Preparation20% of the exam
Server processes, default counts and high availability
What each Tableau Services Manager and Tableau Server process does, how many instances the installer configures, which processes run as several instances or install automatically, and how repository failover, Gateways and a load balancer fit into distributed and highly available clusters.
1.7 Server Processes: 1.7.1 Describe each Tableau Services Manager and Tableau Server process; 1.7.2 Understand: 1.7.2.1 Default process count at installation, 1.7.2.2 Multiple-instance processes, 1.7.2.3 Process-to-process workflows, 1.7.2.4 Processes in distributed and high-availability environments, 1.7.2.5 Purpose of a load balancer.
~8 min read · 12 practice questions
What the exam expects
- Describe what each Tableau Services Manager (TSM) process and each Tableau Server process does, and which status each normally shows.
- Calculate the default process counts the installer sets from the number of physical cores.
- Identify which processes can run as several instances, which run once per node, and which install automatically with others.
- Trace process-to-process workflows such as view rendering, extract queries and TSM configuration changes.
- Explain how repository failover, Gateways and a load balancer behave in distributed and highly available (HA) clusters.
Key terms:
- TSM process: a management process that keeps running after TSM is initialized, even when Tableau Server is stopped.
- Topology: which processes, and how many instances, run on each node, set with
tsm topology set-process. - Initial node: the first computer Tableau is installed on, which hosts processes no other node runs.
- Repository failover: an active/passive pair of PostgreSQL repositories where the passive one takes over.
- Load balancer: an external device that spreads client requests across Gateways on several nodes.
Key facts
Administration Controller
- Detail
- TSM request handler and HTTPS REST endpoint; initial node only
Maintenance processes
- Detail
- Database Maintenance and Backup/Restore show stopped unless running a job
VizQL default
- Detail
- Physical cores divided by four, maximum four
Backgrounder, Cache Server, Data Server default
- Detail
- Two unless fewer than eight cores
Repository instances
- Detail
- Maximum two; second needs at least three nodes
Data Engine
- Detail
- One automatic instance per applicable node
Cache Server ceiling
- Detail
- No more than six instances, two per node
Cache Server failure
- Detail
- Slower actions, no availability impact
Gateways behind a load balancer
- Detail
- All active; unavailable Gateway gets no requests
HA minimum
- Detail
- Three nodes
Elastic Server
- Detail
- Replaced by Index and Search Server from 2022.1
Sources for this section (6)
- Tableau Server Processeshelp.tableau.com (opens in a new tab)
- Installation Defaultshelp.tableau.com (opens in a new tab)
- Tableau Server Data Enginehelp.tableau.com (opens in a new tab)
- Cache Serverhelp.tableau.com (opens in a new tab)
- Add a Load Balancerhelp.tableau.com (opens in a new tab)
- Distributed and HA Installationshelp.tableau.com (opens in a new tab)
- Why won't you find Client File Service when you check process health on the Status page?
- When the initial node fails, how long can Tableau Server keep running before the missing licensing service affects other processes?
- Which TSM process stores the external SSL certificate and key files?
- Which Data Engine instance creates and refreshes extracts?
The questions are free to read. Answers with their sources and self-grading are included with the pack.
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