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Working with Flex Clients

Defining Flex Client configurations is another critical step in setting up Double-Take Flex because the core functionality is built around target associations. A Flex Client configuration represents the physical (or virtual) machine that will boot from iSCSI SAN. The key information that a Double-Take Flex Client configuration provides is the client MAC address. After adding the initial configuration, there are additional properties that you can specify, such as where to write Flex Client data.

You can define Flex Client configurations in the Double-Take Flex Management Console or, for large-scale deployments, you can use the Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI) interface to add Flex Client configurations by script.

Adding Flex Clients

A Flex Client configuration must be added for each client that will be associated with a target. To add a configuration, perform the following steps:

  1. On the Double-Take Flex Management Server, click Start, Programs, Double-Take, Flex Management Server, Flex Management Console.
  2. In the left pane of the Double-Take Flex Management Console, right-click Clients and select New Client.

  1. In the Create New Client dialog box, specify values for the following fields:

Field

Description

Enter the client's name

Specify a descriptive name for the Double-Take Flex Client. This name is displayed in the left pane of the Double-Take Flex Management Console.

Valid values: Maximum of 15 alphanumeric characters including hyphens; no special characters.

Enter the client's MAC address

Specify the MAC address of the Double-Take Flex Client. Do not include hyphens. The MAC address is a 12-digit hexadecimal identifier that is unique to every network adapter or network interface card (NIC). You can use the following methods to find the MAC address:

  • On the Double-Take Flex Client, run the command ipconfig /all. The MAC address is displayed.
  • Boot the Double-Take Flex Client. The MAC address is displayed during the boot process.
  • Use the Browse button to select from a list of MAC addresses that have made PXE requests (broadcasts) within the last seven days.
  • Specify a wildcarded MAC address. Question marks (?) can be used as wildcard placeholders for Double-Take Flex Clients that share similar models of NICs from the same vendor. The first six characters of the 12-digit MAC address always identify the manufacturer of the NIC. Therefore, you could use the first six characters of the MAC address and six question marks (?) as wildcards to complete the 12-digit MAC address. If any of the other digits were common to all MAC addresses in a group of client systems, you could use wildcards to represent those digits.

Enter a description for the client

(optional) Specify a description for the Double-Take Flex Client configuration.
  1. Click OK.

The Flex Client is created. There are additional properties that you can specify, or you can proceed to Working with target associations.