5 Procuring Resources for an Enterprise Deployment

Use this chapter to procure the required hardware, software, and network settings before you begin configuring the Oracle SOA Suite reference topology.

This chapter contains the following sections:

5.1 Hardware and Software Requirements for the Enterprise Deployment Topology

This section includes the following sections:

5.1.1 Hardware Load Balancer Requirements

This enterprise topology uses an external load balancer. This external load balancer should have the following features:

  • Ability to load-balance traffic to a pool of real servers through a virtual host name: Clients access services using the virtual host name (instead of using actual host names). The load balancer can then load balance requests to the servers in the pool.

  • Port translation configuration should be possible so that incoming requests on the virtual host name and port are directed to a different port on the backend servers.

  • Monitoring of ports on the servers in the pool to determine availability of a service.

  • Virtual servers and port configuration: Ability to configure virtual server names and ports on your external load balancer, and the virtual server names and ports must meet the following requirements:

    • The load balancer should allow configuration of multiple virtual servers. For each virtual server, the load balancer should allow configuration of traffic management on more than one port. For example, for Oracle HTTP Server in the web tier, the load balancer needs to be configured with a virtual server and ports for HTTP and HTTPS traffic.

    • The virtual server names must be associated with IP addresses and be part of your DNS. Clients must be able to access the external load balancer through the virtual server names.

  • Ability to detect node failures and immediately stop routing traffic to the failed node.

  • Fault-tolerant mode: It is highly recommended that you configure the load balancer to be in fault-tolerant mode.

  • It is highly recommended that you configure the load balancer virtual server to return immediately to the calling client when the backend services to which it forwards traffic are unavailable. This is preferred over the client disconnecting on its own after a timeout based on the TCP/IP settings on the client machine.

  • Sticky routing capability: Ability to maintain sticky connections to components. Examples of this include cookie-based persistence, IP-based persistence, and so on.

  • The load balancer should be able to terminate SSL requests at the load balancer and forward traffic to the backend real servers using the equivalent non-SSL protocol (for example, HTTPS to HTTP).

  • SSL acceleration (this feature is recommended, but not required for the enterprise topology).

5.1.2 Host Computer Hardware Requirements

The following sections provide information to help you procure host computers that are configured to support the Oracle SOA Suite enterprise deployment topologies:

5.1.2.1 General Considerations for Enterprise Deployment Host Computers

Before you start the process of configuring an Oracle Fusion Middleware enterprise deployment, you must perform the appropriate capacity planning to determine the number of nodes, CPU, and memory requirements for each node depending on the specific system's load as well as the throughput and response requirements. These requirements will vary for each application or custom SOA system being used.

The information in this chapter provides general guidelines and information that will help you determine the host computer requirements. It does not replace the need to perform capacity planning for your specific production environment.

Workbook Note:

As you obtain and reserve the host computers in this section, note the host names and system characteristics in the Enterprise Deployment Workbook. You will use these addresses later when you enable the IP addresses on each host computer.

For more information, see Chapter 4, "Using the Enterprise Deployment Workbook"

5.1.2.2 Reviewing the Oracle Fusion Middleware System Requirements

Review the Oracle Fusion Middleware System Requirements and Specifications to ensure that your environment meets the minimum installation requirements for the products you are installing.

The Requirements and Specifications document contains information about general Oracle Fusion Middleware hardware and software requirements, minimum disk space and memory requirements, database schema requirements, and required operating system libraries and packages.

It also provides some general guidelines for estimating the memory requirements for your Oracle Fusion Middleware deployment.

5.1.2.3 Typical Memory, File Descriptors, and Processes Required for an Oracle SOA Suite Enterprise Deployment

Table 5-1 summarizes the memory, file descriptors, and processes required for the Administration Server and each of the Managed Servers computers in a typical Oracle SOA Suite enterprise deployment. These values are provided as an example only, but they can be used to estimate the minimum amount of memory required for an initial enterprise deployment.

The example in Table 5-1 reflects the minimum requirements for configuring the Managed Servers and other services required on SOAHOST1, as depicted in the reference topologies in Section 3.2, "Diagrams of the Primary Oracle SOA Suite Enterprise Topologies".

When you are procuring machines, use the information in the Approximate Top Memory column as a guide when determining how much physical memory each host computer should have available.

After you procure the host computer hardware and verify the operating system requirements, review the software configuration to be sure the operating system settings are configured to accommodate the number of open files listed in the File Descriptors column and the number processes listed in the Operating System Proceses and Tasks column.

For more information, see Section 8.2.2, "Setting the Open File Limit and Number of Processes Settings on UNIX Systems".

Table 5-1 Typical Memory, File Descriptors, and Processes Required for Each Enterprise Deployment Host

Managed Server, Utility, or Service Approximate Top Memory Number of File Descriptors Operating System Processes and Tasks

Administration Server

3.5 GB

3500

165

WLS_WSM

3.0 GB

2000

130

WLS_SOA

4.0 GB

3100

240

WLS_OSB

4.0 GB

2200

180

WLS_ESS

3.5 GB

1300

35

WLS_BAM

3.5 GB

2300

210

WLST (connection to the Node Manager)

1.5 GB

910

20

Configuration Wizard

1.5 GB

700

20

Node Manager

1.0 GB

720

15

TOTAL

27.0 GBFoot 1 

17000

1200

Footnote 1 Approximate total, with consideration for Operating System and other additional memory requirements.

5.1.2.4 Typical Disk Space Requirements for an Oracle SOA Suite Enterprise Deployment

For the latest disk space requirements for the Oracle Fusion Middleware 12c (12.1.3) products, including the Oracle SOA Suite products, review the Oracle Fusion Middleware System Requirements and Specifications.

In addition, Table 5-2 summarizes the disk space typically required for an Oracle SOA Suite enterprise deployment of Oracle SOA Suite and Oracle Service Bus.

Use the this information and the information in Chapter 7, "Preparing the File System for an Enterprise Deployment" to determine the disk space requirements required for your deployment.

Table 5-2 Typical Disk Space Requirements for a Oracle SOA Suite Enterprise Deployment

Server Disk

Database

nXm

n = number of disks, at least 4 (striped as one disk)

m = size of the disk (minimum of 30 GB)

WEBHOSTn

10 GB

SOAHOSTn (SOA only)

10 GBFoot 1 

SOAHOSTn (SOA and OSB)

11 GBFoot 2 

Footnote 1 For a shared storage Middleware home configuration, two installations suffice by making a total of 20 GB independently of the number of slots.

Footnote 2 For a shared storage Middleware home configuration, two installations suffice by making a total of 20 GB independently of the number of slots.

5.1.3 Operating System Requirements for the Enterprise Deployment Topology

The Oracle Fusion Middleware software products and components described in this guide are certified on various operating systems and platforms, which are listed in the Oracle Fusion Middleware System Requirements and Specifications.

About the Examples in this Guide:

This guide focuses on the implementation of the enterprise deployment reference topology on Oracle Linux systems.

The topology can be implemented on any certified, supported operating system, but the examples in this guide typically show the commands and configuration steps as they should be performed using the bash shell on Oracle Linux.

5.2 Reserving the Required IP Addresses for an Enterprise Deployment

Before you begin installing and configuring the enterprise topology, you must obtain and reserve a set of IP addresses:

  • Physical IP (IP) addresses for each of the host computers you have procured for the topology

  • Virtual IP (VIP) addresses for each Managed Server in the Oracle WebLogic Server domain

  • A unique virtual host name to be mapped to each VIP.

You can then work with your network administrator to be sure these required VIPs are defined in your DNS server. (Alternatively, for non-production environments, you can use the /etc/hosts file to define these virtual hosts).

For more information, see the following sections:

5.2.1 What Is a Virtual IP (VIP) Address?

A virtual IP address is an unused IP Address which belongs to the same subnet as the host's primary IP address. It is assigned to a host manually. Individual Managed Servers within the Oracle WebLogic Server domain are configured to listen on this IP Address.

5.2.2 Why Use Virtual Host Names and Virtual IP Addresses?

For an enterprise deployment, in particular, it is important that a set of VIPs--and the virtual host names to which they are mapped--are reserved and enabled on the corporate network.

Alternatively hostnames can be resolved through appropriate /etc/hosts file propagated through the different nodes.

In the event of the failure of the host computer where the IP address is assigned, the IP address can be assigned to another host in the same subnet, so that the new host can take responsibility for running the managed servers assigned to it.

The reassignment of virtual IP addresses for Managed Servers can be performed automatically using the Server Migration feature of Oracle WebLogic Server. The reassignment of virtual IP address for the Administration Server must be performed manually.

Instructions for configuring Server Migration and for manually reassigning the Administration Server VIP are provided in Chapter 19.

5.2.3 Physical and Virtual IP Addresses Required by the Enterprise Topology

Figure 5-1 shows the physical IP (IP) and virtual IP (VIP) addresses required for the Administration Server and each of the Managed Servers in the Oracle SOA Suite and Oracle Service Bus primary topology.

Figure 5-2 shows the IP and VIP addresses required for the Administration Server and each of the Managed Servers in the Oracle SOA Suite and Oracle BAM topology.

In the diagrams:

  • IP1 is the physical IP of SOAHOST1 and is used by the WLS_WSM1 (Oracle Web Services Manager) Managed Server.

  • IP2 is the physical IP of SOAHOST2 and is used by the WLS_WSM2 Managed Server.

Before you begin to install and configure the enterprise deployment, reserve a set of host names and IP addresses that correspond to the VIPs in Table 5-3.

You can assign any unique host name to the VIPs, but in this guide, we reference each VIP using the suggested host names in the table.

Workbook Note:

As you obtain and reserve the IP addresses and their corresponding virtual host names in this section, note the values of the IP addresses and host names in the Enterprise Deployment Workbook. You will use these addresses later when you enable the IP addresses on each host computer.

For more information, see Chapter 4, "Using the Enterprise Deployment Workbook"

Figure 5-1 IP and VIrtual IP Addresses in the Oracle SOA Suite and Oracle Service Bus Topology

Description of Figure 5-1 follows
Description of ''Figure 5-1 IP and VIrtual IP Addresses in the Oracle SOA Suite and Oracle Service Bus Topology''

Figure 5-2 IP and Virtual IP Addresses in the Oracle SOA Suite and Oracle BAM Topology

Description of Figure 5-2 follows
Description of ''Figure 5-2 IP and Virtual IP Addresses in the Oracle SOA Suite and Oracle BAM Topology''

Table 5-3 Summary of the Virtual IP Addresses Required for the Oracle SOA Suite Enterprise Deployment Topology

Virtual IP VIP Maps to... Description

VIP1

ADMINVHN

ADMINVHN is the virtual host name used as the listen address for the Administration Server and fails over with manual failover of the Administration Server. It is enabled on the node where the Administration Server process is running (SOAHOST1 by default).

VIP2

SOAHOST1VHN1

SOAHOST1VHN1 is the virtual host name that maps to the listen address for WLS_SOA1 and fails over with Whole Server Migration of this managed server. It is enabled on the node where WLS_SOA1 process is running (SOAHOST1 by default).

VIP3

SOAHOST2VHN1

SOAHOST2VHN1 is the virtual host name that maps to the listen address for WLS_SOA2 and fails over with Whole Server Migration of this managed server. It is enabled on the node where WLS_SOA2 process is running (SOAHOST2 by default).

VIP4

SOAHOST1VHN2

SOAHOST1VHN2 is required only for topologies where Oracle Service Bus is configured. It serves as the virtual host name that maps to the listen address for the WLS_OSB1 Managed Server and fails over with Whole Server Migration of this server.

It is enabled in the node where the WLS_OSB1 process is running (SOAHOST1 in the primary topology).

VIP5

SOAHOST2VHN2

SOAHOST2VHN2 is required only for topologies where Oracle Service Bus has been configured. It servers as the virtual host name that maps to the listen address for the WLS_OSB2 Managed Server and fails over with Whole Server Migration of this server.

It is enabled in the node where the WLS_OSB2 process us running (SOAHOST1 in the primary topology).

5.3 Identifying and Obtaining Software Downloads for an Enterprise Deployment

Before you begin installing and configuring the enterprise topology, you should locate and download the software distributions that you will need to implement the topology.

Table 5-4 lists the downloads you will need to obtain.

For complete information about how to obtain Oracle Fusion Middleware software, see "Understanding and Obtaining Product Distributions" in Planning an Installation of Oracle Fusion Middleware.

To download the Oracle Fusion Middleware 12c (12.1.3) SOA Suite and Oracle Business Process Management software from the Oracle Technology Network (OTN), go to the following URL:

http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/middleware/soasuite/downloads/index.html

For more information about locating and downloading Oracle Fusion Middleware products, see the Oracle Fusion Middleware Download, Installation, and Configuration Readme Files on OTN.

Table 5-4 Distributions to Obtain for the Oracle SOA Suite Enterprise Topology

Distribution Description

Oracle Fusion Middleware 12c (12.1.3.0.0) Infrastructure

Download this distribution to install the Oracle Fusion Middleware Infrastructure, which includes Oracle WebLogic Server and Java Required Files software required for Oracle Fusion Middleware products.

This distribution also installs the Repository Creation Utility (RCU), which in previous Oracle Fusion Middleware releases was packaged in its own distribution.

Oracle Fusion Middleware 12c (12.1.3.0.0) SOA Suite and Business Process Management

Download this distribution to install the SOA Foundation and BPM software, which includes Oracle Business Activity Monitoring (BAM) and Oracle Enterprise Scheduler (ESS).

Oracle Fusion Middleware 12c (12.1.3.0.0) Service Bus

Download this distribution if you plan to install and configure Oracle Service Bus as part of the Oracle SOA Suite enterprise topology.

Oracle Fusion Middleware 12c (12.1.3.0.0) B2B and Healthcare

Download this distribution if you plan to install and configure Oracle B2B or Oracle B2B Healthcare as part of the Oracle SOA Suite enterprise topology.