After you set up the primary DSS server, you can set up one or more secondary DSS servers. You should configure one DSS server per large network site to provide redundancy and load balancing.

To set up a registered DSS server, you must

1. Configure a NetWare server as a secondary DSS server
2. Add DNS resource records identifying the secondary DSS server
3. Start the Domain SAP/RIP Service on the server

To set up an unregistered secondary DSS server, you must

1. Configure a NetWare server as a secondary DSS server
2. Start the Domain SAP/RIP Service on the server

Secondary DSS Server Guidelines

The impact of the DSS server on network performance is determined by several variables, including the amount and distribution of network traffic, the number of client and server systems, the speed and resources of the DSS servers, and the mix of applications on the network. Therefore, DSS server distribution requirements will vary from site to site. However, there are several guidelines to follow when distributing DSS servers throughout a NetWare/IP internetwork that help optimize network performance:

• Set up at least one DSS server per site or region.

  If you have a few large sites in your network, set up a DSS server per site. If you have a lot of small sites, group them by geographic region and set up a DSS server per region.

• Set up multiple DSS servers on subnetworks with heavy traffic. This way, if one DSS server goes down or is too busy to service NetWare/IP hosts, the hosts can contact an alternate DSS server on the same subnet. Otherwise, the hosts would have to be routed to another subnet, which burdens routers and gateways with extra traffic.

• Consider configuring an unregistered DSS server on subnets that are separated from the rest of the NetWare/IP internet by a WAN link, and configure the preferred DSS server list for each node on these subnets to access the unregistered DSS server. This prevents DNS from inadvertently directing NetWare/IP hosts on other subnets to this DSS server for service.

  An unregistered DSS server is a DSS server that is not registered with DNS. The only way for a NetWare/IP host to locate an unregistered DSS server is if the unregistered DSS server is specified in the host's preferred DSS server list. This means that hosts can locate their unregistered DSS server without relying on the DNS server. Thus, you can provide fault tolerance for your network by configuring an unregistered DSS server on isolated network segments.

For information on configuring a secondary DSS server, see Configuring a Secondary DSS Server

Secondary DSS Server Prerequisites

Before you can configure a server as a secondary DSS server (registered or unregistered), the server must meet the following hardware and software requirements:

• The NetWare/IP server software must be installed as described in Installing the NetWare/IP Software

• The SYS: volume must have 1 MB of free disk space.

• The memory requirement for a secondary DSS server is the same as for a primary. Use the formula provided in Primary DSS Server Prerequisites to determine the memory requirement for a secondary DSS server.

• A primary DSS server must be configured and operational.

• The appropriate DNS records must exist for the DSS server.

  If you choose to set up DSS on a server that belongs to a remote DNS domain, you must add DNS resource records to two master DNS databases. You must add a name server record to the master DNS database that is servicing your NetWare/IP domain identifying the DSS server as a name server for the NetWare/IP domain and an address record to the master DNS database of the remote domain specifying the IP address to hostname mapping for the server.

• If the secondary DSS server has multiple IP addresses, you must add the following line to the DSS section of the server's SYS:ETC\NWPARAMS file: THIS_DSS_IPADDR ip_address

  where ip_address is the preferred IP address for use by the DSS server module.

Secondary DSS Configuration Form

Use the Secondary DSS Configuration form to configure a NetWare server as a secondary DSS server.

If you need information about a specific field when accessing an online form using UNICON, press <F1> .

Figure 8-5.
Secondary DSS Configuration Form

From UNICON's Main Menu, choose the following to display the Secondary DSS Configuration form:

Configure Secondary DSS

Configure Secondary DSS

Configure Secondary DSS

The information required to complete the Secondary DSS Configuration form can be found on a completed NetWare/IP Support Services Planning Worksheet as described in NetWare/IP Support Services Planning Worksheet A description of each field follows:

• NetWare/IP Domain ---the name of the NetWare/IP domain. All the NetWare/IP servers and clients using the same primary DSS server are members of this domain. The NetWare/IP domain name conforms to the DNS naming conventions. For additional information about NetWare/IP domains, see NetWare/IP Domain

• Primary DSS Host ---the name or address of the primary DSS server. Before you can configure a secondary DSS server, you must have a primary DSS server running on the network.

Configuring a Secondary DSS Server

1. From UNICON's Main Menu, choose the following:

   NetWare/IP

   NetWare/IP

   If the server is not configured for DNS access, the utility displays a message indicating that you must configure this host as a DNS client. If this message does not appear, go to Step 4 .

2. Press <Esc> to continue.

3. Fill in the DNS Domain field and at least one Name Server field and then press <Esc> .

4. Choose the Configure Secondary DSS option.

   UNICON issues a DHCP request for NetWare/IP information. If a DHCP server responds, you are prompted to confirm the NetWare/IP domain name and primary DSS server name.

5. When prompted, enter the name of the NetWare/IP domain.

6. Enter the name of the primary DSS server for this NetWare/IP domain.

7. To exit the form, press <Esc> .

8. When prompted, choose Yes to save the secondary DSS server configuration.

9. To return to UNICON's Main Menu, press <Esc> as needed.

   IMPORTANT: If you did not already add resource records identifying the secondary DSS server to the master DNS database, you must add the records now as described in Setting Up DNS Support If this is a registered DSS server, you must add both NS and A records for the server. If this is an unregistered DSS server, add only an A record for the server.

After configuring the secondary DSS server, you must start the Domain SAP/RIP Service on the server as described in Starting a DSS Server