updated.png Standard deployment topologies overview

Authors: StevenBeard, GrantCovell, TimFeeney, DavidChadwick, VaughnRokosz, ThomasPiccoli
Build basis: CLM and SSE 3.x, 4.x, 5.x and CE/CLM 6.x

In past releases we talked about using the Collaborative Lifecycle Management (CLM) or Systems and Software Engineering (SSE) solutions depending on whether the primary use case was a software development verses a more integrated product development of both hardware and software. The common goal of the standard topologies is to provide a complete solution infrastructure for both software or systems development organizations. To simplify our discussion, we will present a single set of Continuous Engineering (CE) / Collaborative Lifecycle Management (CLM) topologies going forward that can be deployed in part or as a whole depending on what capabilities the you need.

One of the most frequently asked questions is how to deploy the full CE/CLM solution so that it performs well, runs robustly, and evolves without restriction. Administrators ask about possible deployment strategies, because they must balance two sometimes opposing forces: the desire to build what's right for their organizations and the desire to stay within the mainstream of the CE/CLM product evolution so they can easily and quickly reap the benefits of new capabilities.

CE/CLM system requirements permit a wide range of supported middleware platforms and topologies upon which to host the solution (though we are opinionated about which, all things being equal, are likely to be optimal – see below). We strongly recommend having a reverse proxy server in front of either a centralized or a distributed set of web application servers. To simplify the wide range of choices, this article outlines several standard topologies which are the expected and most frequently chosen deployment patterns over the past several years.

Publishing these standard topologies represents tried and true examples of successful deployments. Additionally, the CE/CLM solution system testing organization uses these topologies to perform deep “customer simulation” testing, which includes installation, upgrade, functional, performance, and robustness testing. By adhering closely to one of these standard topologies, you will have an easier time characterizing your deployment in the event of an interaction with IBM software support. These topologies become a “short hand” that can be used whenever an CE/CLM deployment is discussed. For example, when system performance testing results or a high availability configuration is discussed, the appropriate standard topology can be referenced.

Several teams came together to define and document these standard topologies. These teams design and execute system, performance and reliability testing, develop and support the CE/CLM products, and work directly with clients to design and implement the CE/CLM solution at locations worldwide.

Strengthening our recommended deployment guidance for CE/CLM 6.x and beyond

The CE/CLM tools support a variety of web application servers, operating systems and databases. For maximum flexibility to adopt new advanced features and to simplify a potential move in the future to or from the IBM CE/CLM on Cloud SaaS / CLM as a Managed Service offerings, we recommend the following:

  1. In all cases we strongly recommend deploying new environments using WebSphere Liberty. If you currently use WebSphere Application Server, we recommend migrating to WebSphere Liberty when you next upgrade your CE/CLM servers
  2. If your enterprise has the ability to support RedHat Enterprise Linux, then we recommend using that. Some advanced capabilities require IBM IoT MessageSight, which requires at least one server running RedHat Enterprise Linux x86-64
  3. If your organization has the ability to support IBM Db2, then we recommend using it for new environments

Please Note: The above guidance is not meant to steer you away from deployments on z or POWER systems or signal a lessening of our commitment to these environments.

Key topology variants

The CE/CLM applications, and Jazz Team Server can be installed on shared application servers, or distributed across multiple application servers for improved scalability. Although this flexibility allows you to design a topology to best fit your needs, that flexibility also adds complexity to the planning process. As a result, it is important to plan your deployment topology carefully, as changing your topology later can be very complex and require substantial application downtime. Potential deployment topologies are divided into three key topology variants: Department, Enterprise and Federated.

With CE/CLM 6.x we have decided to retire the Evaluation Topology. With the additional capabilities recently added it is no longer practical to deploy all the applications, supporting capabilities, such as reporting, and the database on a single server. The different work loads of user interactive applications, automated reporting data processing and database workloads do not work well together on a single server. With the vast majority of our customers deploying the CE/CLM environments on virtual servers, it makes much more sense to use a Departmental Topology with minimum resources. The Proof of Concept Sizing when using Application Lifecycle Management capabilities in 6.x wiki page provides specific guidance on deploying a proof of concept or evaluation environment.

There is also specific guidance on how to evolve your topology between a Departmental to a partial or full Enterprise Topology.

Departmental topologies

Departmental topologies are useful for small team and single-server deployments. Use a stable, company-approved host name and register it with the domain name server (DNS) to keep the URLs of the data stable. In this type of installation, databases are installed on a dedicated database server, and one or more other applications are installed on an application server. A key advantage of the departmental topologies is that they require less hardware and are easier to deploy initially. These topologies are best for smaller projects and smaller-sized teams. Crucially, if you are fairly certain that your deployment will likely expand, you should consider starting with an Enterprise topology. The following diagram is a generic example of a departmental topology for the CE/CLM v6.x solution. Note that the VVC application is only present in release 6.0 and has been incorporated in other applications in later releases. Additionally, Rhapsody Model Manager, first available in version 6.0.5, is now the recommended architecture management tool.

  • Generic Departmental Topology for CE/CLM 6.x:
    Departmental.jpeg

Enterprise topologies

Enterprise topologies are useful for production or medium-sized to large-sized teams and multiple server (or distributed) deployments. Use a stable, company-approved host name and register it with the domain name server (DNS) to keep the URLs of the data stable. Enterprise topologies distribute the CE/CLM applications, Jazz Team Server, the database software, etc, and are more flexible. These topologies enable you to incrementally adopt applications into your deployment and configure them to use the same Jazz Team Server. In this type of installation, databases are installed on a single database server and each application is usually installed on its own dedicated application server. In addition, to connect multiple application instances to a shared Jazz Team Server, the instances must all be authenticated from the same authentication realm and thus share the same set of users. The following diagram is a generic example of an enterprise topology for the CE/CLM v6.x solution. Note that the VVC application is only present in release 6.0 and has been incorporated in other applications in later releases. Additionally, Rhapsody Model Manager, first available in version 6.0.5, is now the recommended architecture management tool. If Rhapsody Design Manager continues to be used, it should be deployed on its own server.

  • Generic Enterprise Topology for CE/CLM 6.x:
    Enterprise.jpeg

Federated topologies

Federated topologies are useful to very large enterprises who tend to deploy an CE/CLM solution per product line or organizational division but would still like to be able to pull together an enterprise-wide view of their current status and report on a rolled up view of their entire portfolio of software or product set. Often versions of products or subsystems in one division are used as a part of a larger solution. By coordinating the planning and monitoring the status across divisional boundaries, the customer can manage these larger and more complex solutions. The following diagram is a generic example of a federated topology for the CE/CLM v6.x solution. Note that the VVC application is only present in release 6.0 and has been incorporated in other applications in later releases. Additionally, Rhapsody Model Manager, first available in version 6.0.5, is now the recommended architecture management tool. If Rhapsody Design Manager continues to be used, it should be deployed on its own server.

  • Generic Federated Topology for CE/CLM 6.x:
    Federated.jpeg

Please Note: Federated GCMs is only supported from CE/CLM 6.0.6.

Metadata variables

The following variables describe the key characteristics that provide variation in the typical CE/CLM deployment topologies. These, along with the previously mentioned key topology variants are used to distinguish the standard topologies.

  1. Operating system (Windows, AIX, Linux, z/OS, etc.)
  2. Database management system (DB2, Oracle, SQL Server)
  3. Application server (WebSphere Application Server, WebSphere Liberty)
  4. License management systems (Evaluation, Floating, Token)
  5. User management system (Apache Tomcat, Active Directory, Tivoli Directory Server)
  6. Other technologies such as proxy servers, virtual host names, WAN accelerators

Although integrations are an important dimension, they are not addressed in this article or included in the recommended or alternative deployment topologies. Additionally, specific hardware architectures and virtualization technologies are not included among these variables. Hardware architecture and virtualization technologies are very important considerations when defining a deployment architecture, however, mostly due to their implications for performance and sizing. Recommended hardware architectures against these standard topologies will be discussed in a follow-on articles.

Recommended and alternate topologies

Please Note: Going forward from CE/CLM 6.0.5 we are not going to publish Recommended and Alternative Topologies but rather provide more guidance in the strengthening our recommended deployment guidance section above.

Versions 6.0.0 to 6.0.4

Versions 5.x

Versions 3.x, 4.x

Datasheets and sizing guidelines

Find CE/CLM-specific performance datasheets, sizing guidelines and performance-related case studies on the Performance datasheets and sizing guidelines page.

Related topics:

Additional contributors: JoePesot

This topic: Deployment > WebHome > DeploymentPlanningAndDesign > StandardTopologiesOverview
History: r30 - 2018-09-14 - 13:21:13 - Main.sbeard
 
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