Planning for your web application server

IBM Content Navigator is a web application whose server component runs within a web container on a Java Platform, Enterprise Edition application server.

The following table shows which web applications are supported on each web application server. Ensure that you are running a supported version of your web application server. For more information, see Prerequisites for installing IBM Content Navigator.

Table 1. Supported application servers. IBM Content Navigator is supported on multiple web application servers. However, the web application server that you use depends on the repositories that you are connecting to and the features that you plan to use.
Repository Type IBM WebSphere® Application Server Version 8.5.5 or later Oracle WebLogic Server 12 or later
IBM Content Manager Enterprise Edition ✓  
IBM Content Manager OnDemand ✓ ✓
IBM FileNet® Content Manager ✓ ✓
Task manager services ✓ ✓
Sync services ✓ ✓
IBM CMIS for Content Manager ✓  
IBM CMIS for FileNet Content Manager ✓ ✓
Note: For more information about the product versions in this table that are supported by IBM Content Navigator, see the Hardware and software requirements for IBM Content Navigator technote.

If you use IBM Content Navigator with IBM Content Manager or IBM FileNet Content Manager , you must deploy IBM Content Navigator on the same type of web application server as your repository, including the version. Because IBM Content Manager OnDemand is not deployed on a web application server, this restriction does not apply to IBM Content Manager OnDemand repositories.

If you plan to connect to IBM Content Manager and IBM FileNet Content Manager , but they are deployed on different types of web application servers, you have two options:
  • Redeploy IBM FileNet Content Manager on IBM WebSphere Application Server.
  • Deploy a separate instance of IBM Content Navigator on Oracle WebLogic Server to connect to your IBM FileNet Content Manager repositories.

You can use one instance of IBM Content Navigator to interact with all the supported repositories, or you can use separate instances for each repository.

Collocating IBM Content Navigator with other applications

IBM Content Navigator must be deployed in its own application server instance (that is, deployed into a single JVM). For example, if you are running IBM WebSphere Application Server, you deploy IBM Content Navigator into the application server that is running within a profile. No other Java EE applications can be deployed within this application server instance. However, other Java EE applications can be deployed in their own application server instances within a profile if the server is sized.

Session replication support

Highly Available ClustersIBM Content Navigator supports session replication only for IBM FileNet P8. Session replication is recommended for highly available IBM FileNet P8 environments. However, in a Kerberos/SPNEGO single sign-on (SSO) environment, session replication is required for failover support.

When IBM Content Navigator is deployed in a clustered environment, application server sessions that access IBM FileNet P8 repositories can use session replication to ensure uninterrupted service. However, if your IBM Content Navigator deployment accesses other types of repositories, users must log in to IBM Content Navigator again if an application server session is interrupted.

Important: After you deploy IBM Content Navigator on WebSphere Application Server Network Deployment, you must configure distributed sessions in the IBM Content Navigator enterprise application.

Memory requirements

You must have sufficient memory in the Java virtual machine (JVM) in the web application server where you plan to install and deploy IBM Content Navigator components:
  • If you are deploying to WebSphere Application Server, you must increase the JVM minimum heap size on the web application server to at least 1 GB or preferably to 2 GB. This setting prevents the web application server from hanging when the IBM Content Navigator components are deployed.
  • If you are deploying to WebSphere Application Server Network Deployment, you must increase the JVM minimum heap size on the deployment manager to at least 1 GB or preferably to 2 GB. This setting prevents the web application server from hanging or running out of memory when the IBM Content Navigator components are deployed.
  • If you are deploying to Oracle WebLogic Server, you must set the memory arguments (MEM_ARGS) parameter to at least 1 GB or preferably to 2 GB. This setting prevents the web application server from running out of memory when the IBM Content Navigator components are deployed.

Application server administrative security requirements

Most IBM Content Navigator components support or require application server administrative security. Additionally, the IBM Content Navigator Configuration and Deployment Tool requires you to specify the name and password of a web application server administrator to connect to your web application server.