Installing And Configuring The Windows Server AppFabric Cache Services

You can download the Windows Server Appfabric from here. For a complete installation guide and perquisites details see here.

Now run the setup file. You'll see a screen after clicking next from the welcome screen. Select what service you would like to install through setup. This time we will use Cache Client and Cache Administration.



Click next for confirmation and click further to proceed with installation.


After the installation is done, you want to configure the setup for the host for what service you are using. I'm showing here configuratioin of the Cache Service.

Configuring the Cache Services:

Now launch the configuration tool from Start->AllPrograms->Windows Server AppFabric->Configure AppFabric.

Click next to skip the first two steps, including the Configuration of Hosting Services, since we're not going to discuss those right now. On the Configuration Caching service tab you'll get the screen like below.


Click the Check box "Set Caching service configuration".

It'll enable the "Caching Service configuration provider" drop down.


Now select the SQL Server AppFabric provider option & click Configure.

[Note: If your (in case it is a single machine) PC is a part of any WorkGroup\DomainGroup then this won't apply.

You can also select XML provider but in that case you need to create a shared directory on the network share and mention the path in configure option.



Specify the server name and database name. If you are creating a new database then check the box for the option "Create AppFabric Caching Service configuration database".

Give the name for the new database for e.g. AppFabric_Cache

Click OK; it'll prompt you to confirm. Click Yes.







If you see the success message then that means your SQL database for AppFabric is created successfully.



Now click on and select the Cluster setting. If you are configuring it the first time then select the new Cluster otherwise for an existing setting click Join cluster if you have already installed a cluster on you machine.
 
Now click Next.



Keep the default setting of Ports as it is. As in most of the examples these are the standard ports used. Select the two check boxes under the Windows Firewall exceptions section.

And click Next.



Click Yes in the confirmation box. It'll be configured in a few seconds depending on your machine.



After the processing is complete click the FINISH button on the screen.

And your Windows Server AppFabric Cache services are installed and configured.

But it's still not ready to use. There are a few basic settings you need to setup using the PowerShell.

Now go to Start->All Programs -> Windows Server AppFabric -> Caching Administration Windows PowerShell.

Run the powerShell with Administrator privilege. Otherwise you'll see the <ERROR 0…0032> when running a few commands.

Type the following command to start the cache cluster and service host:

1. Use-CacheCluster
2. Get-CacheHost
   
   
    
3. To start the CacheHost run Start-CacheHost <hostname> <port>
   
   
    
4. Creating a new cache run New-Cache –CacheName <myCache>
5. List the available Cache in running service host run Get-Cache

Hope this was helpful for setting up the Windows Server Appfabric. Now your cache Services are ready to use.

Cheers!!!