How do I add a connection from a downstream (remote) server to an upstream (consolidation) server?

Introduction

To add a new downstream-to-upstream connection with the UI

To delete a downstream-to-upstream connection with the UI

To add a new connection from a downstream (remote) server to an upstream (consolidation) server with the command line

To delete a downstream-to-upstream connection with the command line

To configure a downstream server proxy connection

Introduction

Adding a connection from a downstream (remote) server to an upstream (consolidation) server is an alternative method to the traditional means of adding remote servers to a consolidation server (where the consolidation server requires a direct reachability to initiate communication and to add remote server(s)).

In instances where connectivity to a remote Entuity server is only possible over the internet (i.e., when neither direct connection nor connection by VPN are available), then the remote Entuity server can initiate the request to be added to the consolidation server (where the consolidation server is internet-facing). Another use case is where the consolidation server is deployed in the cloud and there is a need to add remotely deployed servers.

Communication between Entuity servers is bidirectional, and HTTPS can be leveraged to encrypt communication.

For an introduction to multi-server configuration in Entuity, see this article.

To add a new downstream-to-upstream connection with the UI:

1. From the Main Menu, click Administration.
   The Entuity Administration page is displayed.
2. In the General Settings section of the page, click Multi-Server Configuration.
   
   
    
3. On the Multi-Server Configuration page that is displayed, click the Central Servers tab.
   
   
    

4. Click Add Connection at the top of the page (or from the Overflow Menu).
   
   
    

   The New Central Server form is displayed.
   
   
    

5. Specify the Host Name of the central server to which you want to connect.
6. Specify the Protocol and Port to be used.
7. Click Done to save your changes. Otherwise, click Cancel. 
   When you click Done, the connection initiation file required for initiating this downstream-to-upstream connection is automatically downloaded and installed in the correct location.
   • On a downstream (remote) server, if successful, the new entry is displayed on the Central Servers tab. The status for this entry shows as Requires Approval until a user on the upstream (consolidated) server approves the connection.
   • On an upstream (consolidated) server, if successful, the new entry is displayed on the Incoming Connections tab. You can then approve the connection by assigning a role to it.

To delete a downstream-to-upstream connection with the UI:

1. From the Central Servers tab of the Multi-Server Configuration page, select the connection that you want to remove.
2. Click Delete at the top of the page (or from the Overflow Menu or right-click Context Menu). 
   The connection is now deleted.

To add a new downstream-to-upstream connection with the command line:

1. Navigate to the Central Servers tab of the Multi-Server Configuration page.

2. Download the XML connection initiation file, which is at the bottom of the page.
    

   
   
    

3. Add it to entuity_home/etc/centralServers.
4. The server then automatically picks this file (files are checked every 1 minute) and tries to establish connection with the central server.
   • On a downstream (remote) server, if successful, the new entry is displayed on the Central Servers tab. The status for this entry shows as Requires Approval until a user on the upstream (consolidated) server approves the connection.
   • On an upstream (consolidated) server, if successful, the new entry is displayed on the Incoming Connections tab. You can then approve the connection by assigning a role to it.

Important note: if the central server has a different local hostname than its publicly-visible hostname, the XML connection file won't work. To resolve this, Entuity recommends that you specify the publicly-visible hostname with entuity.cfg using the following command:

[reverseconn]
server_hostname=<publically-visible hostname>

As an alternative, you can modify the XML connection file itself by editing the <hostAddress> element to change the hostname. However, Entuity recommends using the above method of editing the entuity.cfg file.

Important note: if you are adding a new downstream-to-upstream connection on Linux where Entuity is running on a non-root user, then both the entuity_home/etc/centralServer directory and the file(s) placed within it must have the ownership of the user account that Entuity runs under. If they are given root ownership, it might block the addition of a further connection from the UI and prevent old connections from being removed from the UI.

To delete a downstream-to-upstream connection with the command line:

You can remove a connection that you had previously added with the connection initiation file by deleting the previously downloaded file. The Entuity server then detects file removal and terminates any existing connection with the upstream server, and does not attempt to connect again.

To configure a downstream server proxy connection:

You can also configure a downstream (remote) server to connect to the upstream (consolidation) server with a proxy. You can do this by entering the following properties in the [reverseconn] section of entuity.cfg. Once you have made these changes, you must restart tomcat for the changes to be enacted.