Configuring API Control Plane

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API Control Plane is a centralized control and monitoring system that oversees and manages the entire API management landscape deployed across multiple regions, including cloud and on-premise environments. Connecting webMethods API Gateway to API Control Plane enables you to control and manage the performance of webMethods API Gateway effectively through API Control Plane.

To connect webMethods API Gateway to API Control Plane, it is essential to configure API Control Plane agent within webMethods API Gateway to establish a communication channel with API Control Plane. The agent is responsible for establishing and maintaining communication with API Control Plane.

You can configure API Control Plane agent through:
  • External configurations
  • webMethods API Gateway UI

External configurations

Configure API Control Plane agent through external configurations in one of the following ways: Environment variables or JAVA properties or YAML config file. For more information about how to create external configurations and what configurations are required for agent, see IBM webMethods API Gateway AdministrationConnecting IBM webMethods API Gateway to API Control Plane.

webMethods API Gateway UI

This section details API Control Plane agent configuration using webMethods API Gateway UI.

Note: If you have previously configured API Control Plane agent using external configurations and subsequently logged on to webMethods API Gateway, the API Control Plane communication screen displays as disabled and is not editable. In such case, if you want to re-configure API Control Plane agent using webMethods API Gateway UI, you must remove external configurations (Environment variables or Java properties or YAML config file ) used for the previous connection and restart webMethods API Gateway. Upon restart, webMethods API Gateway establishes a connection with API Control Plane using previously specified external configurations from the Elasticsearch since the configurations that are once specified through external configurations are retained in the external Elasticsearch to populate your desired values in the UI. This allows you to configure the agent through the UI.
Pre-requisite:

You must have webMethods API Gateway's manage destination configurations functional privilege assigned to configure API Control Plane.

To configure API Control Plane agent through webMethods API Gateway UI

  1. Expand the menu options icon menu_options, in the title bar, and select Administration.
  2. Select Destinations.
  3. Select API Control Plane > Configuration to configure API Control Plane agent.
  4. Provide the following information in the webMethods API Gateway Basic information section:
    Field Description
    Runtime name* Name of the runtime (webMethods API Gateway instance).

    This field defines how you want to identify your webMethods API Gateway instance in API Control Plane.

    In the context of API Control Plane, a runtime refers to any product deployment within the API Management suite such as webMethods API Gateway, webMethods Developer Portal, and Microgateway.
    Description Optional. Specify a description for the runtime.
    Tags Optional. Tag of the runtime.

    Tags are used to categorize the runtimes.

    Example: test, local, dev

    Note: A tag must not contain whitespaces.
  5. Provide the following information in the webMethods API Gateway deployment section:
    Field Description
    Deployment type Optional. webMethods API Gateway deployment type. Permitted values are as follows:
    • ON_PREMISE
    • SAG_SAAS
    • PRIVATE_CLOUD
    Region Optional. Region name where webMethods API Gateway is deployed.
    Location Optional. Country name where webMethods API Gateway is deployed.
    Host Optional. Base URL of webMethods API Gateway in the format, http://host:port

    Example: http://localhost:9072
    Capacity Optional. The approximate estimate of the throughput that webMethods API Gateway can handle for the specified duration.

    You can configure the capacity value with any non-negative integer.
    Capacity units Optional. Choose the unit of duration in which the capacity must be defined. Possible values are as follows:
    • per second
    • per minute
    • per hour
    • per day
    • per week
    • per month
    • per year
  6. Provide the following information in the API Control Plane configuration section:
    Field Description
    Control Plane URL* Base URL of API Control Plane.

    Example: https://localhost:8080
    Username* Username that is used to log on to API Control Plane.
    Note: Ensure that the user belongs to API platform provider user group.
    Password* Password of the corresponding user, which is used to log onto API Control Plane through basic authentication.
  7. Provide the following information in the synchronization configuration section to synchronize the data from webMethods API Gateway to API Control Plane:
    Field Description
    Heartbeat interval (in seconds) The duration in seconds in which webMethods API Gateway must send its health status to API Control Plane.

    Default value: 60
    Metrics synchronization interval (in seconds) The duration in seconds in which webMethods API Gateway must send its metrics data to API Control Plane.

    Default value: 120
    Asset synchronization interval (in seconds) The duration in seconds in which webMethods API Gateway has to synchronize the changes made to the assets to API Control Plane.

    Default value: 180
    Retry max attempts The maximum number of retry attempts allowed for webMethods API Gateway to establish a connection with API Control Plane if it is lost.

    Default value: 5
    Retry time interval (in seconds) The duration in seconds in which webMethods API Gateway has to re-establish the connection with API Control Plane if it is lost.

    Default value: 60
  8. Click Test to test the connection between webMethods API Gateway and API Control Plane.

    The connection with API Control Plane is tested and a success message appears.

  9. Enable the Control Plane communication toggle button to establish communication between webMethods API Gateway and API Control Plane.
  10. Click Save.

    Agent configuration is saved in the Elasticsearch and a communication is established between webMethods API Gateway and API Control Plane.

    Note: When you re-configure and save the following configurations:
    • Modifying runtime name field establishes a new communication channel, creating a new runtime in API Control Plane. The old runtime's status turns red, indicating that the connection is lost.
    • Modifying any field except the runtime name stops the existing communication channel and re-establishes with the updated values. During this period, the runtime's status appears red, indicating that the connection is lost.

    If the connection is lost, the Control Plane communication toggle button changes to a disabled state indicating that the connection is lost.