How to set up Active Active configuration?

Summary: Guide for Configuring MDSS Active-Active Setup

Description: Below is a detailed guide to configure an Active-Active setup for MDSS, along with a recommended startup approach to ensure stability.

Step 1 — Deploy External Services

Set up the following services on dedicated servers (separate from MDSS nodes):

• PostgreSQL — Install and create the MDSS database and user

• RabbitMQ — Install and create a user with appropriate permissions

• Redis — Install and configure a password for remote access

Reference documentation: External Services Configuration - MetaDefender Storage Security

Step 2 — Configure MDSS to Use External Services

On each MDSS node, update the /etc/mdss/customer.env file:

Step 3 — Disable Bundled Services

Since external services are used, disable the built-in services:

DISABLED_SERVICES=postgres,rabbitmq,redis

This ensures each MDSS node does not start local instances.

Step 4 — Start MDSS Nodes (Recommended Approach)

To ensure stable initialization:

1. Start only one MDSS node first

2. Verify all services are running properly

3. Perform a test scan (e.g., upload a sample file)

4. Once validated, start additional nodes using the same configuration

Step 5 — (Optional) Load Balancer

A load balancer is optional but recommended:

• Provides high availability for Web UI/API via a single endpoint

• Should include health checks (e.g., port 443)

Note: Not required for scanning, as workload distribution is handled via RabbitMQ.

How It Works

• File events (e.g., RTP) are published to the shared RabbitMQ queue

• The first available MDSS node processes the request

• All nodes share the same PostgreSQL database, ensuring consistent state and no duplicate scanning