Caching using AppFabric for custom application on SharePoint 2013

Question

I decided to use Distributed Cache of SharePoint 2013 on a separate dedicated Appfabric Cluster as recommended by MS for my custom application. I will have one application server running only Distributed Cache Service for this. I have below questions:

1. Is it required to install SharePoint on that Server?
2. How do I ensure that cache from this cluster is distributed across other servers of SharePoint?
3. How do I design my application to check for the cache in the separate cluster instead of default Distributed cache of the SharePoint?

Answer 1

1. Yes it is a standard server in the farm, that just is dedicated to run Distributed Cache Cluster
2. This is handled by AppFabric, the technology behind Distributed Cache Service
3. Et is EXPLICITLY forbidden to use the AppFabric cache cluster for your own apps:

Important: If you are using custom applications in SharePoint Server 2013 which use the AppFabric client APIs, or are creating custom caches, you should create a separate AppFabric cache cluster to support your custom applications. Do not use the AppFabric cache cluster supporting your SharePoint Server 2013 farm. Run your separate AppFabric cache cluster for your custom applications on separate servers from the servers dedicated to your SharePoint Server 2013 farm.

Source: https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/jj219572.aspx