Summary

This Knowledgebase article provides information on how to restart a Primary (active) server running Neverfail Engine.

More Information

When restarting a server running Neverfail Engine, it is important to follow the recommended procedure to prevent an 'Unclean' shutdown of Neverfail Engine, which may result in some data loss.

The following procedure assumes that the Neverfail Engine server group is running with the Primary server as active and the Secondary and Tertiary (if installed) server(s) as passive.

Procedure

To restart the Primary (active) server, follow the steps below:

Note: This scenario assumes that Neverfail Engine is configured to not stop protected applications when Neverfail Engine service is shutdown.

1. Launch the Neverfail Advanced Management Client by right-clicking the Neverfail system tray icon and selecting Launch Advanced Management Client, or by selecting the Windows option from Start > All Programs > Neverfail .
2. Login at the prompt (if requested). Select the server group you wish to manage and click Open .
3. In the Server: Summary page, check that the File System Status and Registry Status are both shown as 'Synchronized', and then click Shutdown.
4. When presented with the Shutdown dialog, select to shutdown the Primary server.
5. This will leave the application(s) running on the active server as Neverfail Engine exits on both servers.  If you would like to troubleshoot the server with heartbeat and the protected application(s) offline, you should continue to step 6, and later the instructions below to restore default heartbeat startup settings. If not please skip the next step and continue to step 7.
6. Set the 'NFServerR2' service to manual, and restart the server. This will prevent Neverfail Engine, and the protected applications, from starting as the server boots. Continue to step 7.
7. Restart both the Primary and Secondary servers. If you followed step 6 above, continue to Section 2, if not continue to step 8 below.
   
   Note: On Windows Server 2008, if any applications are running, you will be prompted to shutdown the application before shutting down or restarting Windows Server 2008.
8. The servers will restart, reconnect, and perform a Full System Check. This may take some time to complete depending on the amount of protected data and bandwidth available. If this does not happen, you may need to contact your Neverfail Support representative for further instructions.

To restore the default Neverfail Engine startup settings:

Note: All protected applications will still be unavailable at this point. Troubleshooting can now be initiated with Neverfail Engine and the protected applications offline. Once finished follow the steps below to restore default settings.

1. Check that the server role on the Primary (active) server is correctly set.
   Note: To do this, the Neverfail Engine service must not be running.
2. Right-click the Neverfail system tray icon and select Configure Server Wizard.
3. From the Machine tab, check that the server is set to Active. If not, this should be changed to active. This should already be the case if the server was active before stopping Neverfail Engine. However, if the service failed to stop cleanly, it may be set to passive.
4. Click Finish .
5. Check that the server role on the Secondary (passive) server is correctly set.
   Note: To do this, the Neverfail Engine service must not be running.
6. Right-click the Neverfail system tray icon and select Server Configuration wizard.
7. From the Machine tab, check the server is set to passive. If not this should be changed to passive. This should already be the case if the server was passive before stopping Neverfail Engine.
8. Click Finish .
9. On the Primary (active) server, start Neverfail Engine. Right-click the Neverfail system tray icon and select Start Neverfail Engine . Ensure that the application services have started on the Primary (active) server. The services that are protected by Neverfail Engine are listed  on the Applications: Services page of the Neverfail Advanced Client.
10. On the Secondary (passive) server, start Neverfail Engine. Right-click the Neverfail system tray icon and select Start Neverfail Engine .
    Note: Application services should NOT start on this server, as it is passive, and not servicing client requests. Ensure that all protected services are stopped.
11. Check using the Windows Services Management Console that the 'NFServerR2' service is set to 'Automatic' and 'Started' on both servers. If the service is not set to 'Automatic' set this now.
12. Login to the server pair , and check that the servers have connected and started replication.
13. Launch the Neverfail Advanced Client, by right-clicking the Neverfail system tray icon and selecting Launch Advanced Management Client, or by selecting the same option from Start > All Programs > Neverfail .
14. Login at the prompt (if requested). Select the server group you wish to manage and click Open .
15. On the Server: Summary page, check that the File System Status and Registry Status are both replicating and the direction is from Primary (active) server to the Secondary (passive) server. The Registry Status should quickly display as 'Synchronized'. The File System Status may take much longer depending on the amount of protected data.
16. Logout of the Neverfail Advanced Management Client by selecting Close and following the on-screen prompts.
17. The server group has now been restored to its default startup settings, and should be replicating normally. If this does not happen, you may need to contact your Neverfail Support representative for further instructions.

Applies To

Neverfail Continuity Engine

Related Information

None

KBID-2838