Small Site Configuration
Although it is possible to install all Commerce Server 2002 components on one server, a two-computer configuration is required to separate the business logic and database tiers.
This two-computer configuration has one server in each tier: a Web server and a database server. For fault tolerant and highly available deployments, four computers are required (two clustered computers in each tier). The following figure shows a four-computer production environment.
.gif "A small-scale deployment of Commerce Server 2002")
In this configuration, the Web servers are load balanced by using Network Load Balancing (NLB). A single Internet Protocol (IP) address is placed in front of the Web servers to increase availability. All business logic runs on both of the stateless Web servers, which contain the Commerce Server administration tools, services, Commerce Server Business Desk, and applications. Having all Commerce Server business logic run on a single server maximizes cache usage for a user session. If a customer is directed to a different Web server in the cluster, the new server merely retrieves data and the customer continues shopping. Commerce Server components are persistent for back-end databases, cookies, or Uniform Resource Locator (URL) query strings, so being directed to a different physical server has minimal impact on the shopping experience of the customer.
The database servers are configured as a Windows Server Cluster with a shared Microsoft SQL Server database. They contain the Administration database, the Commerce Server Data Warehouse, and the other Commerce Server databases.
Two firewalls are used in this configuration: one to secure input from the Internet, and the other to secure input and output to the corporate network.
The configuration shown in the previous figure uses SQL Server to authenticate users. For a more secure deployment, it is recommended that you use Microsoft Active Directory to authenticate users rather than SQL Server. Active Directory provides additional security, but requires the inclusion of domain controllers in your production environment. For more information about deploying a site using Active Directory, see Deploying a Secure Site.
For instructions on installing Commerce Server 2002 on one computer, see the Commerce Server 2002 Installation Guide. For instructions on installing Commerce Server 2002 on two computers, see Installing on a Four-Computer Clustered Configuration (but do not cluster each tier). This four-computer clustered configuration provides high availability by clustering two computers in each tier. To install Commerce Server 2002 on only two computers, ignore the clustering sections and use two computers in the deployment.
For instructions on installing Commerce Server 2002 on three computers, see Installing on a Three-Computer Non-Clustered Configuration. For information on installing Commerce Server 2002 on more than three computers, see Large Site Configuration.
Small Site Configuration With Active Directory
Small Site Development Environment
Small Site Configuration With Active Directory
You might decide to use Active Directory to provide a security context for your Commerce Server site. Active Directory is useful if you need to:
- Control access to site resources based on the security credentials of a user.
- Provide security for other applications.
If you decide to implement Active Directory on your site, you should add two additional servers to your configuration. The following figure illustrates a small Commerce Server configuration that includes Active Directory servers.
.gif "A small-scale deployment of Commerce Server 2002 with Active Directory")
To provide high availability, it is a good idea to use a pair of replicated Active Directory domain controllers. Active Directory uses its own replication to ensure that its data remains consistent between domain controllers. The Web servers and database servers in this configuration are identical to those in the four-computer configuration. Because the Active Directory processing load is relatively light, you can put the Active Directory server on the same cluster as the SQL Server computers.
For instructions about installing the Sample Supplier Site with Active Directory, see Installing the Sample Supplier Site. This sample configuration consists of two servers: one domain controller using Active Directory, and one server running Commerce Server and SQL Server.
Small Site Development Environment
The following figure shows an example of a small site development environment.
.gif "A small-scale development environment for Commerce Server 2002")
This development environment is physically separated from the staging/test and production environments. It is located inside the corporate network.
See Also
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