Creating the Advanced Process Center deployment environment

Create a Process Center deployment environment to store, run and administer process applications and toolkits that are developed in Process Designer and Integration Designer. You can create more than one deployment environments in the same cell using the Deployment Environment wizard. However, you can create only one Process Center-based deployment environment in a single cell.

Before you begin

Ensure that you have completed the following tasks:
  • Installed the product
  • Created the deployment manager profile and the associated nodes
  • Ensure that the database specified in the Database Configuration panel of the Deployment Environment wizard is already created. The deployment environment configuration never creates a database. For more information, see the section about creating databases.
  • Make sure that you start all the local and remote nodes that you want to add in the deployment environment.
  • When you create a 3-cluster deployment environment using the Deployment Environment wizard, the process might take a lot of time to complete. In that case, you can perform one of the following steps to create the 3-cluster environment:
  • If you are using the Deployment Environment wizard, you can enable deployment manager trace for details about the deployment creation. To enable trace for a single run and till the deployment manager restarts, log in to the administrative console, go to Troubleshooting > Logs and trace > deployment_manager_name > Change log detail levels > Runtime, add com.ibm.bpm.config.*=all to the Change log detail levels text area, and save the changes.
Note: You must have Process Center installed to install a Process Center-based deployment environment. If you have a Process Server installed, you need to start the IBM Installation Manager and modify your installation to use the Business Process Manager Advanced Process Center feature.

Because the procedure for creating deployment environments using the Deployment Environment wizard includes steps for selecting patterns and features, you should read and understand the information about patterns and features documented in the planning section.

Required security role for this task: When security and role-based authorization are enabled, you must log in to the administrative console as a user with Admin Security Manager and Administrator roles to create a deployment environment.

About this task

This task describes the procedure for creating a deployment environment that is based on a specific pattern and uses the Deployment Environment wizard. When you complete the configuration, the database scripts that you can use to configure the databases are generated.

Note: A snapshot that requires BPM Advanced Edition capability cannot be installed on more than one deployment environment in the same cell.
DB2 considerations:
  • IBM Process Server and IBM Performance Data Warehouse should not use the same database.

Procedure

Complete the following steps to create the deployment environment.

  1. From the administrative console, navigate to the Deployment Environments page by clicking Servers > Deployment Environments.
  2. Launch the Deployment Environment wizard by clicking New on the Deployment Environments page. The Create new deployment environment page is displayed.
    Note: The database provides isolation of internal groups, such as administrators. If the database is shared by two deployment environments, one administrators group is shared between them. When such a situation occurs, both administrators are able to login as administrator for each of the deployment environment.
    1. Enter a unique name for the deployment environment in the Deployment environment name field.
    2. Enter a user name for the deployment environment administrator in the Deployment environment administrator user name field.
      Note: It is recommended to use a different administrator for each deployment environment and also the cell administrator.
    3. Enter a password for the deployment environment administrator in the Password field.
    4. Reconfirm the password in the Confirm password field.
    5. In the Context root prefix field, you can either accept the default blank (empty) value or you can specify a context root prefix for all web modules in this environment. If set, the context root prefix must start with a forward slash character (/).
    6. Optional: In the Virtual host list, select a virtual host to map to all web modules of the IBM BPM applications in the deployment environment. The default selection is (none).
  3. From the IBM BPM Deployment Environment Type section, select Advanced Process Center. Features represent the runtime processing capabilities of your deployment environment.
  4. From the Select the deployment environment pattern section, select a pattern for the deployment environment and click Next to display the Select Nodes page. The available patterns are:
    • Single Cluster: The application deployment target includes the messaging infrastructure and supporting applications.
    • Application, Remote Messaging, Remote Support: A separate cluster each for application deployment, remote messaging, and remote support.
  5. On the Select Nodes page, select the nodes that you want to include in this deployment environment, then click Next to display the Define Clusters page.

    Select nodes that have the required capabilities for the environment you selected on the IBM BPM Deployment Environment Features section.

    Select at least one node for the deployment environment. For high-availability and failover environments, select at least two nodes. For scalability, you can add more nodes.

  6. On the Define Clusters page, assign the required number of clusters for each node and click Next to display the Customize Cluster Name and Ports page.

    By default one cluster member is assigned on each node for each function. You change the number by replacing the number in each column. If you are unfamiliar with the different cluster roles and functions provided by each type of cluster, see "Topology types and deployment environment patterns."

    A 0 (zero) value for a node means that the node does not contribute to the selected function, based on features that you have selected.

  7. On the Customize Cluster Name and Ports page, customize the cluster names or cluster member names for the cluster type. You can use the default values provided, or customize the cluster details, and click Next.
    Note: You can specify the starting port for the cluster members. The system generates default values for cluster member names and the starting port.

    Ensure that the starting port numbers you specify are at least 20 ports apart. Port numbers are reserved and assigned to each node for the cluster members using the port number that is specified. If you specify an initial port when you create the deployment environment, that same initial port specified would be assigned to the cluster member. For example, if the port number for the first cluster member is 2000, it would use the port numbers 2000, 2001, 2002, and so on. The port number of the second cluster member would be 2020 and the port numbers would be 2020, 2021, 2022, and so on. The port number of the third cluster member would be 2040.

    If there is already a node on that physical system then there may be port conflicts and these must be resolved manually by changing the port values.

    If you use additional servers with unique ports, WebSphere® Application Server does not automatically configure the virtual host for the server. Specifically, WebSphere Application Server does not automatically add the host alias ports to a virtual host. However, you can use the administrative console to add a new host alias for each of the ports that are used by the new server. For more information, see the WebSphere Application Server documentation about configuring virtual hosts.

  8. Required: On the Configure Databases page, select DB2, configure the database parameters for data sources of the deployment environment, click Test connection, and after the connection succeeds click Next to go to the Summary page.
    On this page, define the following database information for the components that are included in this deployment environment. Where possible, the wizard supplies default information for the parameters, but change those values to match the values that you defined when you planned the environment.
    Important: The database specified in this panel must already exist. Deployment environment configuration never creates a database. For more information, see the section about creating databases.
    • Shared parameters
      • User name: Type the user name to connect to the database.
      • Password: Type the password for the user name.
      • Confirm password: Type to confirm the password for the user name.
      • Server: Type a server name where the database is located.
      • Port: Type the port number to connect to the database.
      • Create Tables: Select to create the required tables.
        Note: If this option is selected, ensure that the user has sufficient rights to access the database and create tables. If this check box is cleared, ensure that you create the tables under the deployment manager profile. For more information, see the section about creating databases.
    • cellDB
      Note: The cellDB option is only visible when you create the first advanced deployment environment. After this, every advanced deployment environment that you create shares the cellDB of the first environment.
      • Name: Type a name for the cell database.
    • Common database
      • Name: Type a name for the common database which is used for CommonDB components, Business Space, Business Process Choreographer, and Messaging.
    • Process database
      • Name: Type a name for the Process Center database.
    • Performance Data Warehouse database
      • Name: Type a name for the Performance Data Warehouse database.
    • Select the databases that you want to separate from the Common database.
      • Messaging: Select this option to create a separate messaging engine database.
        • Name: Type a name for the messaging engine database.
      • Business Process Choreographer: Select this option to create a separate Business Process Choreographer database.
        • Name: Type a name for the Business Process Choreographer database.
    Attention: The IBM Process Server and IBM Performance Data Warehouse should not use the same database.

    You can clear the Create Tables check box if you want to create the tables manually instead of the configuration creating it automatically. The scripts to create tables are generated in the BPM_Install\profiles\DmgrProfile\dbscripts\ folder. You can run the scripts from the dbscripts folder and do not need to generate scripts using the BPMConfig command.

    You can edit all key parameters, such as the database name, whether or not to create tables and the data source runtime user name for the deployment environment. You can select which database to use for the given component.

    Tip: Steps that cannot be completed through the Deployment Environment wizard, and which need to be completed manually, are listed on the Deferred Configuration page. You can view this page after you have created your deployment environment. To view this administrative console page, click Servers > Deployment Environments > Deployment environment name > Deployment Environment Configuration > Additional Properties > Deferred Configuration.
  9. Verify that the information on the Summary page is correct and perform the following substeps:
    1. Optional: If you want to exit without generating the configuration, click Cancel.
    2. Optional: If you want to save the environment configuration to configure a similar Deployment Environment, click Export for Scripting.
    3. If you are satisfied with the deployment environment configuration, click Generate Deployment Environment to save and complete the configuration of the deployment environment. This will also generate a properties file in the BPM_Install_Root/logs/config folder on the deployment manager machine with a timestamp in the file name, bpmconfig-de_name-timestamp.properties. Save this file for future reference or for troubleshooting any issues.
  10. If you have postponed the Process database table creation by clearing the create table option on the Database page, create the tables and load the database with system information by running the bootstrapProcessServerData command. The bootstrap code runs automatically if the Process database table creation is selected on the Database page wizard.
  11. Restart the following resources after you have completed your configurations in the order specified here. For the steps to restart a resource, see Starting and stopping your environment.
    1. Stop the deployment environment.
    2. Stop the node agent.
    3. Stop the deployment manager.
    4. Start the deployment manager.
    5. Start the node agent.
    6. Start the deployment environment.
    For Advanced or Advanced-only deployment environments, the deployment manager and node agents need to be restarted for the cell scoped configuration to take affect. This is only required for the first deployment environment that you create.

Results

When the configuration completes, you can examine the configuration files to view the changes.

What to do next

Either save the changes to the master configuration or discard them.
Important: If you use additional servers with unique ports, WebSphere Application Server does not automatically configure the virtual host for the server. Specifically, WebSphere Application Server does not automatically add the host alias ports to a virtual host. However, you can use the administrative console to add a new host alias for each of the ports that are used by the new server. To add a host alias, in the administrative console navigate to Environment > Virtual hosts > default_host > Host Aliases and click New. For more information, see the WebSphere Application Server documentation about configuring virtual hosts.
Clean all applicable profile logs or save them in another directory. You may want to clean or move the logs as they will be appended with the last configuration. This can make it difficult to view the most current information.
Tip: After you have configured a network deployment environment for IBM BPM Advanced, if you test the connection to the cell-level jdbc/WPSDB data source (for example, in the administrative console, on the page Resources > JDBC > Data sources), you get a message saying that the test connection operation failed with the exception com.ibm.wsspi.runtime.variable.UndefinedVariableException: Undefined Variable variable_name, where variable_name is a variable name such as WAS_INSTALL_ROOT, DB2_JCC_DRIVER_PATH, UNIVERSAL_JDBC_DRIVER_PATH or PUREQUERY_PATH. This does not necessarily indicate that there will be a problem accessing the data source at run time. Ensure that the location of your JDBC driver files is accessible to every client that must use the data source, and configure the variable with the full path of that location. Disregard the test connection error unless you are also experiencing trouble connecting to the data store at run time. For additional information, see the WebSphere Application Server documentation about the test connection service.
If you use DB2® pureScale, you must also configure automatic client rerouting (see Configuring client reroute for applications that use DB2 databases). Then, configure workload balancing (see Configuration of DB2 for Linux, UNIX, and Windows workload balancing support for Java clients) or client affinities (see DB2 pureScale enablement ).
Important: If you are using DB2 pureScale, make sure that the time is synchronized across all DB2 servers.
Tip: Ensure that you add the host names of DB2 pureScale nodes to either the IBM® Business Process Manager server hosts file or the DNS server when workload balancing is configured.