UserLock Frequently Asked Questions
UserLock disaster recovery.
In addition to the Primary server, you can install a UserLock Backup server on your network. The Backup server can be installed on another member server of your Protected zone. If necessary, you can configure a database for your UserLock Backup server. If this is the case, you must configure a different database than the Primary UserLock server.
If your Primary server meets an issue, UserLock agents will automatically switch to the backup server and maintain the protection enabled, which allows you to have time to install a new Primary server (or switch the Backup server to a Primary and install a new backup server).
Primary and Backup server will automatically be synchronized, without doing anything more.
For disaster recovery, you have to include in your backup process of your server:
- The folders localized in %ALLUSERSPROFILE%\ISDecisions\UserLock\Config containing UserLock configuration files.
- The database, named UserLock.mdb if you use the default database given with the package, localized in %ALLUSERSPROFILE%\ISDecisions\UserLock\Database.
The UserLock Backup server doesn’t need to be added to your backup procedure, as its information is synchronized from the Primary server.
If you meet a physical problem on the Primary server you have to:
- Install UserLock on the new server
- Start the configuration wizard but don’t click on Next in the Service account step. Leave the wizard on standby.
- Copy the folders containing UserLock settings from your backup system to %ALLUSERSPROFILE%\ISDecisions\UserLock\Config
- Click Next in the UserLock configuration wizard on the new server. The new service is automatically started and is working.
- Register your license serial through the console on the UserLock server properties.
- Set the database connection string in the Server properties (log section) if you are not using the UserLock.mdb Access database file.
- Once everything is ready, you have to register on the Backup server this new Primary server (even if you use the same name on the new server). To do it, launch on the Backup server the Configuration wizard (Start menu/All programs/UserLock/Tools/Configuration Wizard). On the first step, choose the Backup server and specify the name of the Primary server, even if you have used the same name as before. Follow the Wizard next steps until the end to validate it.
As said previously, instead of reinstalling a new Primary server, you can switch the Backup server role. Be sure that the synchronization was working well.
Then launch on the Backup server the Configuration wizard (Start menu/All programs/UserLock/Tools/Configuration Wizard).
Choose the Primary server role and follow the next steps. Once finished, the Backup server will become the new Primary server.
You will have to install a new Backup server on another server member of your Protected zone.
If there is a general Network issue or if both Primary and Backup server are not reachable, Agents will automatically disable the session rules to allow users to logon. Every session events will be stored locally into specific agent logs for history and sent to the server when the connection will be repaired.
It will permit to check the session connections during this period through reports.