Configure MFT agents with MSCS

Managed File Transfer (MFT) agent Microsoft Cluster Service (MSCS) setup is supported, if the platform is one supported by MFT and running one of the versions of Windows.

About this task

This task describes two scenarios that we can follow to achieve failover of an MFT agent:

• Scenario 1: Configuring the agent as an MSCS resource.
• Scenario 2: Configuring the agent queue manager and the agent as MSCS resources.

Procedure

Scenario 1: Configuring the agent as an MSCS resource

• To configure the agent as an MSCS resource, complete the following steps:
  1. Install Managed File Transfer locally on each machine in the cluster. See Install Managed File Transfer.
  2. Create the agent on the primary machine in the cluster. The agent should be configured to connect to the agent queue manager using the CLIENT transport. Ensure that you create all of the objects on the queue manager for this agent. For information on how to do this, see Set up the agent.
  3. Modify the agent to run as a Windows service, and configure it so that it does not start automatically when Windows restarts by setting the Startup Type field for the agent service in the Windows Services tool to Manual. For more information, see Starting an MFT agent as a Windows service.
  4. Repeat step 2 and step 3 of Scenario 1 on the secondary machine. This ensures that the file structure for logs, properties, and so on, exists on the other machine in the cluster. Note that there is no need to create the queue manager objects as in step 2.
  5. On the primary machine, add the agent as a 'Generic Service' under MSCS control. To do this:
     1. Right-click the cluster and select the Role -> Add Resource -> 'Generic Service'.
     2. From the list of Windows services, select the agent service and complete the configuration wizard by clicking Next.

     The agent service is now added as an MSCS resource. If a failover occurs, then the agent service will be started on the other machine.

Scenario 2: Configuring the agent queue manager and the agent as MSCS resources

• To configure the agent queue manager and the agent as MSCS resources, complete the following steps:
  1. Configure the agent queue manager to run as an MSCS resource. For information on how to do this, see Putting a queue manager under MSCS control.
  2. Create the agent on the primary machine in the cluster. The agent should be configured to connect to the agent queue manager using the BINDINGS transport. Ensure that you create all of the objects on the queue manager for this agent. For information on how to do this, see Set up the agent.
  3. Modify the agent to run as a Windows service, and configure it so that it does not start automatically when Windows restarts by setting the Startup Type field for the agent service in the Windows Services tool to Manual. For more information, see Starting an MFT agent as a Windows service.
  4. Ensure that the agent queue manager (which is under MSCS control) is running on the secondary machine. The agent that is created on this machine will connect to the queue manager using the BINDINGS transport, and so needs to be available when the agent is created.
  5. Repeat step 2 and step 3 of Scenario 2 on the secondary machine. This ensures that the file structure for logs, properties, and so on, exists on the other machine in the cluster. Note that there is no need to create the queue manager objects as in step 2.
  6. Add the agent as a 'Generic Service' under MSCS control. To do this:
     1. Right-click the cluster and select the Role -> Add Resource -> 'Generic Service'.
     2. From the list of Windows services, select the agent service and complete the configuration wizard by clicking Next.
  7. Modify the resource properties of the agent service to add the queue manager resource in the dependencies list. This ensures that the queue manager resource is started before the agent is started.
  8. Take the queue manager resource offline and then bring the agent resource online. Verify if both the queue manager resource and the agent are started.

     If a failover occurs, then the agent service and the agent queue manager will be started on the secondary machine.