FAST Search Server 2010 for SharePoint: How to configure a Multiple server deployment.

This is an installation of FAST Search Server 2010 for SharePoint services on multiple servers.


When to use:


          • In most production environments, except small deployments without any fault-
             tolerance requirements. 


During configuration, one server is defined as the Administration server (This is the server where the administrative services are installed and run).


The deployment is scaled out by adding one or more Non-Administration servers. A non-administration server does not have the administrative services set up, but connects to a running administration server in a multiple server deployment. 


The non-administration server runs services such as query matching, indexing and document/item processing.


Follow below steps to configure;


• Prepare the deployment file
• Configure the administration server in a multiple server deployment
• Verify all modules are running on the administration server
• Configure non-administration server(s) in a multiple server deployment
• Verify all modules are running on the non-administration server


Prepare the deployment file


Usage: 
This file specifies the distribution of components and services across servers in a FAST Search Server 2010 for SharePoint farm. 
For each FAST Search Server 2010 for SharePoint farm has separate deployment file and each server in the farm can read the deployment file and determine the services that run locally on that server. Each server also determines the location of other services that it communicates with.


Again this file is a required input parameter for run the configuration wizard (or configuration script) on the administration server in later steps. 
Because Non-administration servers will download the deployment file from the Administration server and determine which services should run on the local server, and start these services.


(Find example for a deployment.xml template directly under <FASTSearchFolder>\etc\, where <FASTSearchFolder> is the path of the folder where you have installed FAST Search Server 2010 for SharePoint, for example C:\FASTSearch).


Note: The completed deployment file to be used for the installation must be named 
          deployment.xml.


Deployment.xml template


Below template shows a multiple server deployment file, with three servers.

Configure the administration server in a multiple server deployment


This section describes how to configure a server as the administration server in a multiple server deployment by running the configuration wizard. The administration server must be configured and running before you can add one or more non-administration servers to the deployment.


Note: Follow below steps as a user who is a member of the local Administrators group.

1. Prepare a deployment.xml file as described above sections.
2. Run “Microsoft FAST Search Server 2010 for SharePoint Configuration Wizard.” (Navigation: Start -> Microsoft FAST Search Server 2010 for SharePoint Configuration Wizard).
3. On the Welcome page, click Next.
4. On the Select the deployment type page, select Admin server and then click Next.
5. On the Enter the user name and password page, enter the user name and password for the FAST Search Server 2010 for SharePoint user. (Note: This user must be a domain user) 
6. On the Enter a certificate password page, enter a certificate password of your choice. (Note: This password will be used to protect the general purpose FAST Search. You will need this password to install certificates on other servers). 
7. Retype the password and then click Next.
8. On the Server settings page, enter the fully qualified domain name of the server and the base port. In the Deployment file location box, enter the path of the deployment.xml file that you created. If there is an error in your deployment.xml file, you will get a warning. If no warnings or errors appear, your deployment.xml file syntax is correct. Click Next.(Note: Server name must be as the administration server that is defined in deployment.xml).
9. On the Database settings page, enter the connection information to the SQL database that you installed and created before you installed FAST Search Server 2010 for SharePoint. Enter the Database connection string in the Format <ServerName>\<DBInstanceName>(Example: mysqlserver1.contoso.com\myinstance). Enter the Database name and Database port. The database will be created when you complete this configuration wizard. Click Next.
10. On the Click-through relevancy settings page, add the desired relevancy click-through settings. Click-through relevancy enables automatic relevancy tuning based on how search users click on results. Select the relevant SharePoint Server 2010 installation type. If you have installed SharePoint Server 2010 using the Standalone option, specify the Fully Qualified Domain Name (FQDN) of the SharePoint Server 2010. If you have installed SharePoint Server 2010 using the Server Farm option, specify the user who is running the timer service in SharePoint Server 2010. This user is specified in the SharePoint Server 2010 post-setup configuration. If you do not want click-through relevancy, or if you do not have the necessary information, select Do not enable click-through relevancy. 
11. Click Next.
12. On the Configuration settings summary page, review the settings and then click Configure and wait while the configuration finishes.
13. On the Post-setup configuration was successful page, click Finish. (Note: Before you restart the server, make sure that administrative permissions are defined. Update the local FASTSearchAdministrators group (which was created by the configuration wizard) to include either the user who will administer the FAST Search Server 2010 for SharePoint farm, or the domain group of your FAST Search Administrators.)
14. Restart the server. 

Verify all modules are running on the administration server

• Log in as a user who is a member of the local FASTSearchAdministrators group.
• Navigate to Microsoft FAST Search Server 2010 for SharePoint.
• Right-click Microsoft FAST Search Server 2010 for SharePoint shell and select Run as administrator.
• At the Windows PowerShell command prompt, type the following command:“nctrl status”
• Make sure that all modules have the status Running.

Configure the non-administration server(s) in a multiple server deployment


NOTE:  Before configuring non-administration servers, verify that all modules are running on the administration servers. 


On each and every non-administration server, do the following steps:  

1. Log in as a user who is a member of the local Administrator group.(Note: Desktop navigation as follows: On the Start menu, right-click Microsoft FAST Search Server 2010 for SharePoint Configuration Wizard, and select Run as administrator.) and on the Welcome page, click Next.
2. On the Select the deployment type page, select Non-admin server and then click Next.
3. On the Enter the user name and password page, enter the user name and password for the FAST Search Server 2010 for SharePoint user. This must be the same user as you specified for the administration server during post-setup configuration.
4. On the Enter a certificate password page, enter the certificate password. Use the password that was used for the certificate in the administration server post-setup configuration. Click Next.
5. On the Server settings page, enter the fully qualified domain name of the server. Make sure that the server name is the same as the corresponding server name that is defined in deployment.xml.
6. Enter the fully qualified domain name and the base port of the administration server and then click Next.
7. On the Configuration settings summary page, review the settings and then click Configure and wait while the configuration finishes.
8. On the Post-setup configuration was successful page, click Finish. (Note: Before you restart the server, make sure that administrative permissions are defined. Update the local FASTSearchAdministrators group (which was created by the configuration wizard) to include either the user who will administer the FAST Search Server 2010 for SharePoint farm, or the domain group of your FAST Search Administrators.) 
9. Restart the server. 

Verify that all modules are running on the non-administration server

• Log in as a user who is a member of the local FASTSearchAdministrators group.
• On the Start menu, click All Programs.
• Click Microsoft FAST Search Server 2010 for SharePoint.
• Right-click Microsoft FAST Search Server 2010 for SharePoint shell and select Run as administrator.
• At the Windows PowerShell command prompt, type the following command:"nctrl status".
• Make sure that all modules have the status Running.

Next step --> 
(Note: You have now completed the initial configuration of a multiple server deployment. To be able to crawl content by using the connector framework provided by SharePoint Server, Refer: “How to Create and set up the FAST Search Content Search Service Application (Content SSA) in FAST Search for SharePoint 2010”).