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Q226470: XWEB: Using OWA with Windows Load Balancing Service (WLBS)

Article: Q226470
Product(s): Microsoft Exchange
Version(s): WINDOWS:5.5
Operating System(s): 
Keyword(s): 
Last Modified: 22-JUN-2001

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The information in this article applies to:

- Microsoft Outlook Web Access, version 5.5 
- Microsoft Outlook Web Access, version 5.5 Service Packs 1, 2, 3 
- Microsoft Exchange Server, version 5.5 
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SUMMARY
=======

Windows Load Balancing Service (WLBS) is a service that allows balancing of
server loads for incoming client connections. Outlook Web Access (OWA) can be
used in conjunction with WLBS to manage traffic handling of incoming Web client
connections to an Exchange Server computer. WLBS with OWA is not a solution for
increasing performance of the Web client connections, merely a method to spread
the load on the servers while allowing you to use a common name space for
connections to your Exchange Server computer.

MORE INFORMATION
================

In a common scenario, you will have two or more front-end servers configured
with WLBS software and the OWA component. These servers will be the contact
point for incoming OWA client traffic, and WLBS will balance the OWA connections
between the servers. The back-end server or servers will be configured with the
Exchange mailboxes you wish to access through OWA. Therefore, users will access
OWA through a common name space created during the installation of WLBS, and OWA
does not need to be installed on the back end. After installing OWA as
recommended in the Setup instructions included with Exchange Server 5.5, you
should install the WLBS component according to the WLBS documentation.

It is recommended that you install the OWA component on the front-end server
before installing WLBS. After installing OWA, you may install WLBS, (for more
information on WLBS Setup, see the WLBS documentation).

NOTE: Configure WLBS with one NIC in the computer before installing a secondary
NIC.

For more information on configuring WLBS with single or multiple network cards,
see the following articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

  Q197992 How to Configure WLBS Using a Single Network Interface Card

  Q197991 How to Configure WLBS Using Multiple Network Interface Cards

After you complete the WLBS configuration you want, OWA should be functional, and
client connections can be dispersed to the server with less load at the time of
connection. For example, users A-M will no longer be instructed to connect to
front-end server 1, while users N-Z will connect to front-end server 2. All
users will connect to a common namespace (http://server/exchange), and the WLBS
will balance connections to the servers in the WLBS grouping, all of which will
be transparent to the user.
For more information on troubleshooting OWA with WLBS, see the following articles
in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

  Q226377 XWEB: This Page Cannot be Displayed When Connected with OWA to WLBS

  Q226386 XWEB: WLBS Failover Causes Accumulation of MMP Files in the Webtemp
  Directory


For more information on deployment and troubleshooting OWA, see the Outlook Web
Access Deployment and Troubleshooting Guide at the following Web location:

http://support.microsoft.com/support/exchange/content/whitepapers/whitepapers.asp

Additional query words: convoy

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Keywords          :  
Technology        : kbOutlookSearch kbOWASearch kbOWA550 kbOWA550SP1 kbOWA550SP2 kbOWA550SP3
Version           : WINDOWS:5.5
Issue type        : kbinfo

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