How to: Easily setup WebSphere Edge Components Load Balancer for webservers

Dispatcher provides the ability to spray requests between multiple servers. In the WebSphere Stack it allows load balancing between multiple webservers which in turn can relay requests to multiple application servers. They provide high availability and scalability. These instructions dictate how to setup a configuration similar to the following image:

From the follow article in the WebSphere Infocenter http://publib.boulder.ibm.com/infocenter/wasinfo/v6r1/index.jsp?topic=/com.ibm.websphere.edge.doc/welcome.html

To set up a simple IP spraying with WebSphere Edge Components Dispatcher 6.1 on Windows 2003 Server, follow these instructions:

1. Install the Dispatcher from the WebSphere Edge Components CD or archive file  (From experience: don’t install the first release 6.1.0.0. IBM is up to release 6.1.042 at time of writing. NOTE: You will need the .lic. licence, file from the original install)
2. Once installed (simple point and next scenario) open the Start > IBM WebSphere > Edge Components > Load Balancer > Load Balancer.
3. Expand the Load Balancer in the tree hierarchy.
4. Right click on the Dispatcher and select Start Configuration Wizard.
5. Click Next on the Dispatcher Configuration Wizard welcome screen.
6. Click Next again on the What to expect… page
7. Read the What Must I Do Before I Begin List and confirm access from the Load Balancer to the webservers on the desired ports (IE. https (443) / http (80) to hostname:port)
8. Click Create Configuration.
9. Select the host you wish to configure (the default is the local machine’s hostname on port 10099) and click Update configuration and Continue
10. Enter the desired domain to balance and Click Update configuration and Continue.
11. The wizard will confirm the cluster has been added, click next.
12. Enter the desired port number (IE: 443 for https 80 for http)
13. The wizard will confirm the port has been added, click next.
14. Add the IP address of the desired servers to be load balanced (your webservers).
15. Once all the servers in the cluster have been added click next
16. Leave the default of Yes for the advisor creation and add a name (IE: HTTPS)
17. Open the loop back instructions for Windows 2000/2003
18. On each of the webservers being balanced (NOT the load balancer itself!) follow these instructions:
    1. Open the control panel and click Add Hardware Wizard
    2. Click next on the Welcome screen
    3. Let the wizard search for new hardware
    4. On the Is the hardware connected? screen select the Yes radio button.
    5. At the bottom of the installed hardware list select Add a new hardware device and click next
    6. Select Install the hardware that i manually select from a list.
    7. Select Netword adapters
    8. Select Microsoft and the Microsoft Loopback Adapter
    9. Click next to install the adapter.
    10. click finish when complete.
    11. Open Network Connections and right click on the new Microsoft Loopback Adapter and select properties
    12. Select Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) and click Properties
    13. Select Use the following IP address and enter the IP address for the cluster, the proper subnet mask for the server and leave the default gateway empty.
    14. Enter the loop back address for the Preferred DNS server (IE: 127.0.0.1) and leave the alternate empty.
    15. Click OK and OK again.
    16. Repeat on all web servers in the cluster.
19. Click Exit at the end of the Wizard
20. Save the configuration (no spaces in the name) and restart the IBM Dispatcher service. (run > services.msc)

Want an highly available load balancer? Configuring high availability for IBM Load Balancer