RS deployment on load balanced servers

Could anybody offer any advice on the internal mechanics of report server?
Our server setup is as follows.
SQL Server 2000 clusters in active/passive. Load balanced web servers x 3.
One of which is a publisher with files replicated to the other two.
We'd like to set up reporting services, but need a bit of advice as to the
role of the report server.
Our plan is to set up RS on all three servers for load balancing, all
pointing to the same SQL cluster.
As I understand it, when an rdl file is deployed or uploaded to report
server, report server takes the file, breaks it down, encrypts it and
publishes it to the RS database. Is this correct? Doe RS have any other
function at this point? Are references to the reports stored on the IIS
server?
In our setup when we publish to http://abcdefg/ReportServer, our content
switches will decide which server the report is sent to. If it *doesn't* go
to our publishing server, do we need to be concerned with replication?
Also, what issues do we face RE encryption key on the three servers? We need
to ensure that they are all the same. Is this something that can be specified
during setup?
I Hope this makes sense!
JoeThis is 100% supported configuration. Search BOL for web farm (if you do not
have RS installed yet and don't have BOL then you can search the Microsoft
site for this). I don't have a web farm configuration but based on my
experience with RS this is what happens: In a web farm all the server front
ends use the same SQL Server database. So, when you deploy you only need to
deploy once and that gets the information used by the app into the database.
RS has three parts. The SQL Server database object store, and two asp.net
1.1 applications. One of the applications is core to the product, it does
all the rendering of the reports and uses the object store. The other
(Report Manager) you can consider a portal. This is optional, some people
use either URL integration or webservices and have their own front end
instead of using Report Manager.
Note that for a web farm you need to have enterprise licenses. Not only for
the SQL server cluster you have but you need an SQL Server interprise
license for each IIS server in your web farm. Every server used by RS has to
have a SQL Server license.
Bruce Loehle-Conger
MVP SQL Server Reporting Services
"Joe" <Joe@.discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:0739946E-1912-4EB1-BDC1-E4DA34740295@.microsoft.com...
> Could anybody offer any advice on the internal mechanics of report server?
> Our server setup is as follows.
> SQL Server 2000 clusters in active/passive. Load balanced web servers x 3.
> One of which is a publisher with files replicated to the other two.
> We'd like to set up reporting services, but need a bit of advice as to the
> role of the report server.
> Our plan is to set up RS on all three servers for load balancing, all
> pointing to the same SQL cluster.
> As I understand it, when an rdl file is deployed or uploaded to report
> server, report server takes the file, breaks it down, encrypts it and
> publishes it to the RS database. Is this correct? Doe RS have any other
> function at this point? Are references to the reports stored on the IIS
> server?
> In our setup when we publish to http://abcdefg/ReportServer, our content
> switches will decide which server the report is sent to. If it *doesn't*
go
> to our publishing server, do we need to be concerned with replication?
> Also, what issues do we face RE encryption key on the three servers? We
need
> to ensure that they are all the same. Is this something that can be
specified
> during setup?
> I Hope this makes sense!
> Joe|||Thanks for the information Bruce. It looks like our options are to compromise
our SQL cluster by putting IIS and RS on it, something anybody with an ounce
of sense wouldn't do, or to pay MS for 3 additional enterprise liscences! I
don't know about you, but this seems to me like this is a liscence to print
money!
"Bruce L-C [MVP]" wrote:
> This is 100% supported configuration. Search BOL for web farm (if you do not
> have RS installed yet and don't have BOL then you can search the Microsoft
> site for this). I don't have a web farm configuration but based on my
> experience with RS this is what happens: In a web farm all the server front
> ends use the same SQL Server database. So, when you deploy you only need to
> deploy once and that gets the information used by the app into the database.
> RS has three parts. The SQL Server database object store, and two asp.net
> 1.1 applications. One of the applications is core to the product, it does
> all the rendering of the reports and uses the object store. The other
> (Report Manager) you can consider a portal. This is optional, some people
> use either URL integration or webservices and have their own front end
> instead of using Report Manager.
> Note that for a web farm you need to have enterprise licenses. Not only for
> the SQL server cluster you have but you need an SQL Server interprise
> license for each IIS server in your web farm. Every server used by RS has to
> have a SQL Server license.
>
> --
> Bruce Loehle-Conger
> MVP SQL Server Reporting Services
> "Joe" <Joe@.discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
> news:0739946E-1912-4EB1-BDC1-E4DA34740295@.microsoft.com...
> > Could anybody offer any advice on the internal mechanics of report server?
> >
> > Our server setup is as follows.
> >
> > SQL Server 2000 clusters in active/passive. Load balanced web servers x 3.
> > One of which is a publisher with files replicated to the other two.
> >
> > We'd like to set up reporting services, but need a bit of advice as to the
> > role of the report server.
> >
> > Our plan is to set up RS on all three servers for load balancing, all
> > pointing to the same SQL cluster.
> >
> > As I understand it, when an rdl file is deployed or uploaded to report
> > server, report server takes the file, breaks it down, encrypts it and
> > publishes it to the RS database. Is this correct? Doe RS have any other
> > function at this point? Are references to the reports stored on the IIS
> > server?
> >
> > In our setup when we publish to http://abcdefg/ReportServer, our content
> > switches will decide which server the report is sent to. If it *doesn't*
> go
> > to our publishing server, do we need to be concerned with replication?
> >
> > Also, what issues do we face RE encryption key on the three servers? We
> need
> > to ensure that they are all the same. Is this something that can be
> specified
> > during setup?
> >
> > I Hope this makes sense!
> >
> > Joe
>
>|||Depends on your licensing how bad a hit it is. If you are doing processor
licenses then it is a pretty big hit. If all you are paying for is the
server license then not too bad (especially if you compare against Crystal
or BO). In my case my corporation has SQL Server client licenses covered for
all PCs so I have no CALs to do, just the server license. It is a different
story if you are doing processor licenses.
Bruce Loehle-Conger
MVP SQL Server Reporting Services
"Joe" <Joe@.discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:EECC39FD-C9F0-4F5A-B6EE-C19D689A2F15@.microsoft.com...
> Thanks for the information Bruce. It looks like our options are to
compromise
> our SQL cluster by putting IIS and RS on it, something anybody with an
ounce
> of sense wouldn't do, or to pay MS for 3 additional enterprise liscences!
I
> don't know about you, but this seems to me like this is a liscence to
print
> money!
> "Bruce L-C [MVP]" wrote:
> > This is 100% supported configuration. Search BOL for web farm (if you do
not
> > have RS installed yet and don't have BOL then you can search the
Microsoft
> > site for this). I don't have a web farm configuration but based on my
> > experience with RS this is what happens: In a web farm all the server
front
> > ends use the same SQL Server database. So, when you deploy you only need
to
> > deploy once and that gets the information used by the app into the
database.
> > RS has three parts. The SQL Server database object store, and two
asp.net
> > 1.1 applications. One of the applications is core to the product, it
does
> > all the rendering of the reports and uses the object store. The other
> > (Report Manager) you can consider a portal. This is optional, some
people
> > use either URL integration or webservices and have their own front end
> > instead of using Report Manager.
> >
> > Note that for a web farm you need to have enterprise licenses. Not only
for
> > the SQL server cluster you have but you need an SQL Server interprise
> > license for each IIS server in your web farm. Every server used by RS
has to
> > have a SQL Server license.
> >
> >
> > --
> > Bruce Loehle-Conger
> > MVP SQL Server Reporting Services
> >
> > "Joe" <Joe@.discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
> > news:0739946E-1912-4EB1-BDC1-E4DA34740295@.microsoft.com...
> > > Could anybody offer any advice on the internal mechanics of report
server?
> > >
> > > Our server setup is as follows.
> > >
> > > SQL Server 2000 clusters in active/passive. Load balanced web servers
x 3.
> > > One of which is a publisher with files replicated to the other two.
> > >
> > > We'd like to set up reporting services, but need a bit of advice as to
the
> > > role of the report server.
> > >
> > > Our plan is to set up RS on all three servers for load balancing, all
> > > pointing to the same SQL cluster.
> > >
> > > As I understand it, when an rdl file is deployed or uploaded to report
> > > server, report server takes the file, breaks it down, encrypts it and
> > > publishes it to the RS database. Is this correct? Doe RS have any
other
> > > function at this point? Are references to the reports stored on the
IIS
> > > server?
> > >
> > > In our setup when we publish to http://abcdefg/ReportServer, our
content
> > > switches will decide which server the report is sent to. If it
*doesn't*
> > go
> > > to our publishing server, do we need to be concerned with replication?
> > >
> > > Also, what issues do we face RE encryption key on the three servers?
We
> > need
> > > to ensure that they are all the same. Is this something that can be
> > specified
> > > during setup?
> > >
> > > I Hope this makes sense!
> > >
> > > Joe
> >
> >
> >|||Per processor licenses!!