This section explains the connection and connection endpoint terms and describes how connection endpoints are administrated in ACE Admin, Endpoint Connection window found under Organise | Connection endpoints... menu choice.
A connection endpoint is (somewhat simplified) one (of several) computers to which a ACE client connects when a user is about to log in and work with ACE.
A ACE client is:
- ACE Agent
- ACE Pulse
- ACE Admin
- ACE Report
The connection endpoint conveys the communication between the ACE clients and ACE Server/ACE Database. A connection endpoint consists of two services:
- ACE Agent Server
- Conveys the communication towards ACE Server.
- ACE Application Server
- Conveys the communication towards ACE Database.
Each ACE system must have at least one connection endpoint. A server computer, on the other hand, can have only one connection endpoint. By using several server computers, more connection endpoints can be created. This results in the following advantages:
- Scalability
- As more connection endpoints can handle agent connections, the load is distributed over more server computers and more concurrent users can be handled in the system.
- Robustness
- If one connection endpoint should be lost during operation only the users connected to that connection endpoint at the moment are lost.
On the client computer you configure ,via ACE Configuration Utility, what connection endpoints there are in the system. There can be one or more. The configuration of connection endpoints on the client computer is called a connection. A connection does not have to be configured in ACE Admin.
When a ACE client starts, the client at random selects what connection endpoint to use for the moment. This gives a simple form of load balancing between the connection endpoints.
When a ACE client has connected to a connection endpoint, an updated list of connection endpoints from the connection endpoint is automatically produced, meaning that added/deleted connection endpoints automatically are distributed to the client computers.
The Connection endpoints window
The window shows the connection endpoints configured in the system. This is what is shown under each column header:
- Node name
- The name of the connection endpoint’s ACE Agent Server
- DNS name (for clients)
- The name of the connection endpoint visible to client computers.
- Port
- The port number used by ACE Agent Server. Normally 14711.
- App srv port
- The port number used by ACE Application Server. Normally 211.
- Max clients
- The number of clients or ACE applications allowed for the specific connection endpoint.
The following actions can be done per connection endpoint:
- Register...
- Configure
- Unregister
Connection endpoint registration
To start running a new connection endpoint you need to take the following actions:
- Installation of software for connection endpoint on the intended server computer by means of the installation programme for ACE Server as well as the installation programme for ACE Application Server.
- Registration of connection endpoint in ACE Admin (see below).
- Restart of ACE Server.
- Node name
- Name of the connection endpoint’s ACE Agent Server. The name must match the node name defined when installing ACE Agent Server.
Example:
ACEAgentServer@server1.
- DNS name
- The DNS name for the connection endpoint that is visible to client computers.
Example:
server1.telia.se.
- Port
- The port number used by ACE Agent Server. Normally 14711. The port number must match the port number given on the client computers via ACE Configuration Utility.
- App srv port
- The port number used by ACE Application Server; in reality Borland Socket Server. Normally 211. The port number must match the port number used by the connection endpoint’s instance of Borland Socket Server.
- Max clients
- The highest number of clients allowed for the connection endpoint.
Maximum 500 client connections can be handled by each connection endpoint.
Modify a connection endpoint
The following information can be changed:
- Max. Number
- The highest number of clients allowed for the connection endpoint. The changed is launched immediately. A change to a lower value does not throw out clients already logged in.
If you want to temporarily stop a connection endpoint you can set Max Number to zero.
Unregister a connection endpoint
Select the connection endpoint to be unregistered and click on the Unregister button.
If you confirm with Yes the following actions are now taken automatically:
- The connection endpoint sets Maximum number of clients to zero. No new clients will be allowed into this connection endpoint.
- The connection endpoint disappears from the automatically distributed list of connection endpoints.
To permanently remove the connection endpoint your will have to take the following manual actions:
- Restart ACE Server.
- Uninstall the software for the connection endpoint from the server computer in question.