9. Configure AppFabric

AppFabric is installed as a service. The AppFabric service needs to be granted permission to send data through the firewall. This can be done in Windows Server 2008 by modifying the In and Outbound Rules. To modify the rules:

To create a UNC folder share:

1. Create a folder on your server. Choose a convenient location and name.
2. Right-click on the folder, and select Properties from Windows Explorer
3. Select the Sharing tab
4. Click Share
5. The File Sharing window displays. Add the user Network Service or a local user if you are not connected to a domain. If you are setting up a load-balanced environment, ensure each node has the same username/password.
6. Set the Permissions Level as Read/Write
7. Click Share, followed by Close

The following settings need to be configured on the server hosting Enterprise Manager in this basic installation (i.e. your Perception server). To configure the caching service:

1. Click Start | Windows Server AppFabric | Configure AppFabric
2. On the Before you begin page, click Next
3. On the Configure Hosting Services page, click Next (Perception does not use hosting services)
4. On the Configure Caching Services screen, enable the Set Caching Services configuration check-box
5. Set a Caching Service account.

If your computer is part of a domain, you cannot change the Caching Service account from the default of "Network Service." If your computer is part of a domain, you should follow the following best practices from Microsoft to configure the credentials correctly to get around this limitation (see Shared Folder-Based Cluster Configuration (Windows Server AppFabric Caching) for more information):

"To simplify long-term administration of the cluster configuration folder, do not run the cache service under the credentials of a domain user account. By using the default installation settings, you can use the domain computer accounts of the cache servers instead and avoid password maintenance.

After you create the ClusterACacheServers security group, grant the domain computer accounts of the applicable cache servers membership to this group (for example,"domain\computername$"). Then grant ClusterACacheServers read and write permissions in the sharing and security settings of the cluster configuration shared folder. When this is set up, for each new server that you add to the cache cluster, add only the domain computer account of the new server to the security group. 

If your computer is part of a workgroup, you must change the Caching Service account from "Network Service" and use a local account. 

If you are using a local account, do not use an account with administrator privileges. The local account used for the Caching Service account only needs the right to generate security audits (granted explicitly by adding the account to the policy in the Local Security Policy dialog box) and the right to bypass traverse checking (granted through membership in the Everyone group). If you are in a load-balanced environment, all the servers should be setup with the same username/password.

6. From the Caching Service configuration provider drop-down box, select XML
7. In the File share text-box, enter the UNC address for the folder you created above. This will be in the format \\<UNC-Share-Name>
8. Select New cluster
9. Select the appropriate value from the Cluster size drop-down box. The value you select will be determined by the number of computers you are going to have in your cluster, which in turn is dependant on which components are installed. Questionmark recommends that you set this to Small Cluster (1-5) unless you are installing a load-balanced system with over 5 machines.

10. Click Next
11. Make sure you have defined the appropriate ports for AppFabric. You will need to use the default ports for Questionmark Perception.

Cache port: 22233

Cluster port: 22234

Arbitration port: 22235

Replication port: 22236

The Cache port needs to be accessible by the application and the other AppFabric servers, if more than one.

The Cluster port, Arbitration port, and Replication port need to be open between the AppFabric servers, if more than one.

12. Click Next, followed by Finish

To setup the required cache, we will use PowerShell. To do this using PowerShell:

1. On the Start Menu, click All Programs, Windows Server AppFabric, and then click Caching Administration Windows PowerShell
   

   Please note you have to start PowerShell as an administrative user. If you are not already logged in as an administrator, right-click the PowerShell icon and select Run as administrator.

2. We will not be using the security system provided by AppFabric. Instead we will be using the Perception equivalent, so you will need to enter the following command:
   

   Set-CacheClusterSecurity -SecurityMode None -ProtectionLevel None

   If you receive an error when running the Set-CacheClusterSecurity command, stop the cache cluster and then try again by entering the following before trying step 2 again: Stop-CacheCluster

3. Now create a new cache by entering the following command:
   

   New-Cache questionmark

   Please note that the cache name is case sensitive and must be called questionmark.

   Now you need to start the cache by entering the following command:

   Start-CacheCluster