Table of Contents
- Introduction
- Contact Information
- Tested Architecture
- SQL Database Availability
- UNC Path Synchronization
- SureSync MFT Desktop
- Communications Agent in a Cluster
- Installing the Communications Agent in an Existing Role
- Configuring the Communications Agent machine for the Cluster
- Updating the Communications Agent in a Cluster
- Installing the Hub in a Cluster
Introduction
The demands for data availability continue to increase. A business experiences increased costs when employees are unable to access critical files or when systems are not accessible. SureSync provides a powerful set of file replication and synchronization features to make data more accessible.
This document discusses how to utilize Windows File Server Failover Clusters to make the file synchronization and replication processes with SureSync MFT more redundant and highly available.
Contact Information
If you need further information about SureSync or clarification on anything in this guide, please contact our support team, who will gladly assist.
Software Pursuits, Inc.
140 Chestnut Ln
San Mateo, CA 94403
Phone: +1-650-372-0900
Fax: +1-650-372-2912
Sales e-mail: sales@softwarepursuits.com
Support e-mail: support@softwarepursuits.com
Technical support is available between 7AM and 4PM PST Monday through Friday.
Tested Architecture
We tested SureSync MFT with a Windows Server 2025 File Server Failover Cluster. This testing included real-time processing and file locking.
This document will discuss two scenarios.
The first scenario involves having the SureSync MFT Hub and Desktop on a server outside of the cluster and installing a Communications Agent within the cluster to allow synchronizing data.
The second scenario involves having the SureSync MFT Hub service run within the cluster. This second scenario is covered in the Installing the Hub in a Cluster section.
SQL Database Availability
SureSync MFT utilizes a Microsoft SQL database that must be available for processing to occur. In environments where high availability is desired, the SQL database should be hosted in a SQL cluster to avoid losing access to the database.
UNC Path Synchronization
When synchronizing with a cluster via UNC path, no additional configuration is necessary. With MFT, you have the option of synchronizing with a UNC path on a scheduled (clock-based) or real-time basis (changes detected as they occur).
Keep in mind that UNC paths do not have an NTFS Change Journal. This means that any time a Job containing a UNC path is run or if there is a recovery from a path loss in a real-time processing scenario, a full scan must be performed to ensure that no file changes were missed.
SureSync MFT Desktop
The SureSync MFT Desktop is the user interface used to configure your computers, jobs and other items related to your MFT deployment. The full install includes the Desktop and other status applications to aid in configuring and monitoring your environment.
With MFT, the Communications Agent for either the Hub or a standard Communications Agent can be deployed as a Generic Service in a cluster. If deploying the Hub in a cluster, you will want to install the full MFT install on each node of the cluster. You can then open the MFT database from each machine, and regardless of the active node, you will have a Desktop and status panels you can launch to make changes.
Communications Agent in a Cluster
When using features of the Communications Agent within the cluster, the Communications Agent service must be properly configured as a Generic Service.
Cluster Basics for the Communications Agent
This guide is not intended to be a support resource for proper cluster configuration or maintenance. The guide’s purpose is only to provide a conceptual overview of how the Communications Agent can be used in a cluster. Software Pursuits is unable to provide technical support related to the actual operation of a cluster. These questions should be directed to Microsoft.
This section provides basic information on using the Communications Agent in a cluster.
Understanding Roles in a Cluster
In a cluster, you have the option of configuring a Generic Service as its own Role or as a Resource within another Role. Functionally, there is no difference. However, if the storage you want to access with the Communications Agent resides in a single Role, adding the Communications Agent's Generic Service as a resource in the existing File Server role helps ensure it's always running on the same node and can access the storage.
Often, there is a single File Server Role in a cluster. If there are multiple instances in your environment, it is important to remember that the Communications Agent will not be able to see drives running in Roles on other Nodes. This is a Microsoft limitation with Generic Services.
Licensing in a Cluster
SureSync MFT licensing requires a license for each server involved in a Job. This can cause some confusion with licensing a cluster. You might assume that each node in a cluster needs a license. This is incorrect.
SureSync MFT will consume one server license and assign it to the Client Access Point defined in the role running the Communications Agent as a Generic Service. The number of nodes in the cluster is transparent to MFT.
Since a service can be run as a Generic Service in one and only one Role on the cluster, in effect, only one license is required for the entire cluster.
Installing the Communications Agent
The Communications Agent must be installed on each node in the cluster. The service must already exist as an installed service on the nodes before you can configure the Communications Agent to run as a Generic Service.
Installing the Communications Agent in an Existing Role
When performing the installation, the Communications Agent must be installed on each node in the cluster. The service must already exist as an installed service on the nodes before you can configure the Communications Agent to run as a Generic Service.
The Communications Agent can be added as a Generic Service to an existing Role. Often, this will be a File Server Role.
To add the Communications Agent as a Generic Service, first click on the Role.
On the Actions panel, under the Role name, is an option to "Add Resource." Click on "Add Resource," and a menu will show, allowing you to select "Generic Service."
The New Resource Wizard will launch and display a list of available services on the machine. Scroll down and select the “Software Pursuits SureSync MFT Communications Agent” service.
Click the "Next" button to continue.
Click the "Next" button to continue.
Click the "Finish" button to create the Generic Service.
The Generic Service will be added to the cluster Role but will be in an "offline" status. Before bringing the service online, some options should be configured.
To perform the necessary configuration, right-click on the "Software Pursuits SureSync MFT Communications Agent" Role and click on "Properties."
First, click on the "Dependencies" tab. Click on the "Insert" button and under the Resource drop-down select "Name: [Computer Name]. Click "Apply."
Finally, click on the "General" tab. Check the "Use network name for computer name" option. Click the "Apply" button.
Click the "OK" button.
To bring the Generic Service online, click on the "Software Pursuits SureSync MFT Communications Agent" under the Role and on the Actions pane click the "Bring Online" button.
The status will update to show "Online."
Configuring the Communications Agent Machine for the Cluster
Once the Communications Agent Generic Service has been defined in the cluster, the Communications Agent must be added into SureSync MFT using the MFT Desktop. This is performed using the same procedure as adding any other Communications Agent.
To perform this configuration, launch the SureSync MFT Desktop. Expand "Computers and Storage," click on "Servers" and then click on "Computer" in the ribbon bar.
The following wizard will be displayed:
The name entered in the "Computer Name" field must be the Server Name defined in the Role.
Enter the Computer Name. For our example, the name is FileSvrCluster.
The name entered in the Computer Name cannot be an IP address or a random name. This will result in the test failing. SureSync MFT validates that the connection arrived at the expected destination using the Computer Name.
If the machine cannot be resolved from the Hub machine using the Computer Name, you would want to enter an IP address or DNS name to reach the machine in the "Default Access Name" field.
Click the "Next" button to continue.
On the next panel, you need to click on the "Set Credentials for Accessing this Agent" button to define the user account that should be used to access the Communications Agent. This account needs to have Full Control permissions to the folders and files to be processed and is recommended to be a Domain Administrator or Local Administrator account.
In the "Account Name" field enter the account details. This should be in domain\user or machine\user format.
In the "Password" and "Repeat Password" fields, enter the account password twice.
Click the "Save" button to save the credential.
When a Communications Agent configuration is saved, a default connection for TCP port 7033 is created automatically. In most environments, only the default connection is used.
To test the connection, click the "Test Connections to Agent" button.
Click the "Next" button.
Click the "Finish Server" button to save the configuration.
Once the Communications Agent for the cluster has been defined, you can include paths on that machine as you would any other agent in your environment. Please consult the SureSync MFT Evaluator's Guide for further details on configuring a Job.
Updating the Communications Agent in a Cluster
When updating the Communications Agent in a cluster, it is recommended that you run the setup on the passive node first and then update the active node.
It is recommended that you run a test connections to the cluster agent after an upgrade. This is done by launching the SureSync MFT Desktop. Expand Computers and Storage. Expand Servers and click on the cluster's agent name. Click on the "Test Connections to Agent" button to perform the test.
The cluster must start the Communications Agent service. In a cluster, a Generic Service is set to the “Manual” startup type. The cluster manages starting the service on the appropriate node. This process also allows the cluster to substitute the cluster name for the NetBIOS computer name presented to the service. This cluster name substitution is crucial for the Communications Agent to function correctly within the cluster.
If the test of the connection returns a message about the request being received by the individual node’s computer name instead of the cluster name, bring up the Failover Cluster Manager. Click on Roles, select the Role running the Communications Agent as a generic service, and click on the Resources tab. Select the Software Pursuits SureSync MFT Communications Agent under Roles. Take the Communications Agent offline and bring it back online. This will trigger the cluster to stop and start the service. This should resolve the name issue.
Installing the Hub in a Cluster
The Hub is the brain of the MFT synchronization, replication, and archiving environment. The machine defined as the Hub coordinates all of the actions to be taken on the other machines defined in your Jobs.
The Hub is simply a specific designation of a Communications Agent. There are also user interface components, such as the MFT Desktop and Status panels, used to configure the product and view current status. Running the Communications Agent for the Hub machine in a cluster is possible just like any other agent.
Step 1: Install SureSync MFT Full Install on Each Node
The first step to completing the configuration is to run the SureSyncMFTSetup.exe on each node in the cluster. Select the option to complete a Full / MFT Hub install. This will install the Communications Agent and the user interface components.
Step 2: Determine SQL Server Details
The SureSync MFT Hub requires a SQL database. This database is used to store configuration information, history and more. In a high availability scenario, it is recommended that the SQL database be hosted on a SQL cluster.
The SQL server must support SQL authentication and you will need a SQL credential that either:
- Has sysadmin rights so it can create a SQL database on the server.
- Has db_owner rights to the database you plan to use with MFT. If going this direction, you must use SQL Management Studio to create a blank database for use by MFT and grant a SQL user account db_owner rights to the database.
Step 3: Launch the Desktop & Create the Database
Go to the Start menu, select SureSync MFT and click on the SureSync MFT Desktop shortcut to launch the program on the current active node.
You will see the "Open or Create Database" prompt.
If you have a SQL account with sysadmin rights, click on the "Create a new Hub Database" button. This is what we will assume for the purposes of this example.
If you are providing an empty database, click "Initialize an empty MFT Hub database" instead and provide the details for the empty database, following the steps in the wizard.
Enter the following information to create the SureSync MFT database:
- Name of the SQL Server and any Instance Name: Enter the name of the SQL server and an instance name if used. When using a full edition of SQL like SQL Standard, a default instance is created. If using this instance, only the machine name should be entered. For example, dev40. If using SQL Express or a SQL server with a named instance, you will also provide the instance name. For example, dev40\sqlexpress.
- Name of any Failover Partner (mirrored) SQL Server: This is an optional field that allows you to use a SQL Failover Partner. This functionality has been deprecated from SQL but is currently still available. Should be defined as machinename\instancename.
- Name of SQL Database: Enter the name of the SQL database that should be created. This can be any name you like. We recommend SureSyncMFT.
- Full path and file name of the new SQL database: Enter the path on the SQL server where the database files should be created. This folder must already exist. For example, G:\Databases\SureSyncMFT.mdf.
Once the form is filled in, click on the 'Set SQL Database Credentials' button to provide the SQL user account to be used to create and access the database.
The files that need to be filled out are:
- SQL Server account name: Enter the account name such as SQLAdmin.
- Password/Repeat Password: Enter the password for the account twice.
Uncheck the "Use the SQL Server account only for the Hub Service" option.
Click the 'Save' button to save the credential.
You will be returned to the main panel. Click the ‘Continue’ button to create the SureSync MFT database.
Once the database has been created, you will be prompted to provide a Windows credential for the Communications Agent on the Hub to use for accessing files. The following panel will be displayed:
Enter the following information:
- User Name: Enter a valid Windows account in domain\user or machinename\user format. You can use .\ for local accounts. This account will be used to access files that need to be processed by SureSync MFT if a root path exists on the Hub server.
- Password/Repeat Password: Enter the password for the account twice.
Optionally, you have some encryption options for the credentials. By default, a new self-signed certificate will be generated. You can also use your own certificate to encrypt the credential as long as that certificate is in the local certificate store.
Click the 'Save' button to save the credential.
You will receive the following prompt:
Step 3: Importing a License
You will receive a message indicating you do not have a license:
Click on the Licenses button in the ribbon bar.
Click on the "Import License..."button.
Click on the "Browse..." button, select your license file and then click on the "Import License" button to install the license.
You will receive a message that your license file was successfully imported. Click "OK" and close the Licenses panel.
Step 4: Create the Generic Service for the Communications Agent
Follow the instructions in the Installing the Communications Agent in an Existing Role section of this document to install the Communications Agent as a Generic Service.
Note the Server Name in the Role. For this example, it's FileSvrCluster.
Stop the Software Pursuits SureSync MFT Communications Agent Role by clicking on it and clicking on "Take Offline" under Actions.
Step 5: Create a Computer Record for the cluster Computer Name
The database will contain a computer record using the computer name of the individual node.
You need to add a computer record for the computer name of the cluster role. In this example, that name is FileSvrCluster.
To do so, launch the SureSync MFT Desktop. Expand Computers and Storage. Click on Servers and then click on the Computer icon in the ribbon bar.
Complete the wizard to add the computer record. Do not complete a Test Connection, it will fail at this point in the process.
Step 6: Change the Hub machine
Launch the Services MMC and stop the Software Pursuits SureSync MFT Communications Agent service.
Click on the Home button in the MFT Desktop and click on Additional Actions. Click on the "Change the Hub" button:
Select "Select an existing agent to become the Hub."
Select the machine currently defined as the Hub (the individual node's machine name) in the "Select your old MFT Hub from the list below" drop-down and select the newly created Computer for the cluster name from the 2nd drop-down menu.
Click the "Change MFT Hub" button.
The following prompt will be displayed:
Click "OK" to continue.
The following prompt will be displayed:
Click "OK" and the MFT Desktop will be restarted.
Step 7: Open the Database on the other Node(s)
On the other cluster node(s), go to the Start menu, select SureSync MFT, and click on the SureSync MFT Desktop shortcut to launch the program.
You will see the "Open or Create Database" prompt.
Click on the "Open an unlisted MFT Hub database" button.
Enter the following information to open the SureSync MFT database you created earlier:
- Name of the SQL Server and any Instance Name: Enter the name of the SQL server and an instance name if used. When using a full edition of SQL like SQL Standard, a default instance is created. If using this instance, only the machine name should be entered. For example, dev40. If using SQL Express or a SQL server with a named instance, you will also provide the instance name. For example, dev40\sqlexpress.
- Name of any Failover Partner (mirrored) SQL Server: This is an optional field that allows you to use a SQL Failover Partner. This functionality has been deprecated from SQL but is currently still available. Should be defined as machinename\instancename.
- Name of SQL Database: Enter the name of the SQL database that should be created. This can be any name you like. We recommend SureSyncMFT.
Once the form is filled in, click on the 'Set SQL Database Credentials' button to provide the SQL user account to be used to create and access the database.
The files that need to be filled out are:
- SQL Server account name: Enter the account name such as SQLAdmin.
- Password/Repeat Password: Enter the password for the account twice.
Uncheck the "Use the SQL Server account only for the Hub Service" option.
Click the 'Save' button to save the credential.
You will be returned to the main panel. Click the ‘Continue’ button to open the SureSync MFT database.
Close the SureSync MFT Desktop on that machine.
Step 8: Allow the Cluster Manager to start the Agent
Go back to the 1st node (the active one). In the Failover Cluster Manager click on the Software Pursuits SureSync MFT Communications Agent and then click on Bring Online.
Step 9: Configure your Jobs
You can now use the SureSync Desktop to configure your jobs. Please consult the SureSync MFT Evaluator's Guide for details on configuring Jobs.