Troubleshooting Array Configuration

One common concern in managing arrays is confirming that the array members are in synchronization with each other and that replication is occurring. When you make a change to the array, the array might not function properly until the replication has occurred. This should only be a couple of minutes, but you can check the configuration status of each array member by selecting the Monitoring node of the console tree and clicking the Configuration tab shown in Figure 13-8.

Figure 13-8: The Configuration tab is very useful for checking that all array members are in sync.

Specifying a CSS and an Alternate CSS

You can configure the CSS to which the array members will connect and optionally configure an alternate CSS server in your environment to prevent having a single point of failure on your network.

Note 

If the CSS fails, then the ISA servers will continue to function based on their cached settings.

To specify the CSS server or alternate CSS server, follow these steps:

1. Open the ISA Server Management console, and select the Arrays node in the console tree.

2. In the details pane, right-click the applicable array and select Properties.

3. Click the Configuration Storage tab.

4. In the Configuration Storage Server (Enter The FQDN) text box, type the fully qualified domain name (FQDN) of the preferred CSS server.

5. In the Alternate Configuration Storage Server (Optional) text box, type the FQDN of an alternate CSS server, and click OK.

   Note 

   If the ISA Server Management console is unable to resolve the FQDN of the alternate CSS, an error appears.

6. Click Apply to commit your changes, and then click OK.

For disaster recovery, you may configure a replicate CSS to take over responsibility if the preferred CSS or alternate CSS server is not available. To configure a replica of the CSS, follow the instructions for installing the CSS (as described in Chapter 3), selecting the Create A Replica Of The Enterprise Configuration option, and adding the replica ISA Server computer to the Replicate Configuration Storage Servers computer set. In addition, you can run the ChangeStorageServer.vbs script located in the ISA Server installation folder to configure the replicate CSS to take over responsibility.

Unable to Connect to the CSS

If you don't specify a valid FQDN for the name of the CSS server, you cannot make a connection. This lack of connectivity could be caused by any of the following:

• Mistyping the name

• Incorrect DNS entry or HOSTS file entry

• Incorrect certificate mapping if using a CSS in a workgroup scenario

• Incorrect Service Principle Name if using a CSS in a domain scenario

To rectify this, start with some basic troubleshooting procedures, like pinging the server name and verifying that the DNS or HOSTS file entries correctly map the CSS computer's Internet Protocol (IP) address to the FQDN.

Note 

For more information on troubleshooting common array configuration issues, reference the ISA Server Help file and search for "Troubleshooting Administration."