Endpoint Protection

Is there any best practice documentation/KB articles for adding another SEPM for failover/load balancing?

Is there a limit to the amount of SEPMs that can be configured this way?

Running 12.1 RU1 with a SQL backend

Hello,

Check these Articles:

About installing and configuring Symantec Endpoint Protection Manager for failover or load balancing

http://www.symantec.com/docs/HOWTO17969

About failover and load balancing

http://www.symantec.com/docs/HOWTO26809

About Load Balancing and Failover Clustering in Symantec Endpoint Protection 11.0

http://www.symantec.com/docs/TECH104519

I believe it is recommended to have MAX 5 SEPM in failover/Load balance.

Also, does it make sense to the have the SEPMs in different locations. For instance, I want to put one in the US and another in Europe. We would be using the management server list to designate what machines go to which SEPM.

Thoughts?

Hello, 

It is completely fine to setup the SEPM's in different location, the only condition is that there should be enough bandwidth between these 2 SEPM's and communication should be fine.

Setting up failover and load balancing

http://www.symantec.com/docs/HOWTO55323

Use a Microsoft SQL Server database to enable the failover and load balancing feature. If you plan to set up additional management servers for replication you must use a SQL Server database for the management server.

Note: When adding a SEPM for failover and load balancing, it must be installed using the same version installed on the first server. Installing a different version may appear to work, but the SEPM service will fail to start on the new SEPM.

Hope that helps!!

Should the version of SQL be the same across all SEPMs? Or can 2005 on one and 2008 on another?

are you talking about failover/load balancing using the replication? if yes it can can be any SQL version ( supported :-).

Else SEPM failover is multiple SEPM's connecting to 1 DB instance.

Hello,

In reference to the Databases used for Replication; if the SEPM A is carrying SQL 2005 and SEPM B is carrying SQL 2008, still it should work.

For replication we use matadata that is data that is taken out from the database in neutral format and transfered to the other database.

NOTE: When adding a SEPM for failover and load balancing, it must be installed using the same version of SEPM installed on the first server. Installing a different version may appear to work, but the SEPM service will fail to start on the new SEPM.

However, in reference to the Failover / Loadbalancing, it's the configuration under MSL's of SEPM.

Yes, we have the same SEPM version.

I did notice that SQL 2005 was installed on the SEPMs so I wasn't sure if that mattered or if I should also install 2005 on the new one.

Yes, it won't be a replication partner. Just for failover/load balancing and we will use the management server list to direct machines on which SEPM to go to.

Does SQL server need to be installed before SEPM can be installed?

yes, SQL needs to be installed first so that when SEPM is being installed it points the DB.

I suggest not to have SEPM on WAN connect to SQL.it would be good to be having SEPM replication if connecting in WAN.

With load-balanced SEPMs, the version of SQL doesn;t really matter as long as it is a supported version, because all SEPMs will be connecting to the same server and instance.

And it's recommended to have any SEPMs located on the same LAN as the DB (or have LAN Speed connectivity to the DB), as the SEPMs are in constant contact with the DB and generate a lot of traffic.  

When placing SEPMs in different continents, my preference would be for separate SEPM Sites and use replication instead of connecting to the DB across the WAN.