NeverFail HeartBeat

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How to Configure NeverFail HB

The Neverfail Heartbeat Management Client is used to control Neverfail software and provides access to the status of Neverfail and the configuration of the software.

Configuration Steps

Running Neverfail Heartbeat Management Client

The Management Client is launched from Start > Programs > Neverfail > Manage Server, double-clicking on the Manage Server desktop icon, or by right-clicking on the Neverfail System Tray icon and choosing Manage Server….

The Management Client presents information gathered from all servers in the group (Primary, Secondary, and if installed, Tertiary) including:

• Server information from Neverfail Heartbeat, such as logged events, connection status, file system and registry status, and channel throughput

• System settings, which may be altered by an administrator

For normal administration purposes, Neverfail recommends that you run a single Neverfail Heartbeat Management Client from a remote client PC, connecting to the principal (public) IP address or DNS name of the server pair.

The Neverfail Heartbeat Management Client displays exactly the same information whether it is run on the active or passive server, or remotely from a client machine. It polls roughly every 10 seconds for server information.

The server also sends certain information to all currently connected Neverfail Heartbeat  Management Clients in response to internal server events. The system settings are loaded from the server only when Neverfail Heartbeat Management Client is first opened.

Multiple Neverfail Heartbeat Management Clients

Neverfail does NOT recommend connecting more than one Neverfail Heartbeat Management Client to a server group at any one time, for the following reasons:

1. Running with multiple Neverfail Heartbeat Management Clients connected to the Primary, Secondary, or Tertiary server will cause an increased load on the channel connection and the  mechanism that dispatches events to these clients. In certain circumstances, for example when there is a large burst of exception events, the active server could be affected by a lack of memory (java out of memory exceptions) which could stop the protected application.

2. In certain circumstances, it may be necessary to refresh Neverfail Heartbeat Management Client.
For example, suppose you have one Management Client open on the active server, and one open on the passive server. When changes are made to the Neverfail Heartbeat configuration using the Management Client on the active server, you may have to shut down and restart the Management Client on the passive server to view the changes in the Management Client on the passive server.

System output from Neverfail Heartbeat, such as logged events, connection status, file system and registry status, and channel throughput, is updated on all panels simultaneously.

Closing the Neverfail Heartbeat Management Client

Neverfail recommends that the Management Client be closed at all times when not in use.
Using Neverfail Heartbeat Management Client via Terminal Services The Neverfail Heartbeat Management Client is designed to run on a remote client PC, and it is recommended that you install and run the Management Client in this configuration. This will allow remote access to the server pair, regardless of which server is active, without using Windows Terminal Services or Remote Desktop.
If you do choose to run the Neverfail Heartbeat Management Client locally on a server via a Terminal Services remote session, the Management Client must be closed before disconnecting the session. If you close the session without logging out, the applications started in that session,
including Neverfail Heartbeat Management Client, will continue to run.