enableViewStateMac and Clustered servers with ASP.NET State Server

[Guest]

We are using ASP.NET State Server in our applications to protect session
state from machine.config and IIS recycles.

We also may cluster the servers in the future. We don't have the resources
to setup a test environment so I was hoping I could get the answer from here.

I came across
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;q313091 to create a
static machine key that I will place in our servers now so that if we ever
cluster that piece is ready.

I was wondering about enableViewStateMac. Currently it is True in
machine.config. Can this stay as True once the machines are clustered or will
it have to be changed?

Are there any other tweaks machine.config requires to use ASP.NET State
Server in a clustered environment?

Thanks,
fm

 

[Karl Seguin]

That's all we had to to...enableViewStateMac worked.

Karl

 

[Steven Cheng[MSFT]]

Hi Karl

EnableViewStateMac is used to protect the ViewState be tempered at
clientside. And the default setting in machine.config is true and can be
override in every web application via the web.config file.

As for web farm scenario(clustering servers), if we still want to make the
"EnableViewStateMac" as true, be sure to specify an idential machinekey
across all the servers in the cluster. Here is a blog article discussing on
this:

#Set enableViewStateMac to false or specify a when using a web farm in a
stateless load balance.
http://blogs.msdn.com/rich_crane/archive/2004/05/12/130693.aspx

In addition, if you're using FormsAuthentication in webfarm scenario, there
are some other settings also need to be identical across mutli
application(servers):

#Forms Authentication Across Applications
http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/default.asp?url=/library/en-us/cpguide/htm
l/cpconformsauthenticationacrossapplications.asp

Hope also helps. Thanks.

Regards,

Steven Cheng
Microsoft Online Support

Get Secure! www.microsoft.com/security
(This posting is provided "AS IS", with no warranties, and confers no
rights.)

 

[Karl Seguin]

Steven,
He specifically said he had alread specified a machineKey accross all
machines...I was just saying that's all that was needed to get it working
accross a cluster..

Karl

 

[Guest]

Thanks for the help everyone. As long as I use the hard-coded machineKey
across all machines in the cluster I'll be able to use Forms Auth and ASP.NET
State Server.

 

[Steven Cheng[MSFT]]

Thanks for your followup Fm,

Wish you good luck when applying the cluster in your actual projects. Also,
if you meet any problem or have any other good ideas , please always feel
free to discuss here. Thanks again for posting in the newsgroup.

Have a nice day!

Regards,

Steven Cheng
Microsoft Online Support

Get Secure! www.microsoft.com/security
(This posting is provided "AS IS", with no warranties, and confers no
rights.)