web front end - how does it work

[Gizmo Gizmo]

Hi everybody,
I have deployed a three tier solution according to Microsoft documentation
on how to setup a Medium farm in "Deploy Project Server 2007 to a server farm
environment (15 march)". The objective was to separate each servers role -
but are not convinced I have got it right.

Please help me understand how this works ...

Questions
1. When creating the web application to host the PWA site, since the SSP is
on the 'App'-server the web app gets created on url http://app/PWA. Shouldnt
this web app be on the 'Web' front-end server? Or is this not necessarily? (I
can't see a way of creating this web app on a specific server in Central
admin, ie 'web')

2. When accessing url http://web/PWA users is routed to http://app/PWA which
I think puts the (wss) load on the 'App' server which seems wrong to me. Or
is this normal behaviour - just me not understanding the MOSS farm model?

3. Is it so simple as to stop the WSS Web application service on the 'App'
server and I have a clean three-tier setup?



Background
Three servers is deployed. Each having different intended roles.

Server 'Web' - act as Web Front-End server

Server 'App' - act as Application server (only)

Server 'Sql' - Database server

MOSS 2007 and Project Server 2007 bits was installed to each server prior to
running Sharepoint Tech Wizard on 'App' server and then on 'Web'.

WSS Web Application Services is started on both 'Web' and 'App'
Project Services is started only on 'App' server

'App' server being the primary server. (Hosts for ex Central Admin)

Web application for hosting PWA installed on 'Default Web Site'


And yes I have ordered a book on Sharepoint Administration

Grateful for any light sheed on this!

 

[Brian Smith \(MSFT\)]

Hi Gizmo,

When you create a WSS site and set the "load balanced URL" this sets the
default - and in your case I assume this was set as http://app. To change
this now that you want to use http://web you can go to Central
Administration, Operations, Alternate Access Mapping and click http://app
and update to http://web. This should stop the redirection you are seeing
when you go to http://app. You do not need to change any of the services.

Brian.

 

[Gizmo Gizmo]

Hi Brian.
Thanks very much for your answer. I'll go ahead and try this.

Odd though that noting of this is described in MS deployment doc. I mean the
recommended install order is to install to App-server first and nothing is
mentioned about changíng default Load Balance url setting or Alternate
mappings.

/Gizmo