How To: Change the Primary and Secondary Appliance on FileSync

Version Affected: All (FileSync 4.1.5.6)

 

Overview

During the initial FileSync installation, the Primary and Secondary servers are fixed. This article explains how to swap which server is the Primary and which is the Secondary in a FileSync deployment afterward.

1. On the server that will become Primary and the server that will become Secondary, open the Registry Editor and navigate to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\SecureAuth\FileSync.
   
2. Change the NodeType value: on the server becoming Primary, set it to PRIMARY. On the server becoming Secondary, set it to SECONDARY. A Secondary server also has an extra string value, InitialWCFCert, that a Primary server does not have.
3. On the new Primary server, set ClusterMasterID to that server's own NodeID value. On the old Primary server and all Secondary servers in the cluster, set ClusterMasterID to the new Primary server's NodeID value, so that every server's ClusterMasterID matches the new Primary server's NodeID.
4. On the new Secondary server, create a new String Value named InitialWCFCert under the FileSync key, and set its value to the serial number of the licensing certificate on the new Primary server.
5. Back up the Appliance_Sync folder (D:\MFCApp_Bin\Appliance_Sync) on both servers, then swap this folder between the two servers.
   
6. On D:\SecureAuth\SecureAuth0\Servers.list, update the IP addresses: the new Primary server's file should list its own IP, and the new Secondary server's file should list the new Primary server's IP.
7. From the old Primary server, copy D:\SecureAuth\SecureAuth0\SyncManifest.xml and D:\SecureAuth\SecureAuth0\idpservices.list to the new Primary server.
8. In Computer Management, under Shared Folders > Folders, copy the share (named as a GUID) from the old Primary server to the new Primary server, and assign the required share permissions for the local service account.
9. Restart the FileSync service, let it run for several minutes, then check the Application Event Viewer to confirm syncing is happening without errors.

Special Considerations

To stop FileSync entirely — for example, before performing other maintenance on a server — open Windows Services, right-click SecureAuth FileSync Service, and select Stop. To prevent it from starting again automatically, right-click the service again, open Properties, set Startup type to Disabled, and click Apply.


 

SecureAuth Knowledge Base Articles provide information based on specific use cases and may not apply to all appliances or configurations. Be advised that these instructions could cause harm to the environment if not followed correctly or if they do not apply to the current use case.

Customers are responsible for their own due diligence prior to utilizing this information and agree that SecureAuth is not liable for any issues caused by misconfiguration directly or indirectly related to SecureAuth products.