Limitations of hierarchy
search cancel

Limitations of hierarchy

book

Article ID: 185262

calendar_today

Updated On:

Products

IT Management Suite

Issue/Introduction

Customers planning or maintaining a hierarchy in IT Management Suite (ITMS) require clear guidance on supported design, replication behavior, and configuration limitations.

This article outlines the supported hierarchy structure and key limitations that must be considered when designing or operating a hierarchy.

Are there limitations in hierarchy?

Environment

ITMS 8.7.x, 8.8.x

Cause

ITMS supports a single-tier hierarchy consisting of:

  • One Parent SMP Server

  • One level of Child SMP Servers

Multi-tier (three-tier or deeper) hierarchies are not supported.
Hierarchy replication is resource-intensive and introduces data latency. Replication frequency, number of child servers, protocol consistency, and version alignment must follow documented support boundaries to ensure stability.

Hierarchy-related issues typically occur due to:

  1. Unsupported hierarchy design (more than one child tier)

  2. Excessive replication frequency

  3. Version mismatch between SMP Servers

  4. Protocol mismatch (HTTP/HTTPS inconsistencies)

  5. Infrastructure sizing beyond validated limits

Resolution

Limitations of hierarchy

Hierarchy can simplify the management of multiple Notification Server computers. However, having multiple Notification Server computers does not necessarily indicate that you should implement a hierarchy. Even if a hierarchy simplifies your administration, it increases your Notification Server computer infrastructure overhead.

Supported Hierarchy Design

1. Hierarchy Structure

Only one-tier hierarchy is supported:

  • Parent SMP Server

    • Child SMP Servers

Three-tier hierarchies (Parent → Child → Grandchild) are not supported.

2. Maximum Number of Child SMP Servers

You can configure between one and six Child SMP Servers per Parent SMP Server.

  • Six (6) child SMP Servers is the maximum number validated through testing.

  • This value reflects the largest environment tested and validated.

  • Larger configurations have not been validated and are not supported.

3. Replication Behavior and Performance Impact

Replication is not real-time.

  • Replicated data is subject to time delay.

  • Depending on schedule configuration and hierarchy depth, replication may take up to 24 hours per tier.

Replicating More Than Once Per Day

Replicating more than once per day can have negative consequences, including:

  • Excessive SMP Server resource consumption (CPU, memory, disk I/O)

  • Increased SQL database write activity

  • Increased network traffic between Parent and Child SMP Servers

  • Potential replication event backlog

  • Extended replication cycle times

Recommendation:
Schedule replication carefully and monitor system resource usage before increasing frequency.

4. Version Alignment Requirement

All Parent and Child SMP Servers in a hierarchy:

  • Must run the same Symantec Management Platform version

  • Must run compatible solution versions

Before upgrading:

  1. Disable hierarchy replication.

  2. Upgrade servers following supported upgrade sequencing.

  3. Re-enable replication after all servers are aligned.

5. SSL / Protocol Consistency

It is recommended to use the same communication protocol between Parent and Child SMP Servers.

  • Mixed HTTP and HTTPS configurations between hierarchy nodes are not recommended.

  • HTTPS is preferred for current security best-practices and should be configured as the primary protocol.

Ensure consistent protocol configuration across all hierarchy nodes to avoid replication and connectivity issues.

Additional Information

Upgrading Notification Servers in a hierarchy

Hierarchy - Frequently Asked Questions

Powered by Wolken Software