution options
Check login server first (DA Administrative Service only)
This option is selected by default. This instructs Desktop Authority to check for a responsive DA Administrative Service on the login server first. The servers on the site of the workstation with the request will be recursed first.
Site recursion
This option will disregard any sites specified on a server entry. This will disable the ability to link the sites recursively.
Server caching
The use of server caching will force Desktop Authority to remember the last server where a responsive DA Administrative Service was found and to use that one for the next request, even if the next request is completed during another session. If this option is not selected, the cache will not be used. This will cause Desktop Authority to walk through the rules for finding a responsive service each time a request is made.
Server cache days
Enter the number of days the cache should be reset on. The default cache days are 5. This means, every 5 days, the cache will be reset (the servers will be walked through every 5 days). Enter 0 to disable the number cache days, and to always remember the last responsive server found.
Randomly failover if site server is not available
Select this box to have Desktop Authority randomly choose a server from the server manager list if all servers within the specific site fail to give a response to indicate that it is accessible.
Custom Site Map
Select Custom from the site map configuration options. This will present an editable grid, where you can build your custom site map.
Add/Edit/Delete site
Click Add Site to add a new site to the site map list. Select a known site from the drop list. Click Edit Site to edit the selected site. Click Delete Site to remove a site from the custom site map.
Select *DEFAULT from the drop down list to create a custom defined default site list. The custom defined default site list is one that is used as a catch all for any workstation that does not have a site defined for it. It is added to the custom site map with a site name of *DEFAULT.
When modifying the Site list (Add or Edit site mode), the Server/Site list will be available for modification. This is where the entries for the selected Site will be added.
Click Add Server, Add Site, and Delete Entry to update the entry list. An asterisk (*) will be automatically pre-pended to any site name in order to distinguish it from a server entry.
Click Save to save the Custom Map changes. Click Cancel to exit without saving changes.
Example Custom Site Map
Scenario 1
Let's assume first that Workstation124, in the Tampa site, makes a request of the DA Administrative Service. Since Workstation124 ran slogic.bat from server Tampa-MS1, DA will attempt to connect to the DA Administrative Service on Tampa-MS1.
Figure 15: Example site map
If the login server is unresponsive or the Check login server first option is unchecked, the site that the workstation belongs to will be discovered. The servers within the site will be checked in order until a responsive server is found. In this example, this means that the Tampa site will be discovered from the workstation. The next servers to be checked will be Tampa-DC1 and Tampa-MS2, respectively.
If all of the servers in the Tampa site fail, the example custom site map is configured to continue searching on the Dallas site. This is denoted with the Dallas site entry in the Tampa site map. However, if the Site recursion option is unchecked, the *Dallas entry in the site map will be disregarded.
If all sites and servers defined in the Tampa custom site map are exhausted, the default setting of the Randomly failover if site server is not available option (checked), takes over and servers listed in Server Manager will be randomly chosen until a responsive server if found. Keep in mind that no server will be checked more than once per request. If this option is not checked, a responsive server will not be found and the service request will fail.
Scenario 2
In this next example, Workstation1 makes a DA Administrative Service request. Workstation1 has no default site defined. Since Workstation1 ran slogic.bat from server MS3, DA will begin with an attempt to connect to the DA Administrative Service on the MS3 server. If the attempt fails, since there is no default site definition for the workstation, the servers specified for *DEFAULT will be used to look for a responsive service. Remember that the *Default site does not exist unless it was added to the custom site map by adding as a site.
Figure 16: Example site map
If the Check login server first is unchecked, the system will go right to the servers defined in the *DEFAULT section of the custom site map.
If the Randomly failover if site server is not available box is not selected, then the service request will immediately fail as the options do not allow the request to search for a responsive server.