IN FOCUSEDS separates liveness detection, startup restoration, and listener readiness
Enterprise Directory Server (EDS), which replaces the legacy MFDS implementation in version 12.0, maintains both the startup configuration and current operating information for Enterprise Server regions and their associated components. Its monitoring controls address three different operational questions that are easy to conflate: Is the region responding? Should it be started after EDS restarts? When should it be reported as fully started? The Enterprise Directory Server [1]
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Scope: Rocket Enterprise Developer/Enterprise Server 12.0 for Eclipse on Linux/UNIX; Enterprise Directory Server administration.
Enterprise Directory Server (EDS), which replaces the legacy MFDS implementation in version 12.0, maintains both the startup configuration and current operating information for Enterprise Server regions and their associated components. Its monitoring controls address three different operational questions that are easy to conflate: Is the region responding? Should it be started after EDS restarts? When should it be reported as fully started? The Enterprise Directory Server
Liveness detection is provided by Enable Server Monitor. EDS periodically issues keep-alive requests to registered servers that are not marked Stopped or Disabled. A responsive server is marked Started; a server currently marked Started that fails to respond becomes Not Responding. This keeps the displayed status current even when the region cannot report back because of a machine or network failure. The documented monitor action is therefore a status transition—not an automatic restart after every failed keep-alive. Configure Monitor Options
Two timing settings control detection:
- Monitor Interval is the wait between interrogation cycles. The documented default is 60 seconds, but the effective time between checks is longer because each cycle takes time proportional to the number of servers and their responsiveness.
- Monitor Wait Time—also described as Acceptable Response Time—is how long EDS waits after sending a keep-alive before treating the server as unresponsive. Its documented default is five seconds and should account for normal network conditions.
Disabling the monitor does not stop it immediately; it stops at the next keep-alive interval timeout. Configure Monitor Options
Restore System On Startup serves a different purpose. When enabled, servers that were running when EDS shut down are started automatically when EDS starts again. This restores the prior running state after an EDS or system restart; it is distinct from the keep-alive monitor’s Not Responding classification. Directory Server Properties
Finally, All Listeners Start Required changes readiness semantics. With it enabled, a region remains Stopped until every auto-start or otherwise startable listener reaches Started. Without this requirement, a server can be reported Started before all listeners are ready, because the Communications Process control listener can update status while other listeners are still starting. Directory Server Properties
Takeaway: Treat EDS monitoring, restart restoration, and listener readiness as separate controls; a Not Responding status is detection, not documented automatic failover.