Can I have multiple web servers hooked up to a SQL Server cluster and still maintain a user’s session?
I’ve thought of various approaches. The one suggested by the Microsoft site is to use response.redirect to the “correct” server. While I can understand the reasoning for this, it seems kind of short sighted.
If the load balancer is sending you to the server currently under the least strain, surely as a developer you should honor that?
Are there any best practices to follow in this instance? If so, I would appreciate knowing what they are and any insights into the pros/cons of using them.
Some options:
The load balancer can be configured to have sticky sessions. Make sure your app session timeout is less than the load balancers or you’ll get bounced around with unpredictable results.
You can use a designated state server to handle session. Then it won’t matter where they get bounced by the LB.
You can use SQL server to manage session.
Check this on serverfault.
https://serverfault.com/questions/19717/load-balanced-iis-servers-with-asp-net-inproc-session