Technical Case Study: Sun Java Enterprise System SunWeb 4.0

Deployment Overview

The core SunWeb portal platform is a suite of applications built primarily on Java ES, complemented by content management, document management, search, and collaboration applications. All services are available from a single, distributed Java ES deployment.

As with other such production deployments, the SunWeb 4.0 portal uses an arrangement of portal and Java ES components distributed among several computers behind a load balancer. The deployment encompasses configuration information, a variety of data and data sources, custom code that defines the user interface, security mechanisms, content sources and access, and integration with other in-house and third-party products and services.

Non-Java ES software is included in the deployment, as are services and applications already running on SWAN. For more information about non-Java ES software used in the deployment architecture, see Preparing the Logical Architecture.

SunWeb content is aggregated from a number of different sources, including a content management system and other content providers that are integrated with the SunWeb infrastructure. Content providers include the following:

MySales and MyMarketing portals, which provide extensive sales and marketing tools and resources
SunWeb Collaboration, an online knowledge management service that enables virtual teams to develop, share, and retain information
An executive management portal, available only to executives
The search engine

More information about the mechanics of content delivery is provided in Chapter 3, including Analyzing User Interactions with the SunWeb Components.

The Sun IT team designed SunWeb 4.0 to meet several key objectives and provide several key services. An overview of those objectives and services is provided in the following sections.

Key Objectives of SunWeb 4.0

The following table lists the key objectives of the SunWeb 4.0 deployment. These objectives might be similar to your own.

Table 1–2 Key Objectives of SunWeb 4.0


Objective	Description
Integration and consolidation	SunWeb resources were split across many systems and the integration and consolidation of services was a key driver for the SunWeb 4.0 deployment. The SunWeb 4.0 portal integrated Portal Server Secure Remote Access, mobile access, communication channels (mail and calendar), a blogs channel, and the SunWeb portal desktop into one common platform. This integration of services onto one platform required substantial modification to the existing architecture. Single sign-on functionality was also implemented to provide single sign-on between Portal Server with Access Manager to other applications.
Multitier architecture implementation	A key objective of the deployment was to implement a multitier reference architecture to meet new scalability needs and to decouple the Portal Server, Access Manager, and Directory Server deployment for the multitier architecture.
Software upgrade	A software upgrade was necessary to leverage the latest functionality in Java ES components and the Solaris^TM Operating System (Solaris OS). The SunWeb 4.0 framework implemented Sun Java Enterprise System 2005Q1 and Solaris 10 OS with zones (see Software in SunWeb 4.0).
Hardware upgrade	A hardware upgrade was long overdue. The SunWeb 4.0 deployment moved from shared hardware to dedicated Sun Fire^TM x64 servers running Solaris 10 OS, demonstrating a reference architecture with zones on AMD Opteron^TM processors (see Hardware in SunWeb 4.0).

Key Services Provided by SunWeb 4.0

The SunWeb 4.0 deployment provided enhanced capabilities in many areas, including personalization, remote access, and search. Many of the enhancements were made in response to user input and feature requests.

The following table provides an overview of some of the key services delivered with the deployed solution. Your enterprise might require similar services. Technical details for these and other services are provided in Detailed Service Requirements.

Note –

Mail and calendar services are provided by instances of Sun Java System Messaging Server and Sun Java System Calendar Server that are already deployed and running on the main corporate network. The SunWeb portal deployment uses Portal Server channels to provide SunWeb users with access to these services on their portal desktops (to enable this feature, users must add the channels to their portal view).

Table 1–3 Key Services Provided by SunWeb 4.0


Service	Description
Portal Server Secure Remote Access (SRA)	Provides secure remote access from outside of Sun's corporate network (SWAN). Replaces an older application used for remote access, providing enhanced, updated, and integrated services that are more comprehensive and reliable. Provides device independence that enables users to connect to SunWeb securely from any Java enabled, web-connected computer or mobile device. Remote users launch a browser, enter the URL for the SRA service, authenticate using token-based authentication, and are logged directly into SunWeb with secure access to a customized portal desktop, applications, and content. Enables users to access SunWeb from most customer sites, providing an advantage over virtual private network (VPN), which is often blocked. Provides enhanced security in certain situations when compared with VPN. Enables users to send and receive mail, update their calendars, access their home directories, surf sites within SWAN, and open telnet sessions. Provides a remote access channel to users who log in using SRA. This channel provides various tools such as FTP.
Mail channel	Enables remote users to add the mail channel to their SunWeb view and to read, write, and reply to messages using the mail channel when connecting to SunWeb through a remote access gateway. Brings the most recent mail messages to the SunWeb view. Enables users to choose how many messages to display and to launch messages directly from SunWeb. Is highly customizable and enables users to perform a high degree of personalization.
Calendar channel	Complements the mail channel (requires a Calendar Server account). Enables remote users to add the calendar channel to their SunWeb view and to manage their calendar when accessing SunWeb through a remote access gateway. Is highly customizable and enables users to perform a high degree of personalization.
Blogs@Sun channel	Enables users to subscribe to specific blogs and authors. Enables the personalized SunWeb view to be updated as new postings become available.
SunWeb (Java ES) search	Integrates the Portal Server search engine with the portal desktop and the SRA service to provide a single entry point. Gives users a more robust search engine for searching within SWAN.