Deploy additional Service Manager management servers

Article
04/18/2024

Important

This version of Service Manager has reached the end of support. We recommend you to upgrade to Service Manager 2022.

You can deploy additional Service Manager management servers to load-balance additional Service Manager consoles or as part of your disaster recovery strategy.

This section describes how you can install additional Service Manager management servers. The additional Service Manager management servers can improve performance in a high-use environment.

Management servers

You create a management server when you select Service Manager management server in the Service Manager Setup Wizard. The initial Service Manager management server hosts data access, workflow services, and authorization services.

Initial and additional management servers

When you run Setup for the first time, you install the initial Service Manager management server and define the management group for your installation. The initial management server handles all of the workflows in your Service Manager environment. Any additional Service Manager management servers that you deploy are used to load-balance additional Service Manager console connections. With this release of Service Manager, we recommend that you deploy an additional Service Manager management server for every 40 to 50 Service Manager consoles that you intend to deploy.

To associate your additional Service Manager management servers with the initial Service Manager management server and management group, you must specify the Service Manager database that you used for your initial Service Manager management server.

Disjointed namespace considerations

If you're installing an additional management server in an environment with a disjointed namespace, see Deployment considerations with a disjointed namespace.

Install an additional management server

The following procedure shows how to install an additional management server in System Center - Service Manager. You must deploy the initial Service Manager management server and Service Manager database before deploying an additional management server.

Note

You must be a member of the Service Manager Administrators user role to install an additional Service Manager management server.

Follow these steps to install an additional management server:

By using an account that has administrator rights and that is also a member of the Service Manager management group administrators, sign in to the computer that will host the additional Service Manager management server.
On the System Center - Service Manager installation media, double-click the Setup.exe file.
On the Service Manager Setup Wizard page, select Service Manager management server.
On the Product registration page, enter the information in the boxes. In the Product key boxes, enter the product key you received with Service Manager, or as an alternative, select Install as an evaluation edition (180 day trial)?. Read the Microsoft Software License Terms, and, if applicable, select I have read, understood, and agree with the terms of the license agreement, and select Next.
On the Installation location page, verify that sufficient free disk space is available, and select Next. If necessary, select Browse to change the location where the additional Service Manager management server will be installed.
On the System check results page, ensure that the prerequisite check passed or at least passed with warnings, and select Next.

If the prerequisite checker determines that the Microsoft Report Viewer Redistributable hasn't been installed, select Install Microsoft Report Viewer Redistributable. After the Microsoft Report Viewer Redistributable 2008 (KB971119) Setup Wizard completes, select Check perquisites again.
On the Configure the Service Manager database page, in the Database server box, enter the name of the computer that hosts the Service Manager database that you used for your initial Service Manager management server, and then press the Tab key. When the name of the instance appears in the SQL Server instance box, select Use an existing database. For example, enter Computer 2 in the Database server box.
Select the Database list, select the database name for the Service Manager database (the default name is ServiceManager), and select Next.
On the Configure the Service Manager management group page, verify that the management group name and management group administrators boxes have been populated. Select Next.
On the Diagnostic and usage data page, indicate your preference for sharing your Service Manager diagnostic and usage data with Microsoft. As an option, select Privacy statement for System Center Service Manager, and select Next.
On the Help improve System Center Service Manager page, indicate your preference for participation in the Customer Experience Improvement Program. As an option, select Tell me more about the program, and select Next.
On the Use Microsoft Update to help keep your computer secure and up-to-date page, indicate your preference for using Microsoft Update to check for Service Manager updates. If you want Windows Update to check for updates, select Initiate machine wide Automatic update. Select Next.
On the Installation summary page, select Install.
On the Setup completed successfully page, we recommend that you leave Open the Encryption Backup or Restore Wizard selected, and select Close. For more information about backing up the encryption key, see Complete deployment by backing up the encryption key.

Next steps

To perform additional steps when you deploy either an additional Service Manager management server or Self-Service Portal in an environment with a disjointed namespace, review Deployment considerations with a disjointed namespace.