4.3 Managing the Internet Agent in a Cluster

After you have installed the Internet Agent in a cluster, you should consider some long-term management issues.

4.3.1 Updating GroupWise Objects with Cluster-Specific Descriptions

After installing the Internet Agent in your clustered GroupWise system, while the cluster-specific information is fresh in your mind, you should record that cluster-specific information as part of the GroupWise objects in ConsoleOne so that you can easily refer to it later. Be sure to update the information recorded in the GroupWise objects if the configuration of your system changes.

Recording Cluster-Specific Information about the Internet Agent Domain and Its MTA

To permanently record important cluster-specific information for the Internet Agent domain:

  1. In ConsoleOne, browse to and right-click the Domain object, then click Properties.

  2. In the Description field of the Internet Agent domain Identification page, provide a cluster-specific description of the Internet Agent domain, including the secondary IP address of its cluster-enabled volume and the cluster-unique port numbers used by its MTA.

  3. Click OK to save the Internet Agent domain description.

  4. Select the Internet Agent Domain object to display its contents.

  5. Right-click the MTA object, then click Properties.

  6. In the Description field of the MTA Identification page, record the secondary IP address of the cluster-enabled Internet Agent domain volume and the cluster-unique port numbers used by the MTA.

    This information appears on the MTA console, no matter which node in the cluster it is currently running on.

  7. Click OK to save the MTA description.

  8. Continue with Recording Cluster-Specific Information about the Internet Agent.

Recording Cluster-Specific Information about the Internet Agent

With the contents of the Internet Agent domain still displayed:

  1. Right-click the Internet Agent object, then click Properties.

  2. Click GroupWise, then click Identification.

  3. In the Description field, record the secondary IP address of the cluster-enabled Internet Agent domain volume and the cluster-unique port numbers used by the Internet Agent.

    This information appears on the Internet Agent console, no matter which node in the cluster it is currently running on.

  4. Click OK to save the Internet Agent information.

  5. Continue with Knowing What to Expect in an Internet Agent Failover Situation.

4.3.2 Knowing What to Expect in an Internet Agent Failover Situation

The failover behavior of the MTA for the Internet Agent domain is the same as for an MTA in a regular domain. See Knowing What to Expect in MTA and POA Failover Situations.

Failover of the Internet Agent itself is more complex. The various clients (POP3, IMAP4, and LDAP) receive an error message that the node is not available. Most of the clients do not attempt to reconnect automatically, so the user must exit the client and restart it to reestablish the connection after the failover process is complete. Fortunately, the Internet Agent restarts quickly in its failover location so users can reconnect quickly.

As with the MTA and the POA, migration of the Internet Agent takes longer than failover. In fact, the Internet Agent can seem especially slow to shut down properly as it finishes its normal processing and stops its threads. For a busy Internet Agent, you might need to wait several minutes for it to shut down properly.