Part of the new functionality introduced in Passwordstate Build 9493 is the concept of using Functional Roles. Functional Roles are supersets of functionality, that are designed, packaged and can be operated independently of your Primary Passwordstate instance. It provides the ability to offload specific functional workloads from your Passwordstate instance to other webservers.
To do this it uses the App Server architecture introduced in V9. The App Server was designed as an extensible platform with the first example of implementing a Functional Role being for our Mobile App connectivity. As of Build 9493 this has been extended to 7 main roles. This can be especially useful if you need to offload intensive processing associated with one of these roles to another webserver in your farm.
New Functionality for Authorized Webservers
Under Administration->Authorized Web Servers you can now choose to install multiple App Server instances and assign each of these one or more functional roles. The roles that can be assigned are;
- Standard API
- Windows Integrated API
- Browser Extensions
- Remote Site Locations Agent
- Password Reset Portal
- Self Destruct Messages
It’s always good practice to add your Authorized Webserver entry prior to installing the App Server on the new webserver. Once your Passwordstate instance has successfully polled a new App Server it will turn the Polling Health status to green and specify the correct Install Path. To define a new webserver with a Functional Role, simply click on Add as per the screen below;
This will take you to the Add New Authorized Web Server screen showing the fields to be filled out;
Enter the NetBIOS name for the Web Server Host Name, select the Server Role of App Server and select one or more of the Functional Roles you wish to assign to this instance of the App Server. Note if offloading Functional Roles to another webserver;
- they should only be with a Server Role of App Server,
- should be deselected from your Primary Server (to avoid confusion and inconsistent results), and,
- Your Primary Server and High Availability Server (if implemented) should always be set the same.
To instal the App Server on the nominated webserver you can download PasswordstateAppServer.exe from within Passwordstate by navigating to Administration->System Settings->Mobile Access Options and click on the Download App Server Installer button. I’d also highly recommend you first review the Installation and Administration Guide to ensure you’re using the very latest information. The guide can be accessed via the App Server Install Guide button and is also located on our website here https://www.clickstudios.com.au/downloads/version9/Passwordstate_App_Server_Install_And_Administration_Guide.pdf.
Ensure the Correct URLs are set for Functional Roles
When you offload a Functional Role to another webserver it’s important to ensure you update the URL required for that new webserver;
- For the Standard API, this is specified in your scripts
- For the Windows Integrated API, this is specified in your scripts
- For the Browser Extensions, this is specified under Administration->Browser Extension Settings-> Browser Extension Settings
- For the Remote Site Locations Agent, this is specified under the specific settings for each Remote Site Location. To find these navigate to Administration->Remote Site Administration->Remote Site Locations
- For the Password Reset Portal, this is specified under Administration->Password Reset Portal Administration->System Settings->miscellaneous
- For the Self Destruct Messages, this is specified under Administration->System Settings->self destruct messages
Please Note, when offloading the Remote Site Locations Agent to an App Server, it will source the upgrade files from that server instead of your core Passwordstate instance when it auto-updates.
Secure Your App Servers
Don’t forget to ensure you encrypt the Web.config file for each App Server instance you deploy. You’ll need to encrypt both the Database Connection String and the appSettings Section. For information on how to do this please refer to https://blog.clickstudios.com.au/securing-your-web-config-file/. Remember you’re encrypting the Web.config file located in c:\inetpub\PasswordstateAppServer. Again, if you have a different installation directory then you’ll need to look there for the Web.config file.
If you would like to share your feedback, we’d love to hear it. Just email it through to support@clickstudios.com.au.