Server Roles

In GO-Global, administrators play a key role in configuring and managing server roles to ensure smooth application delivery and performance. Through the Admin Console, they can designate servers as Application Hosts, Load Balancers, or Managers—each with a specific purpose in managing connections, licenses, and published applications. Understanding these roles is essential for maintaining a reliable and efficient GO-Global environment.

Administrators designate server roles in the Admin Console, through the Configuration tab of the Host Options dialog.

For example, administrators can designate a GO-Global Host as an Application Host (i.e., Independent Host, Dependent Host, or Farm Host) or as an Application Host Manager (i.e., Relay Load Balancer or Farm Manager.)

These roles are defined as follows:

Application Host

A host that serves as an endpoint for users to connect to and run their published applications.

• Independent Host: A standalone application host server that has its own set of published applications and settings.
  
• Dependent Host: An application host server that receives relayed connections from the Relay Load Balancer. Dependent Hosts receive a list of applications to publish, a GO-Global license, and most of the configuration settings from the Relay Load Balancer.
  
• Farm Host: An application host server that receives relayed connections from a third-party load balancer. Each Farm Host in a GO-Global farm should be included in the backend pool of the third-party load balancer. Farm Hosts receive a list of applications to publish, a GO-Global license, and most of the configuration settings from the Farm Manager.
  

Application Host Manager

A host that serves as a central point of management for a group of GO-Global Application Hosts. Application Host Managers cannot run GO-Global sessions.

• Relay Load Balancer: A node to which users can connect and have their sessions routed to Dependent Hosts. Administrators can publish applications and manage configurations for their group of Dependent Hosts from a Relay Load Balancer. The Relay Load Balancer also serves as a license manager for all Dependent Hosts connected to it.
  
• Farm Manager: A central place of management for a group of Farm Hosts. Administrators can publish applications and manage configurations for their group of Farm Hosts from a Farm Manager. The Farm Manager also serves as a license manager for all Farm Hosts connected to it. The Farm Manager is not a node to which end-users can or should connect. The Farm Manager should be used in conjunction with a third-party load balancer.
  

Hosts appear in the tree view of the Admin Console, as follows:

A Dependent Host is considered orphaned when its Relay Load Balancer is offline. Similarly, a Farm Host is considered orphaned when the Farm Manager is offline.

If the Application Publishing Service is not running on a host, the host’s icon will be red and is considered unavailable.

By properly assigning and managing server roles in GO-Global, administrators can optimize resource use, simplify configuration, and ensure high availability for end users. Whether setting up Independent, Dependent, or Farm Hosts, knowing how each role interacts within the system helps create a stable and scalable application hosting infrastructure.

Are you an ISV exploring cloud-based application delivery? Contact us to learn how GO-Global can help you streamline software access for your end users. Or download a free trial to test it yourself.