SharePoint 2007: The Definitive Guide

Chapter 4. Configuring a Multiserver Farm

Introduction

In Chapter 3, we went through the steps to install Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 onto a single server. In this chapter, we are going to broaden this basic installation out to numerous servers to create a multiserver farm. When we discuss multiserver farms, we are really addressing the subjects of availability and scalability. These topics are often discussed together and they mean numerous things. They can mean having a fast-responding environment (Multiple Web Front Ends [WFE] handling user requests) or it can mean having a redundant environment to provide increased uptime. In either case, we are looking at moving from a single server implementation to a multiple server environment. This chapter details the trade-offs, decisions, and processes in creating a multiserver MOSS implementation.

One of the challenges in scaling out a MOSS site is deciding which services need their own server(s). In this chapter, we will specifically look at Search, Index, Excel Services, and Shared Services. There are valid reasons why we place Excel Services on its own dedicated server or servers if it is being heavily used. Excel Services is a huge resource hog. Similarly, Index, Query, and Search are often best installed on their own server(s) for performance reasons. We want to isolate all of these services if possible, and using a multiserver farm allows for this type of architecture.

A small company may do very well with a server environment ...