(zos)Sysplex Distributor
The IBM-recommended implementation, if you are running in a sysplex, is to set up the TCP/IP network with Sysplex Distributor. This makes use of dynamic virtual IP addresses (DVIPAs), which increase availability and aid in workload balancing.
The following are recommended environment considerations for Sysplex Distributor:
- You need only basic sysplex functionality to utilize DVIPAs and Sysplex Distributor because these functions do not rely on data stored permanently in the coupling facility.
- Set up the system such that each HTTP request connection results in no saved state or the HTTP and application servers are configured to share a persistent state.
When doing this, HTTP server plug-ins send no-affinity connections to Sysplex Distributor (a secondary connection load balancer) with more information to make a better distribution decision.
As long as the HTTP catcher itself is not bound to any particular IP address, the application-specific DVIPA can be used when affinities dictate a particular server. This allows use of the Sysplex Distributor server address for requests that are not tied to a server, covering the same set of servers in the sysplex. Since the client connection terminates at the plug-in/proxy, and the secondary connection is established by the plug-in itself, there is no need for network address translation.
Requests to the node agent do not require any affinity, and each request is independent of other requests. Sysplex Distributor can be used to balance work requests among node agents, with the added benefit that Sysplex Distributor knows which nodes are available. Therefore, it will never route a work request to a node that is not listening for new connection requests.
If we are running z/OS Version 1.2 or earlier, Sysplex Distributor is limited to distribution on only four ports for a particular distributed DVIPA. You may configure multiple DVIPAs when more than four ports exist, but this is a configuration burden.