Managing multiple Apache proxies simultaneously (mod_proxy_balancer)
- by Hank
The frontend of my web application is formed by currently two Apache reverse proxies, using mod_proxy_balancer to distribute traffic over a number of backend application servers. Both frontend reverse proxies, running on separate hosts, are accessible from the internet. DNS round robin distributes traffic over both. In the future, the number of reverse proxies is likely to grow, since the webapplication is very bandwidth-heavy.
My question is: how do I keep the state of both reverse balancers / proxies in sync?
For example, for maintenance purposes, I might want to reduce the load on one of the backend appservers. Currently I can do that by accessing the Balancer-Manager web form on each proxy, and change the distribution rules. But I have to do that on each proxy manually and make sure I enter the same stuff.
Is it possible to "link" multiple instances of mod_proxy_balancer? Or is there a tool out there that connects to a number of instances, and updates all with the same information?
Update: The tool should retrieve the runtime status and make runtime changes, just like the existing Balancer-Manager, only for a number of proxies - not just for one. Modification of configuration files is not what I'm interested in (as there are plenty tools for that).
