Introduction to YSoft SafeQ Load Balancing #

In enterprise deployments, managing the load on YSoft SafeQ components is critical to ensuring high availability, optimal performance, and seamless operation. This is where RELIANOID ADC (Application Delivery Controller) comes into play as a high-performance solution for load balancing, ensuring that traffic is efficiently distributed across multiple servers, improving scalability, performance, and resilience.

Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to load balance YSoft SafeQ using RELIANOID ADC:

Understanding YSoft SafeQ Components #

YSoft SafeQ consists of several key components:

• Print Servers: Handle the actual processing of print jobs.
• SafeQ Servers: Manage authentication, print queues, and policy enforcement.
• Database Servers: Store user information, audit logs, and job data.

RELIANOID ADC can distribute traffic across these servers, ensuring no single server is overwhelmed and providing high availability in case of server failure.

Setting Up RELIANOID ADC for Load Balancing #

To ensure optimal performance, RELIANOID ADC uses advanced load balancing algorithms to distribute traffic among print and SafeQ servers. RELIANOID ADC supports several balancing techniques, such as:

• Round-Robin: Distributes incoming print jobs evenly across all available servers.
• Least Connections: Routes traffic to the server with the fewest active connections, ensuring a balanced workload.
• Resource-Based Balancing: Monitors resource usage (CPU, memory) on each server and directs traffic to the least loaded server.

These algorithms ensure that YSoft SafeQ operates efficiently, even under heavy load.

Ensuring High Availability with Health Checks #

RELIANOID ADC continuously monitors the health of each server using health checks. If one of the servers becomes unavailable, RELIANOID ADC automatically reroutes traffic to healthy servers without disrupting print services. This ensures that YSoft SafeQ remains highly available, even in the event of server failures or maintenance.

Session Persistence (Sticky Sessions) #

In environments where users submit multiple print jobs in quick succession, RELIANOID ADC can enable session persistence (also known as sticky sessions). This ensures that all print requests from a single user are routed to the same server, reducing latency and improving the user experience. Session persistence can be based on user IP addresses or cookies.

Scaling YSoft SafeQ #

As organizations grow and the number of print jobs increases, RELIANOID ADC allows for horizontal scaling by adding additional servers to the pool. RELIANOID ADC will automatically distribute traffic to these new servers, ensuring consistent performance without the need for major infrastructure changes.

Steps to configure YSoft SafeQ Load Balancing #

Create YSoft SafeQ health check #

Create a custom health check using the existing check_tcp health check template, but with port 445, which is often associated with file sharing and may be relevant for SafeQ’s network interactions.

Access the RELIANOID Load Balancer management interface and navigate to the Monitoring > Farmguardian section. Then create a new health check (ex. ysoft_safeq_health) copying from the existing check_tcp.

Then, modify the new health check using the port 445 instead of PORT. Finally, Save the changes.

Create the YSoft SafeQ Load Balancing pool #

Create a farm pool using the L4XNAT (Layer 4 NAT mode) that supports all protocols and ports for YSoft SafeQ since it uses both TCP and UDP.

Go to the LSLB > Farms section and create a new farm pool and choose L4XNAT as the load balancer profile type. Then, choose the option to allow all protocols (both TCP and UDP). Set the farm pool to balance traffic across all ports (with * character). Save the farm configuration.

Configure the YSoft SafeQ Load Balancing Service #

Set up the farm pool with the appropriate scheduler and persistence settings, and use the custom health check created in the first step.

Within the YSoft SafeQ farm pool, set the scheduler to Round Robin (this will ensure an even distribution of print job requests across all servers). Enable session persistence by source IP (This keeps a user’s print job sessions consistently routed to the same backend server, which can be important for session-based services like printing and authentication). In the Farm Guardian section, assign the health check created in step 1 by selecting ysoft_safeq_health from the available health check options. Save the service configuration to apply the changes.

Add YSoft SafeQ real servers #

Add YSoft SafeQ backend servers to the farm pool without specifying a specific port, allowing the load balancer to use the client’s destination port.

In the Farm you’ve created, go to the Service > Backends section table and add the backend servers (YSoft SafeQ print servers) one by one. Do not specify the port for the backend servers (RELIANOID Load Balancer will automatically forward the traffic to the port the client uses in the request).

This configuration ensures that YSoft SafeQ print servers are balanced across multiple backends with session persistence and health checks, maintaining high availability and redundancy.

Example of Load Balancing YSoft SafeQ #

Imagine you have a large enterprise running YSoft SafeQ with three print servers and two SafeQ servers to handle authentication and print queue management. Here’s how RELIANOID ADC enhances this setup:

• Print Job Distribution: RELIANOID ADC uses the least connections algorithm to distribute incoming print jobs evenly across the three print servers, ensuring no single server is overwhelmed.
• High Availability: RELIANOID ADC continuously checks the status of each server. If one of the print servers fails, the load balancer automatically reroutes traffic to the remaining two servers, ensuring uninterrupted print services.
• Session Persistence: RELIANOID ADC ensures that all print jobs from the same user are routed to the same server for consistency and to reduce latency.
• Scaling: As the organization grows, a fourth print server is added. RELIANOID ADC immediately begins distributing traffic to the new server, ensuring the system scales seamlessly with increased demand.

Conclusion #

With RELIANOID ADC, organizations can fully unlock the potential of YSoft SafeQ by ensuring high availability, enhanced performance, and seamless scalability, making it the ultimate solution for managing enterprise print environments efficiently and securely.

If your business is deploying YSoft SafeQ, RELIANOID ADC is the key to future-proofing your print infrastructure and meeting the demands of today’s dynamic enterprise needs.

Contact us today to learn how RELIANOID ADC can optimize your print management system and elevate your organization’s performance.