Installing a new secondary Administration server to run the current DRA version at a local site can help you minimize costly connections to remote sites while decreasing overall downtime and allowing quicker deployment of the user interfaces. This step is optional and allows AAs to use both the current DRA version and a previous DRA version throughout the upgrade process, until you are satisfied that your deployment is complete.
Consider this option if you have one or more of the following upgrade requirements:
You require little or no downtime.
You must support a large number of AAs, and you are not able to upgrade all client computers immediately.
You want to continue supporting access to a previous DRA version after you upgrade the primary Administration server.
Your environment includes an MMS that spans across multiple sites.
For example, if your MMS consists of a primary Administration server at your London site and a secondary Administration server at your Tokyo site, consider installing a secondary server at the Tokyo site and adding it to the corresponding MMS. This additional server better balances the daily administration load at the Tokyo site, and allows AAs from either site to use a previous DRA version as well as the current DRA version until the upgrade is complete. Additionally, your AAs experience no downtime because you can immediately deploy the current DRA user interfaces. For more information about upgrading user interfaces, see Deploying the DRA User Interfaces.