Deployment options 

Install IBM Connections in a network deployment to achieve optimum scaling, load balancing, and failover.

In contrast with earlier releases of IBM Connections, you can install release 3.0 only in a network deployment. This deployment type is the best solution for ease of deployment, maintenance, scalability, failover, and performance.

A network deployment can consist of a single server with all applications installed, or two or more sets of servers that are grouped to share the workload. You must also configure an additional system with WAS Network dmgr, which enables you to build, manage, and tune the clustered servers.

A network deployment provides the administrator with a central management facility, and it ensures that users have constant access to data. It balances the workload between servers, improves server performance, and facilitates the maintenance of performance when the number of users increases. The added reliability also requires a larger number of systems and the experienced administrative personnel who can manage them.

In Figure 1, the dmgr controls a cluster of IBM Connections applications. This deployment type means that one or more HTTP servers can distribute the load between two or more nodes. To balance the load of the HTTP servers, you can use IBM WebSphere Edge components, which are included as part of IBM WAS Network Deployment.

Figure 1. A sample network topology

When you are installing IBM Connections, you have three deployment options:

Small deployment

Install all applications in a single cluster on a single node. This option is the simplest deployment, but has limited flexibility and does not allow individual applications to be scaled up. For each node within the cluster, all applications run within a single Java™ Virtual Machine (JVM).

Medium deployment

Install a subset of applications in separate clusters. IBM Connections provides three predefined cluster names shared among all 12 applications. Use this option to distribute applications according to your usage expectations. For instance, you might anticipate higher loads for the Profiles application and install it in its own cluster, while other applications could be installed in a different cluster. This option allows you to maximize the use of available hardware and system resources to suit your needs.
  By default we group the jvm's into the following clusters:
 
LCCluster1
Activities
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Profiles

LCCluster2

Blogs
Bookmarks
Files
Wikis

LCInfraCluster

Home page
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News

Large deployment

Install each application into its own cluster. IBM Connections provides a predefined cluster name for each application. This option provides the best performance in terms of scalability and availability options, but also requires more system resources. In most cases, you would install the News and Home page applications in the same cluster.

Notes:

• In a multi-node cluster, configure network share directories for content stores. When using NFS, use NFS v4 because NFS v3 lacks advanced locking capability. When using Microsoft SMB Protocol for file-sharing, use the UNC file-naming convention; for example: \\<machine-name>\<share-name>.

• You can assign various combinations of applications to clusters in many different ways, depending on your usage and expectations. For more information, go to the IBM Connections wiki to read articles about deployment.

• The number of JVMs that you need for each cluster depends on the user population and workload. For failover, have two JVMs per application, or two nodes for each cluster, scaled horizontally. Horizontal scaling refers to having multiple JVMs per application with each JVM running on a WAS instance. Vertical scaling refers to running multiple JVMs for the same application on a single WAS instance. Vertical scaling is not officially supported in IBM Connections. However, it is typically not needed unless your server has several CPUs.

• For performance and security reasons, consider using a proxy server in your deployment.
  

Parent topic

Planning

Related concepts
Audience
Directory path conventions
Troubleshooting checklist
Scenario_1__Installing_Lotus_Connections_3.0-Small_Deployment">Wiki article: Scenario 1 : Installing Lotus Connections 3.0 - Small Deployment

Scenario_2_Installing_Lotus_Connections_3.0-Large_Network_Deployment">Wiki article: Scenario 2: Installing Lotus Connections 3.0 - Large Network Deployment

Related tasks
Install IBM Connections 3.0.1
The installation process

Related reference
IBM Connections system requirements
IBM Connections support statement
Worksheet for installing IBM Connections
IBM Connections release notes
IBM Connections wiki
Post-installation tasks

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