+

Search Tips   |   Advanced Search

Set up a core group bridge between different cells


Overview

We can set up a bridge between core groups in different cells. For cells participating in the core group bridge, cell names must be different from each other.

Core group bridges are used with WebSphere Proxy Servers

After saving changes, including addition and removal of existing bridges, do a full Shutdown and then Start of all core group bridges in affected access point groups. Do not just do a Restart.

Try to have at least two running core group bridges in each core group to allow for single failures. If all core group bridges are shutdown, core group state from remote core groups is lost.

IBM recommends configuring core group bridges in their own dedicated server process, with monitoring policy to automatic restart, and also, for each of the core groups, setting the following custom property to the highest value supported by the environment...

IBM_CS_WIRE_FORMAT_VERSION

 

Configure a core group bridge between different cells

For each of the cells in the configuration...

  1. Create bridge interfaces...

    Servers | Core Groups | Core group bridge settings | Access point groups | access_point_group | Core group access points | core_group_access_point | Show detail | Bridge interfaces | New

    ...Select a node, server, and transport chain

    To back up the configuration, define at least two bridge interfaces for each core group access point

  2. Enable addition of core group bridge servers to the configuration without requiring restart of the other servers in the configuration...

    Servers | Core Groups | Core group bridge settings | Access point groups | access_point_group | Custom properties | New

    ...and set any string value for...

    cgb.allowUndefinedBridges

    The mere existence of this property automatically enables this property, so any string value will work. Setting the value to false does not disable the property. To disable the property, remove it from the list of defined custom properties or change its name.

    After completing this step on all the access point groups in the configuration, we can...

    1. Add a bridge interface to one of the cells
    2. Save the configuration so that it is propagated to all of the nodes
    3. Instead of restarting all of the appservers, we need to only restart the new bridge interface server

  3. Add a peer access point for each core group in another cell. Within each peer access point, configure a peer port that corresponds to each bridge interface in the other cell.

    1. Go to...

      Servers | Core Groups | Core group bridge settings | Access point groups | access_point_group | Peer access points | New

    2. Configure the peer access point...

      • Set Remote cell name

      • Set Name of the core group in the remote cell

      • Select either...

        Use peer ports
        Use proxy peer access points

        ...depending on whether the peer access point can be reached directly or can only be reached indirectly through another peer access point.

      • Select access level remote server has to local cell...

        Full access The communicating server can read data from and write data to the local cell. Appropriate if there is no reason to restrict read or write access to the local cell.
        Read only The communicating server can read data from the local cell, but is not permitted to write data to the local cell. Appropriate if applications running in other core groups need to access data contained in the local cell, but you want to prevent the communicating server from changing the data.
        Write only The communicating server can write data to the local cell, but is not permitted to read data from the local cell. Appropriate if applications running in other core groups need to write data to the local cell, but the data stored on the local cell is sensitive. For example, the local cell might contain customer account numbers, and you do not want applications residings outside of the local cell to read this information.

    3. Click Next

    4. Select...

      Use peer ports

      ...and specify the host and port information for the peer cell. For example, if we defined a bridge interface in the remote cell, use that configuration information for the peer port in the local cell.

    5. Click Next, Finish and then save the configuration.

    If cgb.allowUndefinedBridges is defined for all of the access point groups in the configuration, we do not need to perform this task for the listener cell.

  4. Add additional peer ports for each bridge interface.

    1. Click...

      Peer access points | peer_access_point | Show detail | Peer ports | New

    2. Enter the host name and port.

    3. Click Apply, and save the changes.

  5. Establish transparent bridge failover support (WAS V7.0.0.1+)

    1. Shut down all core group bridges in all of the core groups.

    2. Repeat the following actions for each core group in each of your cells:

      1. In the admin console, click...

        Servers | Core Groups | Core group settings | core_group_name | Custom properties

        ...and specify...

        Name IBM_CS_HAM_PROTOCOL_VERSION
        Value 6.0.2.31

      2. Save the changes.

    3. Synchronize the changes across the topology.

    4. Restart all of the bridges in the topology.

 

Example: Set up a core group bridge between two cells

  1. From the admin console for the primary cell...

    Servers | Core groups | Core group bridge settings | Access point groups | DefaultAccessPointGroup | Core group access points | cgap1/DefaultCoreGroup | Show Detail | Bridge interfaces | New

  2. From the list of available bridge interfaces, select the deployment manager...

    dmgr02/dmgr/DCS

  3. Click New to create a second bridge interface.

  4. From the list of available bridge interfaces, select a node agent, such as...

    node01/nodeagent/DCS

  5. Go to the admin console for the remote cell, and click...

    Servers | Core groups | Core group bridge settings | Access point groups | DefaultAccessPointGroup | Core group access points | cgap1/DefaultCoreGroup | Show Detail | Bridge interfaces | New

  6. From the list of available bride interfaces, select the deployment manager...

    dmgr03/dmgr/DCS

  7. Click New to create a second bridge interface.

  8. From the list of available bridge interfaces, select the node agent...

    node01/nodeagent/DCS

  9. Save changes

  10. Gather the following information for the remote cell:

    • Get the DCS port for the dmgr...

      System administration | Deployment manager | Ports | DCS_UNICAST_ADDRESS

      In this example, the DCS port for the dmgr is 9353.

    • Get the DCS port for the node01 node agent...

      System administration | Node agents | node01 | Ports | DCS_UNICAST_ADDRESS

      In this example, the DCS port for the node agent is 9454.

    • Get the name of the core group in the cell to which the EJB cluster belongs...

      Servers | Core groups | Core group settings | DefaultCoreGroup | Core group members

      Verify that the servers are members of the DefaultCoreGroup core group

    • Get the name of the cell...

      System administration | Cell

      In this example, the name of the name of the cell is cell03.

    • Get the name of the core group access point.

      Servers | Core groups | DefaultCoreGroup | Core group bridge settings | DefaultAccessPointGroup | DefaultCoreGroup

      In this example the name of the core group access point is cgap1.

  11. Gather the following information for the primary cell:

    DCS port for the dmgr on the primary cell 9352
    DCS port for the node01 node agent on the primary cell 9353
    Core group in the cell to which the EJB cluster belongs DefaultCoreGroup
    Name of the cell cell02
    name of the core group access point cgap1

  12. Create a new peer access point that points to the remote cell.

    1. In the primary cell admin console, click...

      Servers | Core groups | Core group bridge settings | Access point groups | DefaultAccessPointGroup | Peer access points | New

      ...and specify...

      Name RemoteCellGroup
      Remote cell name cell03
      Remote cell core group name DefaultCoreGroup
      Remote cell core group access point name cgap1

    2. Click Next, select...

      Use peer ports

      ...and specify...

      Host host02
      Port 9353

      These values are the host name and DCS port number for the dmgr on the remote cell.

    3. Click Next and then Finish.

  13. Create a second peer access point for the node agent.

    1. Select the peer access point that you just created...

      RemoteCellGroup/cell03/DefaultCoreGroup/cgap1

      ...and then click...

      Show Detail

    2. In the Peer addressability section, select..

      Peer ports | New

      ...and specify...

      Host host04
      Port 9454

      These values are the host name and DCS port number for the node agent on the remote cell.

  14. Click OK and then save changes to master repository.

  15. Go to remote cell admin console and specify a new peer access point...

    Servers | Core groups | Core group bridge settings | Access point groups | DefaultAccessPointGroup | Peer access points | New

    Specify...

    Name PrimaryCellGroup
    Remote cell name cell02
    Remote cell core group name DefaultCoreGroup
    Remote cell core group access point name cgap1

  16. Click Next, select...

    Use peer ports

    ...and specify...

    Host host01
    Port 9352

    These values are the host name and DCS port number for the dmgr on the primary cell.

  17. Click Next, confirm that the information that you specified for the new peer access point is correct, and then click Finish.

  18. Create a second peer access point for the node agent on the primary cell.

    Select the peer access point that you just created...

    PrimaryCellGroup/cell02/DefaultCoreGroup/cgap1

    ...and then click...

    Show Detail | Peer addressability | Peer ports | New

    Specify values for the host name and DCS port number of the node agent on the primary cell.

    Host host03
    Port 9353

  19. Save the changes to the master repository.

  20. Restart both cells.

 

Related

Core group communications using the core group bridge service
Core groups (high availability domains)
Set up a high availability environment
Create backup clusters
Set the core group bridge service
Core group bridge settings
Core group bridge custom properties