Cluster shared Temp folder

The cluster shared Temp folder serves as a central and shared storage location for Planning Space application processes that require temporary storage. It needs to be a shared folder because the server machine that begins an operation might not be the same machine that finishes the data processing, or returns the result. The shared Temp is also used to improve performance during bulk uploads of data into the database.

Basic requirements

When specifying the shared Temp folder, the following conditions apply:

• the share location must be a file share that is accessible by a UNC (universal naming convention) path;
• the file share must be network accessible by all of the IPS server machines in the cluster, as well as by all of the SQL Server machines in use;
• The file share should have a latency of under 1 ms and a minimum of 1 GB per second for its LAN network connections with the IPS Server machine(s) and the SQL Server;
• the file share must be accessible for read by the SQL Server service account (note: if the service account is the default 'NT SERVICE\MSSQLSERVER' then the SQL server's '{DOMAIN}\{COMPUTER_NAME}$' account will require this permission);
• the file share must be accessible for read and write by the IPS Service account (note: if the service account is local and not domain-based then by default it will be blocked for access to file shares in the domain, so those access rights will need to be enabled).

The shared Temp should have a minimum of 50 GB of free space. In normal operation, temporary files will be automatically cleaned by the IPS Server and Planning Space applications.

Note: If IPS server machines shut down unexpectedly then data may be left behind in the folder. IPS Server does not perform automatic cleaning of the folder contents after an unplanned shutdown because it is not possible to unambiguously identify data ownership. Manual cleaning of the shared Temp should only be done while all servers are shut down.

Issues with Planning Space databases and SQL Server

The cluster shared Temp folder can be placed anywhere on the network (subject to the requirements listed above) only in the case that SQL account authentication is used to configure Planning Space tenants (see Add a new tenant).

However, if the IPS Service Account is configured for access to the SQL Server, which invokes Windows authentication, then the Temp folder must be located on the same machine as the SQL Server. (Note: this is a security restriction imposed by SQL Server to restrict bulk insert operations; see Microsoft SQL Server help.)

This security restriction can be avoided, and the shared Temp folder placed anywhere on the network, by means of more complex system configuration: Kerberos delegation must be configured, and required SETSPN commands must be performed by a Domain Administrator. Please contact Quorum Support for instructions for running IPS Server and SQL Server in this configuration.