FileNet P8 architecture

Content Engine

Using FileNet P8 suite of products the content of each document is stored and managed by the Content Engine server. The Content Engine is implemented as a J2EE application, and so it runs within a J2EE application server. The Content Engine supports WebSphere®, WebLogic, and JBoss application servers. The properties associated with each document comprise the document's metadata. Typical metadata properties include: creator of the document, creation time of the document, and the type of the document. The metadata is stored in a database that is known as the document catalog. Content Engine supports DB2®, Oracle, and SQL Server databases. Searching for a particular document consists of querying the Content Engine database, and then retrieving the content corresponding to the matching documents

Although content can be stored in the Content Engine database, it is not recommended that you use this configuration, because the database can become too large and therefore difficult to manage if it holds all the content. To store content you should use either the file system or a fixed content device. If a file system is used, it is most often stored on a network-attached storage (NAS) or storage-attached network (SAN) device. Implementing a Redundant Array of Independent Disks (RAID) system provides both higher performance and high availability of the data. Fixed content devices typically include specialized storage subsystems that meet certain compliance requirements, such as the ability to guarantee that content is never modified and that it cannot be deleted until a specified date in the future. The Content Engine supports user-extensible document classes, allowing users to define new types of documents that can be stored and what additional metadata these classes of documents will maintain.

The Content Engine also supports event processing, that is, the ability to perform a user-defined action whenever a chosen event happens, such as creating, deleting, checking in, and checking out documents. Security can be configured on document classes or on an individual document using an Access Control List (ACL), allowing the owner of a document to define precisely who can access or modify the document. Content can be versioned, so that revisions to the content of the document can be checked into the Content Engine, and the Content Engine maintains a list of all these versions over time. Documents within Content Engine can be arranged hierarchically by filing them into one or more folders.

The Content Engine uses any of a number of supported Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) servers to perform user authentication. Using an LDAP server simplifies the installation and administration of the Content Engine system, because most corporations use an LDAP system for maintaining their user IDs and passwords. The Content Engine caches the responses from the LDAP server (keeps a copy for a period of time), which reduces the number of LDAP queries and reduces future response times.

The Content Engine uses TCP/IP to carry communication using the EJB communication protocol.

Process Engine

The Process Engine is a C++ based application that provides an enterprise-wide process management platform on which to build and deliver enterprise applications. The Process Engine allows you to create, modify, and manage automated business processes. The Process Engine provides software services, such as process execution and routing, integration of external rules engines, process analysis, and process simulation. These processes can be performed by applications, enterprise users, or external users, such as partners and clients. Processes run inside of an isolated region that acts as an individual processing space. The Process Engine uses the Process Engine database in which all process-related data is stored.

Process Engine uses Content Engine for user authentication, again simplifying its installation and administration. It also uses TCP/IP to carry communication using the IIOP communication protocol.

Application Engine

The Application Engine hosts the Workplace Web application, Workplace Java™ applets, and Application Programming Interfaces (APIs). It is the presentation tier for both content and process. The Application Engine also handles user authentication against the directory service. An Application Engine consists of an application server with one or more deployed applications.

Clients of Application Engine are Web browsers. They use the HTTP or HTTPS protocols in connecting to Application Engine. As a client of Content Engine and Process Engine, Application Engine uses their client protocols to connect to them.