Failover management server

The management server is the central VMS component. It stores the configuration of the surveillance system in a SQL Server database, either on SQL Server on the management server computer itself or on separate SQL Server on the network. It also handles user authentication, user permissions, the rule system and more.

To minimize system downtime, you can configure a failover management server by installing the management server in a cluster. The cluster will then ensure that another computer take over the management server function should the first computer fail.

You can install the management server in a cluster using:

XProtect Management Server Failover is an XProtect VMS extension that can help you when:

  • A server fails – you can run the system components from another computer while you resolve the problems.

  • You need to apply system updates and security patches – applying security patches on a standalone management server can be time-consuming, resulting in extended periods of downtime. When you have a failover cluster, you can apply system updates and security patches with minimal downtime.

  • You need seamless connection – users get continuous access to live and playback video, and to the system’s configuration at all times.

To configure XProtect Management Server Failover, you install the management server, log server, and event server on two computers. If the first computer stops working, the VMS components start running on the second computer. Additionally, you can benefit from a secure real-time replication of the VMS databases when SQL Server runs in the failover cluster.

WSFC is a feature of the Microsoft Windows Server operating system for fault tolerance and high availability (HA) of applications and services. It enables several computers to host shared services, and if the services fail on one node, the remaining nodes automatically take over the hosting of the services.

You can install the management server a minimum of two nodes within a cluster. One node runs the Management Server and Data Collector Server and exchanges heartbeats with the other cluster nodes. If the active management server and its related services stop running on a node or run very slowly, the VMS services start running on another node in the cluster.