SystemUser Interface: Service Management

In a Spectrum environment with distributed services, multiple Spectrum Application Servers are configured to interact as peers within the Spectrum environment. You can configure load balancing between Spectrum Application Servers and failover of services from one Spectrum Application Server to another. You can manage services in relation to these Spectrum Application Servers in System System Management > Service Management. Alternatively, you can also manage services for devices, data services, and integrations by using View > Service Management for each data service in Data Services Data Services, each device group in Devices Devices, and each integration in Integrations Integrations.

Note: The Service Management page is primarily relevant if your Spectrum environment includes two or more Spectrum Application Servers installed as a distributed environment. For information about how to create a distributed Spectrum environment, see the Loftware Spectrum Installation and Configuration Guide.

Note: In a multi-site deploymentClosed A configuration of a Spectrum environment that includes Spectrum instances located at different sites within the same WAN. In a multi-site deployment, each Spectrum instance acts as either a headquarters or a facility. of Spectrum, you can configure high availability using distributed services at headquarters and at facilities. For information on connecting a facility to a load balancer, see Create or Modify a Facility.

Important! In an environment with distributed services, to permit a user to perform administrative tasks related to services you must assign Read and Write permissions for Servers. These permissions must be assigned for each server in Access Control Access Control. Examples of administrative tasks related to services include creating a data service, a device connection, an integration, or a facility. Core services can only be configured by the SuperAdmin or SystemAdmin user.

Note: Devices configured with a remote site are read-only in Spectrum and are managed by the Loftware Print Agent (LPA) or Remote Print Agent (RPA).

Service Properties

The following are the properties of a service, such as core service, a data service, an integration service, or a device group service.

Option Description Values

Start/Stop

Whether to start or stop the service.

Note: This option is not displayed for a device templateClosed An object that includes settings for a device but cannot be started as a service and cannot consume a device seat. You can use Save As to create a device based on the device template..

Start

Stop

<Service Name>

The name of the selected service, which may be a core service, device group service, data service, or integration service.

 

Refresh

Refresh the information shown for the service, including the latest status.

 

Description

An explanation of the purpose of the service.

 

Configured Status

Whether the service is running on at least one Spectrum Application Server within the environment. For services that can be manually started and stopped, the Start/Stop toggle is enabled.

Started

Stopped

Enable By Default

Whether the service is enabled by default on a newly-created Spectrum Application Server.

Note: System Management Services are always enabled, so this option is not configurable for that type of service.

Selected: Enabled by default

Cleared: Disabled by default

Concurrent Running Servers

The number of Spectrum Application Servers that Spectrum should run the service on concurrently.

Important! Selecting a value other than All makes the Priority field active for each instance.

Note: This option is omitted from or disabled in services that cannot be load balanced.

All

<Number>

Instance configurations

Properties and status for each Spectrum Application Server in the environment. Which properties are available and which are configurable vary depending on the service selected.

See the "Instance Configuration Properties" table that follows this section.

Instance Configuration Properties

The following are the properties of a service in relation to a particular Spectrum Application Server.

Option Description
Instance Name

The name of a computer acting as a Spectrum Application Server.

Activate

Whether to turn the service on or off for this Spectrum Application Server. The result is reflected in the State column.

Proxy

If this Spectrum Application Server cannot respond to a request, whether it will forward that request to another Spectrum Application Server.

Ready: The Spectrum Application Server forwards requests to another Spectrum Application Server if it cannot respond to them locally. Also, the Spectrum Application Server forwards requests if the service requires a connection to the Spectrum database and the Spectrum Application Server cannot connect.

Forced: The Spectrum Application Server always forwards requests to another Spectrum Application Server.

Never: The Spectrum Application Server does not forward any requests to another Spectrum Application Server.

Note: This option exists only for services that accept remote operations directly from client computers.

Priority

The order in which the instance of the service on a particular server should fail over to another server, if available. This option is relevant only if the service is configured for high availability or failover rather than load balancing.

Important! If the service supports load balancing, then to display the Priority option you must select a number for Concurrent Running Servers.

For each server that you are load balancing and that should run the service under ordinary circumstances, set the Priority to 1. For each server that should act as a standby server and run the service only if another server goes offline, set the Priority to 2 or greater.

If the same priority is selected for a service on more than one Spectrum Application Server, then the service runs on the first Spectrum Application Server that attempts to run it.

<Number>: The lower the value, the greater the priority.

Tip: If you have multiple standby servers, you can use the priority to control which server acts as the failover target for each service. The order proceeds from the lowest number to the highest number. That is, if a Priority 1 server fails and servers with Priority 2 and Priority 3 are available, then the server with Priority 2 will be used if it is running. If the server with Priority 2 fails, then the server with Priority 3 will be used. When the Priority 1 server comes back online, the service will revert to that server.

State

Whether the service is running on this Spectrum Application Server.

Started: The service is running on this server.

Stopped: The service is not running on this server.

Ready: The service is running on this server, but is not actively engaged.
For example, this state can occur if the service is running on three servers, but the Concurrent Running Servers is 2. A yellow indicator indicates the service is in standby mode and is normal for non-actively engaged services in a Ready state.

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