Configuring Content Cortex

IBM Content Cortex provides numerous containerized components for use in your container environment. The configuration settings for the components are recorded and stored in the shared YAML file for operator deployment. After you prepare your environment, you add the values for your configuration settings to the YAML so that the operator can deploy your containers to match your environment.

Before you begin

Confirm that you have completed the following tasks to prepare to deploy your Content Cortex images:
  • Prepare your Content Cortex environment. These procedures include setting up databases, LDAP, storage, and configuration files that are required for use and operation. You must complete all of the preparation steps for Content Cortex before you are ready to deploy the container images. Collect the values for these environment components; you use them to configure your Content Cortex container deployment.
  • If you want to deploy additional optional containers, prepare the requirements that are specific to those containers. For details, see Preparing volumes and folders for the Content Services GraphQL API.

About this task

Choose which containers you want to install and which customizations you want to apply. Make a note of the different customization parameter names and values from your setup tasks. Keep these names and values close to hand for when you edit the custom resource (CR) YAML file.

Procedure

  1. Open the CR file in the OCP console YAML View or open the CR created by the deployment script.
  2. Check the values to make sure that they are the values that you want to deploy. If you need more configuration parameters, then use the fully customizable Content Cortex template to copy lines from and paste them into your CR file.
    Go to the descriptors/sub-operator/FNCM folder in your downloaded cert-kubernetes repository to find all of the templates.

    If you chose to customize Content Cortex from the outset by manually copying a fully customizable decisions template, then edit where necessary the default values for each Content Cortex parameter in the CR file.

    Note: From 26.0.0-IF001 If you selected to use IBM PG (CNPG) as your deployment database and you want to use CNPG for Content Cortex, check that the datasource_configuration.dc_gcd_datasource.dc_use_postgres, datasource_configuration.dc_os_datasource.dc_use_postgres, and datasource_configuration.dc_icn_datasource.dc_use_postgres parameters are set to true.

    If you do not want to use CNPG for Content Cortex, set the values to false. Then check the values of the external database parameters that you generated when you ran the cp4a-prerequisites.sh script.

    Consider the following information as you record the values for your deployment environment in the CR file:
    Shared configuration settings

    Un-comment and update the values for the shared configuration, LDAP, datasource, monitoring, and logging parameters, as applicable.

    Note: For values for the database port parameters, use string values instead of number values. For example, instead of 5000, use "5000".

    Use the secrets that you created for the root_ca_secret and trusted_certificate_list values.

    Important: If you are using Oracle pluggable databases, you must update the default value for the dc_os_datasources.database_name parameter in the shared_configuration section. This value must be a single-word name and cannot be a DNS name like mydb.engineering.ibm.com. For example, instead of mydb.engineering.ibm.com, an invalid database name for this parameter, use mydb, which is a valid database name value for the parameter.

    Then, confirm that your value for the dc_oracle_os_jdbc_url parameter contains your full database DNS name, for example, jdbc:oracle:thin:@//myhostname.ibm.com:1521/mydb.engineering.ibm.com.

    For more information about the shared parameters, see the following topics:

    Content Platform Engine settings

    Use the cpe section of the custom YAML to provide values for the configuration of Content Platform Engine. You provide details for configuration settings that you have already created, like the names of your persistent volume claims. You also provide names for pieces of your Content Platform Engine environment, and tuning decisions for your runtime environment.

    For more information about the settings, see Content Platform Engine parameters.

    Content Search Services settings

    Use the css section of the custom YAML to provide values for the configuration of Content Search Services. You provide details for configuration settings that you have already created, like the names of your persistent volume claims. You also provide names for pieces of your Content Search Services environment, and tuning decisions for your runtime environment. To enable IBM® Content Collector P8 Content Search Services Support, be sure to complete the parameters in the subsection for css_production_setting.icc.

    For more information about the settings, see Content Search Services parameters.

    Content Management Interoperability Services settings

    Use the cmis section of the custom YAML to provide values for the configuration of Content Search Services. You provide details for configuration settings that you have already created, like the names of your persistent volume claims. You also provide names for pieces of your Content Search Services environment, and tuning decisions for your runtime environment.

    For more information about the settings, see Content Management Interoperability Services parameters.

    Content Services GraphQL settings

    Use the graphql section of the custom YAML to provide values for the configuration of the Content Services GraphQL API. You provide details for configuration settings that you have already created, like the names of your persistent volume claims. You also provide names for pieces of your Content Services GraphQL environment, and tuning decisions for your runtime environment.

    The section includes a parameter for enabling the GraphiQL development interface. Note the following consideration for including GraphiQL in your environment:

    • If you are deploying the GraphQL container as part of a test or development environment and you want to use GraphiQL with the API, set the enable_graph_iql parameter to true.
    • If you are deploying the GraphQL container as part of a production environment, it is recommended to set the enable_graph_iql parameter to false.

    For more information about the settings, see Content Services GraphQL parameters.

    Task Manager parameters

    Use the tm section of the custom YAML to provide values for the configuration of Task Manager. You provide details for configuration settings that you have already created, like the names of your persistent volume claims. You also provide names for pieces of your Task Manager environment, and tuning decisions for your runtime environment.

    You can also remotely load JAR files containing job implementations with the TM_JOB_URL parameter in the tm_production_setting section of the YAML file.

    If you want to deploy Task Manager, you must also deploy IBM Business Automation Navigator. The Task Manager uses the same database as IBM Business Automation Navigator. Database settings must match between these two components.

    For Task Manager, pay particular attention to any relevant values in the jvm_customize_options parameter.

    For more information about the settings, see Task Manager parameters.

    Initialization settings

    Use the initialize_configuration section of the custom resource file to provide values for the automatic initialization and setup of Content Platform Engine and IBM Business Automation Navigator. The initialization container creates initial instances of your Content Cortex components, such as the Content Cortex Domain, one or more object stores, and configuration of IBM Business Automation Navigator. You also provide names for pieces of your Content Cortex environment, and make decisions for your runtime environment.

    You must provide all of the required values for initialization in your environment. If you leave any of the following parameters blank, the initialization does not occur:
      initialize_configuration:
        ic_ldap_creation:
          ic_ldap_admin_user_name:
          ic_ldap_admins_groups_name:
        ic_obj_store_creation:
          object_stores:
          - oc_cpe_obj_store_display_name: 
            oc_cpe_obj_store_symb_name: 
            oc_cpe_obj_store_conn:
              dc_os_datasource_name:
              dc_os_xa_datasource_name: 
            oc_cpe_obj_store_admin_user_groups:

    If the required initialization parameter values are supplied, and the sc_content_initialization parameter does not exist or set to false in the CR, then initialization will not occur.

    If the required initialization parameter values are supplied, and the sc_content_initialization is set to true in the CR, then the initialization will occur.

    Important: Do not use the initialization capability if you are using a directory server other than IBM Security® Directory Server or Windows Active Directory. If you want to use a different directory server, wait until the operator completes deployment. Then, configure the domain with that service in the Administration Console for Content Platform Engine.

    Initialization also does not support multiple LDAP providers. You can configure additional LDAP providers in the administration console after deployment is complete.

    Remember: If you want to enable the content event emitter on your object store, use the following setting:
    ic_obj_store_creation:
          object_stores:
          oc_cpe_obj_store_enable_content_event_emitter: true

    You can edit the YAML to configure more than one of the available pieces in your automatically initialized environment. For example, if you want to create an additional Content Search Services server, you copy the stanza for the server settings, paste it below the original, and add the new values for your additional object store:

    ic_css_creation:
     #   - css_site_name: "Initial Site"
     #     css_text_search_server_name: "{{ meta.name }}-css-1"
     #     affinity_group_name: "aff_group"
     #     css_text_search_server_status: 0
     #     css_text_search_server_mode: 0
     #     css_text_search_server_ssl_enable: "true"
     #     css_text_search_server_credential: "RNUNEWc="
     #     css_text_search_server_host: "{{ meta.name }}-css-svc-1"
     #     css_text_search_server_port: 8199
    
    

    You can create additional object stores, Content Search Services indexes, IBM IBM Business Automation Navigator repositories, and IBM IBM Business Automation Navigator desktops.

    For more information about the settings, see Initialization parameters.

    Verification settings

    Use the verify_configuration section of the custom YAML to provide values for the automatic verification of your Content Platform Engine and IBM Business Automation Navigator. The verify container works in conjunction with the automatic setup of the initialize container. You can accept most of the default settings for the verification. However, compare the settings with the values that you supply for the initialization settings. Specific settings like object store names and the Content Platform Engine connection point must match between these two configuration sections.

    For more information about the settings, see Verify parameters.

What to do next

Continue to configure the other capabilities that are in your CR file, and make sure that you complete the last step Validating the YAML in your custom resource file before you apply the CR to the operator.

Important: After you deploy the containers, complete your setup steps: Completing post-installation tasks for Content Cortex