Chapter 2 Deploy the Access Control Servers

Deploying ACS Servers to Support Server Failover

•Client configuration—How to configure the client.

•Reports and event (error) handling—What information to include in the logs.

Replication Design

Because database replication in a ACS is a top-down approach, using the cascade method minimizes replication-induced downtime on the master server. If the primary server is not used for authentication services, but for database maintenance only, the cascade method may not be as critical.

However, when traveling across time zones, particularly international time zones, it may be necessary to use the cascade method going to remote secondaries. In this case, when you configure database replication on the Database replication setup page, click At specific times instead of Automatically triggered cascade.

Use the automatically triggered cascade method so that local replication occurs during a time that will minimize the impact on user authentication. During these long-distance replications, replicating to the backup or secondary server first also helps reduce this impact. Figure 2-10shows a hypothetical deployment for replication where each region has a primary and a secondary ACS deployed. In this scenario, replication is made to the secondary servers to avoid replication downtime to the primary, but, may not be needed if the primary is used mainly for database maintenance but not for authentication.

Figure 2-10 ACS Database Replication Scenario

Master

A

 

China

system 1

 

 

 

 

 

 

A

 

Master/

A

Secondary

secondary

remote-system

system 2

 

 

 

Secondary

A

 

system 2

California

158371

Database Synchronization Considerations

An alternative to database replication is the use of Relational Database Management System (RDBMS) synchronization. You use the RDBMS synchronization feature to update the ACS user database with information from an Open Database Connectivity (ODBC)-compliant data source. The ODBC-compliant data source can be the RDBMS database of a third-party application. It can also be an intermediate file or database that a third-party system updates. Regardless of where the file or database resides, ACS reads the file or database via the ODBC connection. RDBMS synchronization supports addition, modification, and deletion for all data items it can access.

 

Configuration Guide for Cisco Secure ACS 4.2

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Cisco Systems 4.2 manual Database Synchronization Considerations, Replication Design
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4.2 specifications

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