Microsoft Deployment Toolkit
Documentation Library Create a LocationServer.xml File to Load Balance Multiple Servers at Different Locations |
Using LocationServer.xml, specify multiple servers per location entry, and then perform basic load balancing so that when a location is chosen, MDT automatically selects a deployment server from the list of available servers. To provide this functionality, the LocationServer.xml file supports specifying a weighting metric.
Listing 18 illustrates a sample LocationServer.xml file configured for multiple servers at different locations.
Listing 18. Example LocationServer.xml File for Different Locations
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8" ?>
<servers>
<QueryDefault></QueryDefault>
<server>
<serverid>1</serverid>
<friendlyname>
Contoso HQ, Seattle, USA
</friendlyname>
<Server1>\\STLDS01\Deployment$</Server1>
<Server2>\\STLDS02\Deployment$</Server2>
<Server3>\\STLDS03\Deployment$</Server3>
<Server weight=”1”>\\STLDS01\Deployment$</Server>
<Server weight=”2”>\\STLDS02\Deployment$</Server>
<Server weight=”4”>\\STLDS03\Deployment$</Server>
</server>
<server>
<serverid>2</serverid>
<friendlyname>
Contoso NYC, New York, USA
</friendlyname>
<UNCPath>\\NYCDS01\Deployment$</UNCPath>
</server>
</servers>
Specify the weighting metric by using the <server weight> tag, which MDT uses in the server-selection process. The likelihood of a server being selected is calculated by:
Server weight/sum of all server weights
In Listing 18, the three servers at Contoso HQ are listed as 1, 2, and 4. The likelihood of a server with a weighting of 2 being selected becomes 2 in 7. Therefore, to use the weighting system, determine the capacity of the servers available at a location, and weight each server by the server’s capacity in relation to each of the other servers.
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