IIS Configuration: Set up a web farm with Application Request Routing

Setting up a web farm with Application Request Routing (ARR) in Internet Information Services (IIS) can greatly enhance the performance, scalability, and availability of your website. In this article, we will explore the steps involved in configuring a web farm using ARR in IIS.

What is a web farm?

A web farm is a collection of multiple servers that work together to handle incoming web requests. By distributing the workload across multiple servers, a web farm can handle a higher volume of traffic and provide better performance and availability.

Why use Application Request Routing (ARR)?

ARR is a powerful extension for IIS that enables load balancing and content routing for web applications. It acts as a reverse proxy, distributing incoming requests to multiple servers in a web farm based on various routing rules.

ARR offers several benefits:

• Load balancing: ARR evenly distributes incoming requests across servers in the web farm, ensuring optimal utilization of resources and preventing any single server from becoming overwhelmed.
• High availability: If one server in the web farm fails, ARR automatically routes requests to the remaining healthy servers, ensuring uninterrupted service for users.
• Session affinity: ARR can maintain session affinity by routing subsequent requests from the same client to the same server, ensuring a consistent user experience.
• URL rewriting: ARR can rewrite URLs to provide transparent redirection and enable seamless integration of multiple web applications.

Configuring a web farm with ARR

Here are the steps to set up a web farm with ARR in IIS:

Step 1: Install ARR

First, ensure that ARR is installed on your server. You can download and install ARR from the official Microsoft website or through the Web Platform Installer.

Step 2: Configure the web farm

Open IIS Manager and navigate to the server level. Double-click on the "Application Request Routing Cache" feature.

In the Actions pane, click on "Server Proxy Settings" and enable the "Enable proxy" checkbox. This allows ARR to act as a reverse proxy.

Next, click on "Server Farms" and then "Create Server Farm" in the Actions pane. Enter a name for the farm and specify the servers that will be part of the farm. You can add servers by their IP address or hostname.

Configure the load balancing algorithm and health check settings according to your requirements. You can choose from various load balancing algorithms such as Round Robin, Least Requests, and Weighted Round Robin.

Step 3: Configure routing rules

After creating the server farm, you need to define routing rules to determine how incoming requests will be distributed. Click on "URL Rewrite" in the server level features.

In the Actions pane, click on "Add Rule(s)" and select the desired rule template. You can choose from various options such as "Reverse Proxy," "Redirect," or "Custom Rule."

Configure the rule settings, including the pattern to match, the server farm to use, and any additional conditions or actions required.

Step 4: Test and monitor the web farm

Once the web farm is configured, it is essential to test and monitor its performance. Send test requests to the farm and verify that they are distributed correctly among the servers.

Monitor the health and performance of the servers in the farm using tools like IIS Manager, Performance Monitor, or third-party monitoring solutions. This will help you identify any issues and ensure the smooth operation of your web farm.

Summary

Setting up a web farm with Application Request Routing (ARR) in IIS can significantly improve the performance and availability of your website. ARR offers load balancing, high availability, session affinity, and URL rewriting capabilities.

To configure a web farm with ARR, follow these steps:

1. Install ARR on your server.
2. Configure the web farm by enabling the proxy settings and creating a server farm.
3. Define routing rules to determine how requests are distributed.
4. Test and monitor the web farm to ensure its proper functioning.

By implementing a web farm with ARR, you can enhance the scalability and reliability of your website, providing a better experience for your users.

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