HA cluster configuration overview

To support Automation Anywhere in your data center, configure an HA cluster. Follow your company methods and procedures for implementing your data center cluster.

HA clusters protect services and data in the event of a server or service failure. The following is a list of processes associated with clusters.
Database replication
Configure synchronous replication between the primary site (active) and secondary site (passive) Microsoft SQL Server instances to ensure consistency in the event of a database node failure.
Downtime
The amount of downtime depends on the number of restart attempts the administrator configures for the primary server services, the number of failovers allowed per number of hours, and the failback configuration.
Failback
After the primary server is returned to normal, fail back the workload from the secondary servers to the primary servers. The primary server becomes the active server again.
Restoring operations to the primary system or site after a failover or disaster recovery on a secondary system or site.
Failover
If one of the primary servers fails, the workload of the failed server automatically shifts to the secondary server in the cluster. This automatic process is called failover. Failover ensures continuous availability of applications and data. When failover completes, the secondary server becomes the active server.
When a (primary) system detects a fault or failure, it automatically transfers control to a (secondary) duplicate system. This applies to HA clusters, where failover is from one server to another.
Graceful degradation
Process allowing cluster dependencies to operate gracefully on a degraded primary site.
Redundancy
HA clusters use redundancy to prevent single points of failure (SPOF), such as a failed server or service. HA clusters include primary (active) servers that host services or databases and secondary (passive) servers that host replicated copies of the services and databases.
Replication
The secondary servers have the same configuration and software as the primary servers, they are a duplicate (redundant copy) of the primary. Data is replicated (copied) from the primary servers to the secondary servers.

To support HA and DR for Automation Anywhere, configure the selected components in your data center for HA.

Note: In the context of clusters, though the terms server, host, and node each have specific meaning, they are frequently used interchangeably.
Cluster
A cluster is a set servers (nodes) that are connected by physical cables and software. In an HA environment, these clusters of servers are allowed to be in the same physical data center.
Cluster group (role)
Group of clustered services that failover together and are dependent on each other.
Host
The cluster machine that is hosting the services.
Multiple servers
The HA technique where operations are available across multiple servers with workload managed by a load balancer. This applies to IQ Bot instances.
Node
A generic term for a machine in a cluster.
Primary node
The active node in the cluster. The machine where the production activities run. This applies to the database servers.
Secondary node
The machine that is designated as the target in the event of a failover. The secondary node is a passive duplicate of the primary node. This applies to the database servers.
Server
The machine in the cluster installed with the server operating system.
HA cluster technologies guard against three specific types of failures:
Application and service failures
These affect application software and essential services.
Site failures in multisite organizations
This is caused by natural disasters, power outages, or connectivity outages.
System and hardware failures
This affects hardware components such as CPUs, drives, memory, network adapters, and power supplies.
This ability to handle failure allows clusters to meet two requirements that are typical in most data center environments:
High availability
The ability to provide end users with access to a service for a high percentage of time and reduces unscheduled outages.
High reliability
The ability to reduce the frequency of system failure.