Nintex Workflow 2013 Install on all servers in a farm


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Our Farm Overview:
Our SharePoint Production environment has (2 WFE's, 1 App server hosting Central Admin and search, 1 App Server hosting search components), All the 4 servers are running the recommended SharePoint services to run a workflow in SharePoint farm such as:

  • Microsoft SharePoint Foundation Web Application
  • Microsoft SharePoint Foundation Workflow Timer Service

We have 2 Production Licenses of Nintex Workflow 2013 for our 2 WFE's.

Questions:

  1. Where should we install Nintex Workflow 2013? Any WFE? or App Server hosting CA?
  2. As mentioned before we have 2 Production Licenses of Nintex Workflow 2013, however required workflow services (Workflow Timer, Web App services) are running on all servers and we don't want to stop services from App servers for redundancy purpose, Is Nintex will complain and ask to purchase 2 more PROD licenses? Or we good to go with 2 Production Licenses one each for WFE?

Thanks


5 replies

Userlevel 6
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1-The Nintex Workflow installer will install it on your 2 wfe servers. It will not install it on your 2 other server, because it's not needed there.

2-Your 2 production licenses are ok.

Userlevel 6
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Satish Putnala​, please mark it as answered.

Userlevel 7
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Satish,

I think this article will further answer your concerns. Defensive Workflow Design Part 2 - SharePoint Topology

  • You will only need 2 licenses for your effective 2 WFE servers (or servers that will provide the use of the workflow designer)
  • The solution will only be installed once, but SharePoint will deploy the solutions to all WFEs for deployment automatically and install dlls into the GAC on the WFE servers.
  • But consider your topology for redundancy
    • The workflow timer service should only be running on the WFE and not the app servers because of a known configuration of SharePoint services. Please see the article for details.

let us know if you have any further questions.

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Hi Andrew,

Thanks a lot for clarification, as per your recommendation before Nintex workflow 2013 install to PROD environment, if I turnoff  "Microsoft SharePoint Foundation Workflow Timer Service" for 2 app servers keeping "Microsoft SharePoint Foundation Web Application" in running state would be ideal? Please let me know you thoughts.

Thanks

Userlevel 7
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That would be acceptable for the deployment. Having the Workflow Timer service off on the app servers will support the SharePoint method of hydrating paused workflows.

Just some thoughts, you will not need the Web Application service for the central admin server just to run central admin. Unless you have search configured to crawl an app server as a dedicated crawl server, then the Web App service on the App servers may not have any use.

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