Operation in Worker Mode
Converting a FlowForce Server instance to worker mode allocates its resources exclusively to processing jobs assigned by the master. Once converted, the instance can no longer execute locally configured triggers or jobs. The worker's current status is displayed in the web UI.
If worker mode is no longer required, you can terminate it to return FlowForce Server to standalone mode (see Terminate Worker Mode below).
Prerequisites
Note the following prerequisites:
•All members of a cluster must be installed, licensed, and running.
•On each machine where you need to take cluster-related actions, your FlowForce user account must have the Maintain cluster privilege (see About Privileges). By default, the root user account has this privilege.
•If a worker runs jobs that require MapForce Server, StyleVision Server, RaptorXML Server, or RaptorXML+XBRL Server licenses, these tools must be installed and licensed on the worker instance.
•If the master instance only redistributes the workload among workers and does not run jobs that require MapForce Server, StyleVision Server, RaptorXML Server, or RaptorXML+XBRL Server licenses, then these tools do not need to be installed on the master.
Enable worker mode
You can configure a FlowForce Server instance to run in worker mode using one of the following methods:
•Via the Instance Parameters page: Select worker mode, then send a request to join the master from the Cluster Management page (described below).
•Via the Cluster Management page: Convert the FlowForce Server instance to worker mode directly on this page.
To switch a server instance to worker mode, follow the instructions below:
1.Log on to the FlowForce Server instance that you want to convert to a worker.
2.Access the Cluster Management interface by clicking Administration | Cluster.
3.Click Request to Join Master Instance.
4.Enter the host name and port of the master machine. Ensure that the bind address is configured correctly on the master machine and that the port is not blocked by a firewall.
5.(Optional) Enter a text message to accompany your join request (in this example, "Hello from worker machine!").
6.Click Send Request to Join Master.
7.Log on to the master FlowForce Server instance and access the Cluster Management interface.
8.Find the join request from the worker machine and click Accept Request (screenshot below).
9.Click Show Token next to the request from the worker machine. The Token field will display the secret key that you need to copy to join this worker to the cluster (see below).
10.Access the Cluster Management interface on the worker machine.
11.Click Complete to Join Master Instance.
12.Enter the host name of the master, paste the secret key (token) in the Token text box, and click Complete to Join Master.
On success, a notification message will appear on the Cluster Management page. The FlowForce Server instance is now in worker mode and will only execute jobs assigned by the master machine.
Terminate worker mode
If you need to convert a worker machine back to a standalone FlowForce Server instance, you can do so from the Cluster Management interface of the worker machine. Follow the steps below:
1.Ensure your FlowForce user account has the Maintain cluster privilege.
2.On the worker machine, click Administration | Cluster.
3.Click Leave Master Instance.
This switches the FlowForce Server instance to normal operating mode; however, it remains registered with the master instance until it is explicitly removed by the master. In this state, you can still generate a secret key for this worker on the master machine if you want to rejoin the cluster. To remove a worker completely from the master machine, follow the instructions below.
Remove a worker from the master
Removing a worker from the master machine without first terminating worker mode leaves the worker in worker mode, meaning it will no longer be able to connect to the master. To restore connection capabilities, you must perform the Leave Master Instance action on the worker machine, as described above.
To remove a worker from the master instance, follow the steps below:
1.Ensure your FlowForce user account has the Maintain cluster privilege.
2.On the master machine, click Administration | Cluster. The list of machines is available in the Members section of the Cluster Management page (see below).
3.Select the worker you want to remove and click Remove Worker. A confirmation message will appear.
4.Click Confirm and Remove.