Automated Cache Server Installation (Velocity)

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[This topic is pre-release documentation and is subject to change in future releases. Blank topics are included as placeholders.]

The Microsoft project code named "Velocity" installation program supports automated installation in addition to its graphical user interface (GUI). With automated installation, deployment of your multi-server distributed cache system can proceed at an optimal pace.

Automated installation also lets you take advantage of other administrative automation that you may already have in your IT infrastructure.

When you use automated installation, all the same rules apply as when you use the GUI. The security identity that invokes the automated installation requires the same permissions that are needed when using the GUI. For more information, see Cache Server Installation (Velocity).

Note

When using the /quiet switch for a "silent" installation, errors encountered during the installation are not reported to the console. Instead, errors are written to a file named Install.log, located in the installation folder.

Installation Sequence Considerations

The "Velocity" installation program must edit the cluster configuration settings during the installation. If your cluster configuration settings are stored in a shared network folder, there is the possibility of contention on the ClusterConfig.sdf file during parallel cache server installations. For this reason, we recommend that you sequence your cache server installations one at a time when using a shared network folder for cluster configuration settings. For more information, see Shared Folder-Based Cluster Configuration (Velocity).

SQL Server excels at concurrent connections, and the possibility of contention on the cluster configuration settings is much less when storing your cluster configuration settings in a SQL Server database. If you plan on performing parallel installations of cache servers, we recommend that you use SQL Server for your cluster configuration storage location. For more information, see SQL Server-Based Cluster Configuration (Velocity).

Automated Installation Commands

To invoke the automated installation, call the "Velocity" installation program from the command prompt with the desired command-line parameters, as appropriate for your deployment. The command-line parameters for automated installation are similar to the options available when using the GUI.

Note

On Microsoft Windows Vista and Microsoft Windows Server 2008 operating systems, you must right-click the Command Prompt shortcut and select Run as administrator in order for the automated installation to work correctly.

Installation Parameters

The installation program uses the /i switch to signify an installation and the /quiet switch to signify that it should be done in an automated fashion. There are several required and optional parameters for the installation command, as shown in the table following the example. The command is used the same way for both versions of the installation program (for 32-bit and 64-bit operating systems).

MicrosoftDistributedCache-i386.exe /i [options] /quiet

Note

Parameters must be capitalized.

Option Mandatory Description

PROVIDER

No

Specifies the type of cluster configuration storage location.

Use the default value, System.Data.SqlServerCe.3.5, for a shared network folder. Use System.Data.SqlClient for a SQL Server database. For more information about these options, see Cluster Configuration Storage Options (Velocity).

CONNECTIONSTRING

Yes

Specifies the path to the shared network folder or the SQL Server connection string. For example, \\ConfigFileServer\ClusterSettings for a shared network folder named ClusterSettings on a network file server named ConfigFileServer or Server=SQLServer1;Database=ClusterConfigurationDB;Trusted_Connection=true for a SQL Server database named ClusterConfigurationDB located on an instance of SQL Server named SQLServer1 using Windows integrated authentication.

CLUSTERNAME

Yes

Specifies the name of the cache cluster to be created or to be joined.

CLUSTERSIZE

Yes

The approximate size of the cluster. Possible values are small, medium, or large. A small cluster is considered to be 1 to 4 cache servers, medium is 5 to 15, and large is considered to be 16 to 50 cache servers.

UNBLOCKSERVICE

Yes

Automatically create a Windows Firewall exception for the cache host Windows service; true or false. This firewall exception is required for the cache host to function properly. For more information, see TCP/IP Communications (Velocity).

UNBLOCKFILESHARING

Yes

Automatically create a Windows Firewall exception for Windows File and Printer Sharing; true or false. This firewall exception is required for the cache host to function properly. For more information, see TCP/IP Communications (Velocity).

UNBLOCKREMOTEADMIN

Yes

Automatically create a Windows Firewall exception for Remote Administration; true or false. This firewall exception is required for the cache host to function properly. For more information, see TCP/IP Communications (Velocity).

SERVICEPORT

No

The cache port number. Default value used is 22233. For more information, see TCP/IP Communications (Velocity).

CLUSTERPORT

No

The cluster port number. Default value used is 22234. Note that the arbitration port number used by the cache server will also be one greater than the cluster port. For more information, see TCP/IP Communications (Velocity).

CACHESIZE

No

The maximum allowable memory on the cache server used for storing data, in units of MB. The default value is 50% of the computer memory.

INSTALLDIR

No

The path of the installation folder. By default, the Microsoft Distributed Cache folder in the operating system's Program Files folder is selected.

Uninstallation Parameters

The installation program uses the /x switch to signify an uninstallation and the /quiet switch to signify that it should be done in an automated fashion. There are several required parameters for the uninstallation command, as shown in the table following the example. The command is used the same way for both versions of the installation program (for 32-bit and 64-bit operating systems).

MicrosoftDistributedCache-i386.exe /x [options] /quiet

Note

Parameters must be capitalized.

Option Mandatory Description

BLOCKSERVICE

Yes

Automatically remove the Windows Firewall exception for the cache host Windows service; true or false. This firewall exception had been required for the cache host to function properly. For more information, see TCP/IP Communications (Velocity).

BLOCKFILESHARING

Yes

Automatically remove the Windows Firewall exception for Windows File and Printer Sharing; true or false. This firewall exception had been required for the cache host to function properly. For more information, see TCP/IP Communications (Velocity).

BLOCKREMOTEADMIN

Yes

Automatically remove the Windows Firewall exception for Remote Administration; true or false. This firewall exception had been required for the cache host to function properly. For more information, see TCP/IP Communications (Velocity).

REMOVECONFIGACL

Yes

Automatically remove the permissions on the cluster configuration storage location that had been granted to the cache host service which enabled reading and editing of the cluster configuration settings; true or false.

Repair Parameters

The installation program uses the /f switch to signify a repair and the /quiet switch to signify that it should be done in an automated fashion. There are several optional parameters for the repair command, as shown in the table following the example. The command is used the same way for both versions of the installation program (for 32-bit and 64-bit operating systems).

MicrosoftDistributedCache-i386.exe /f [p][d][c][a][u][m][s] /quiet
Option Description

p

Reinstalls only if the file is missing.

d

Reinstalls if the file is missing or a different version is installed.

c

Reinstalls if the file is missing or the stored checksum does not match the calculated value.

a

Forces all files to be reinstalled.

u

Rewrites all required user-specific registry entries.

m

Rewrites all required computer-specific registry entries.

s

Overwrites all existing shortcuts.

Note

The GUI-based repair command uses the p, m, and s options.

See Also

Tasks

How to: Install for the First Time (Velocity)
How to: Install an Additional Cache Server (Velocity)
How to: Uninstall a Cache Server (Velocity)
How to: Prepare a SQL Server Database for Cluster Configuration Settings (Velocity)
How to: Prepare a Shared Network Folder for Cluster Configuration Settings (Velocity)

Concepts

TCP/IP Communications (Velocity)
Installing Cache Client Assemblies (Velocity)
Cluster Configuration Storage Options (Velocity)
Shared Folder-Based Cluster Configuration (Velocity)
SQL Server-Based Cluster Configuration (Velocity)
Cache Administration with PowerShell (Velocity)

Other Resources

Installation and Deployment (Velocity)