An initial network deployment configuration consists of a deployment manager server that has a daemon for the z/OS® system on which the deployment manager runs. After a network deployment cell is created, you can add application server nodes by creating and federating new, empty, managed nodes into the network deployment cell.
To install IBM® Business Process Manager for z/OS into a network deployment environment, you must configure both a deployment manager node and an empty managed node before federation. When you federate the empty node to the deployment manager, the node becomes a managed node because it is being administered by the deployment manager. The managed node contains a node agent, but no application servers. You can use the administrative console to add an application server or cluster to the node.
The deployment manager runs the administrative console applications and is used for centralized administration tasks, such as managing the configuration of all of the managed nodes in its cell and deploying applications to selected servers and clusters in the cell. The deployment manager runs on one node, and application servers run in different nodes.
A basic network deployment configuration is made up of the following components:
- A deployment manager server running in a separate node that runs the administrative console application, which you can use to deploy applications.
- One or more application server nodes on each z/OS target system that hosts portions of the cell. Each node consists of a node agent and a number of application servers. Each node must be federated into the deployment manager cell.
- A single location service daemon on each z/OS system. For each cell, one daemon server must exist. This server runs constantly, checking and distributing server workload.
- A database management system, typically DB2® for z/OS, for storing the database objects.
The following figure shows a WebSphere® Application Server for z/OS network deployment configuration that has been extended with IBM Business Process Manager for z/OS functions. The deployment manager server has a daemon for the z/OS system on which the deployment manager runs. The deployment manager is administering four servers, A, B, C, and D, using two node agents.
- The hardware resources that you require
- The number of clusters and cluster members required to support your business
- The number of DB2 for z/OS subsystems, data sharing groups, and databases required
- Authentication roles and security considerations
- The method that you will use to implement the deployment environment
- Other supporting resources such as a user registry (for security), one or more HTTP servers (for web content), necessary firewalls, and load balancers
- Process Server
- Performance Data Warehouse
- Business Process Choreographer
- Business rules
- Mediations
- Relationships
Advantages of a network deployment configuration
- One of the main advantages of a network deployment configuration is availability. When the configuration contains multiple LPARs, you can reduce single points of failure and maintain availability during planned and unplanned outages.
- You can configure how messages are delivered. For example, you can specify secure assured delivery, which provides assurance that messages are not lost and are transported securely, or best effort delivery, where it is possible that messages might get lost in case of a system failure.
- You can set up a network deployment cell to have several servers that host mediation modules. Mediation modules provide scalability (the ability to handle more client connections) and greater message throughput.
- You can create server clusters. With server clusters, you can manage a group of servers together and enable those servers to participate in workload management.
- Your bus environment might be made up of several stand-alone and deployment manager profiles, to provide separate administrative domains for different departments, or to separate test and production facilities. Each profile has its own SCA.SYSTEM service integration bus.