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Introduction
This document contains background information to help you understand the context for the specific tasks documented in the Scenario 1 clustering instructions
of the Mashup Center documentation.
To install Mashup Center on a single server requires minimal preparation and little knowledge of the complex infrastructure of components that work together to make up Mashup Center. Although a single server configuration works well for many small to medium-size business applications, companies that require high availability and scalability will want to configure a cluster environment.
When you set up a cluster, you configure the three main components that make up Mashup Center:
· MashupHub: The catalog, feed generators, and data mashup builder.
· Lotus Mashups: Mashup builder and page editor.
· WebSphere Application Server (WAS) and Deployment Manager: WAS is the application server platform on top of which MashupHub and Lotus Mashups run. WAS provides the following key services for Mashup Center:
o Login authentication and other security features
o Common data repository access via shared data sources
o High availability and scalability through clustering
A WebSphere
cluster is an associated group of
nodes that run the same applications, for example, Mashup Center. The nodes correspond to one or more physical servers each of which contains one or more WAS servers that are managed by a Deployment Manager (Dmgr). The Deployment Manager provides centralized workload management and failover for the nodes in the cluster. The term
cell is used to refer to all the resources (clusters and nodes) that are managed by the Dmgr.
For the purpose of this document, the terms
node and
server are interchangeable because Mashup Center is installed as a single node with a single server. This document uses the term
node. Likewise, the terms
cell and
cluster are interchangeable because the Scenario 1 clustering instructions create a single cluster in the cell. This document uses the term
cluster. Be aware that if you read the WebSphere documentation that the terms
cell and
node might have different meanings depending on the topology of the network environment.
Software for cluster administration
To configure a cluster, you need to download and install the following software. You obtain this software by downloading it from the IBM Passport Advantage website or by contacting your IBM Sales representative.
- WebSphere Application Server Network Deployment (ND) v7.0. WebSphere ND contains the Websphere Server and Deployment Manager (Dmgr) that you use to configure the Mashup Center nodes as a cluster. The WebSphere Dmgr node is a separate server. It does not contain the Mashup Center applications, but performs authentication and administration for the clustered application servers.
- IBM WebSphere Application Server Network Deployment v7.0 Supplements (Identified as "1 of 2" in the Passport Advantage website). The ND Supplements contain the IBM HTTP Server, Web Server Plug-ins and Update Installer.
Figure 1: WebSphere ND launchpad installer
From the WebSphere ND distribution, install the following software:
· IBM HTTP Server Installation: The HTTP Server sits in front of the Deployment Manager and directs traffic from browsers to the applications in the cluster. Make a note of the base URL for the HTTP server. After you create the cluster, you use the base URL to connect to Mashup Center.
· Web Server plug-ins Installation: These plug-ins support the IBM HTTP server.
· IBM Update Installer for Websphere Software Installation (if not previously installed): This installer is used to apply WebSphere fix packs and interim fixes.
After you install the administration software, the cluster topology will be as follows:
- IBM HTTP Server
- WAS Deployment Manager server
- The primary node of Mashup Center
- One or more secondary nodes of Mashup Center
- Database server for the MashupHub catalog database and the Lotus Mashups database
Figure 2: WebSphere cluster
Planning the cluster setup
Take note of the following important considerations when you plan the cluster:
· You will need to know the SOAP connector port number and the hostname for the Deployment Manager in order to run the addNode command on each Mashup Center server. Make a note of these when installing WAS ND. By default, the SOAP connector port is 8879. You can find this information in the Deployment Manager installation directory in this file:
Dmgr-Install\profiles\Dmgr01\logs\AboutThisProfile.txt
· Multiple installations of Mashup Center are used to create the cluster, but only the objects and the configuration of the Primary node is preserved. The Primary node will be the Mashup Center template that is deployed to the other (secondary) nodes. You must configure a supported database for the primary node prior to setting up the cluster.
· On the primary node, you migrate both the MashupHub catalog and the Mashup builder (Lotus Mashups) files to the supported database before you set up the cluster. As part of migrating the databases, you install the appropriate JDBC driver in directories specific to each component. Instructions for performing this task are found in the Administering Mashup Center section of the Mashup Center documentation:
Related information
WebSphere Application Server information center:
http://publib.boulder.ibm.com/infocenter/wasinfo/v7r0/index.jsp
Installing WebSphere Application Server ND and additional software:
http://publib.boulder.ibm.com/infocenter/wasinfo/v7r0/topic/com.ibm.websphere.installation.nd.doc/info/ae/ae/tins_install.html
IBM HTTP Server for WebSphere Application Server product documentation:
http://publib.boulder.ibm.com/infocenter/wasinfo/v7r0/index.jsp?topic=/com.ibm.websphere.ihs.doc/info/welcome_ihs.html
IBM HTTP Server fix packs:
http://www.ibm.com/support/docview.wss?rs=177&uid=swg27014506