Adding a Gateway server

Add a Gateway server so that you can process and manage security protocols and store relevant user and appliance authentication data.

Before you begin

You must complete the following tasks:

About this task

Within the API Connect on-premises cloud, Gateway servers act as proxies. Gateway servers receive inbound API traffic and route the requests to the relevant endpoints within your organization's firewall. Gateway servers also process security protocols and enforce user and appliance authentication processes.

You must add at least one Gateway server to the initial Gateway service. You can also create additional Gateway services and add servers to those services.
Note:
  • For API Connect versions lower then 5.0.8.1: When adding a DataPower to a Gateway server, the AppOpt (AO) license will not be activated automatically on DataPower. To activate the AO license on DataPower, contact IBM Support for a script that will complete the operation. Another option is to upgrade to API Connect version 5.0.8.1, which does activate the AO license on DataPower.
  • Adding a DataPower appliance to API Connect as a Gateway server might cause the appliance to be reloaded. As a result, in a production environment, any other services on the appliance might be unavailable for a short period until the appliance reloads.

In the Cloud Manager, each server is added as a member of a service.

For more information, see IBM API Connect overview.

Procedure

To add a Gateway server to a Gateway service, complete the following steps:

  1. In the Cloud Manager, click Services.
  2. In the Services pane, click Add, and select to use a new DataPower® Gateway server.
  3. Enter a name for the server.
  4. [V5.0.6 and earlier] Enter the user name and password of the DataPower appliance, used for authentication of the SOMA requests.
    The user must be an admin or a privileged-user.
    Note: If the user is a newly created privileged user, that user must be active on DataPower. The user account is activated on first login, at which point the temporary password is changed to a permanent one.
  5. [V5.0.6 and earlier] Enter the network interface, on the DataPower appliance, that receives the API requests from clients.
    Important:
    • The actual IP address is determined from the interface definition on the DataPower appliance, and is typically accessible on the Internet. This address is also generated into the front side protocol handler of the API Connect service that mediates the client messages. If this DataPower appliance is part of a clustered configuration, this Ethernet interface is used for configuring self-balancing and the virtual IP address. This interface might be the same as the one used for the XML Management interface. If the server is added to a service that uses DataPower self-balancing, a Standby Control configuration is added automatically.
    • If you are adding a Gateway VLAN interface address to a clustered configuration, the VLAN interface on the DataPower appliance must be configured to have standby control enabled. Otherwise, the error message invalid interface name is displayed when the interface is added to the cluster.
  6. When you are finished, click [V5.0.7 or later]Create[V5.0.6 and earlier]Create Server.

Results

The new Gateway server is added to the list of available servers.

What to do next

Repeat these steps to add further Gateway servers to your cloud.
Complete the following task: