Implementing Inbound Request Load Balancing Using Virtual Application Server Domains

You can configure one or more integration gateways for load balancing using virtual application server domains. This section provides an overview of implementing this process.

The first step to implementing load balancing using virtual applications server domains is to configure a synchronous secondary template domain.

You use PSADMIN to create synchronous secondary template domains, selecting the IB Sync Secondary configuration template option. Creating secondary templates is described elsewhere in the documentation.

See Creating Template Secondary Domains.

After you create a synchronous secondary template, the domain and its dispatcher processes appear on the Domain Status page in the Service Operations Monitor. To access the page, select PeopleTools > Integration Broker > Service Operations Monitor > Administration > Domain Status.

This example illustrates the Domain Status page when a synchronous template secondary is defined. The Domains grid shows the primary domain and the synchronous template secondary domain. The Dispatcher Status grid shows the dispatcher processes for both domains.

The Domains section of the page shows the primary domain as well as one synchronous secondary template domain. Note that the Secondary Indicator column for the synchronous secondary template reads Sync Template to identify it as a synchronous secondary template. The Dispatcher Status section displays the dispatcher processes for both the primary domain and the synchronous secondary template domain.

When you create a synchronous secondary template domain the system automatically registers the application URL in the Synchronous section of the Secondary Template page. To access the page, select PeopleTools > Integration Broker > Service Operations Monitor > Administration > Domain Status and click the Secondary Templates link.

This example illustrates the Secondary Templates page. The system auto-populates the application server URL the synchronous secondary template in the AppServer URL field.

By default the system registers the URL in <machine name>:<jolt port> format. You can change the default so that the system populates the information using the IP address. The System Setup Options page (IB_SYSTEMSETUP) features an option, Use IP Address, that you can select so that the system uses the application server IP address.

To access the System Setup Options page, select PeopleTools > Integration Broker > Configuration > Integration Broker Options.

This example illustrates the System Setup Options page. Select the Use IP Address option to use the IP address for the application server URL.

To define the application server URL for a synchronous secondary template using the application server IP address:

1. Access the System Setup Options page (PeopleTools > Integration Broker > Configuration > Integration Broker Options..)

   Check the Use IP Address box.

2. Click the Save button.

If you use the System Setup Options page to change the URL format from <machine name>:<jolt port> to IP address, you must synchronize the virtual application server with the gateways defined for load balancing. If you have auto-synchronization set up the synchronization occurs at the interval set for synchronization. You can also perform a manual synchronization.

See Registering and Synchronizing Integration Gateways and Virtual Application Server Domains.

The system automatically uses the default local gateway for inbound request processing. You can add additional gateways to distribute processing tasks by using the Inbound Gateways page (IB_GATEWAY_SEC) in the Gateways component.

To access the Inbound Gateways page, select PeopleTools > Integration Broker > Configuration > Integration Gateways and click the Inbound Gateways link.

This example illustrates the Inbound Gateways page. Use this page to define gateways for the processing of inbound integrations.

To integration gateway URLs for inbound processing.

1. Access the Inbound Gateways page (PeopleTools > Integration Broker > Configuration > Integration Gateways and click the Inbound Gatewaysand click the Inbound Gateways link).

2. Add row to the Inbound Gateways grid by clicking the add a row icon (+).

3. In the Gateway URL field enter a gateway URL in the following format:

   http://machinename:port/PSIGW/PeopleSoftListeningConnector
   

   In this case, machinename:port is the machine name and port, host name, or IP address of the web server hosting the gateway.

4. Click the Update button.

When an inbound request is sent without a destination node indicated, you can specify that a PeopleSoft node (as defined in the integration gateway properties file) process the request.

The PeopleSoft Node Configuration page features a Virtual Server Node field. When you want a PeopleSoft node to process an inbound request that was sent without a destination node name, the integration system directs the request to the node specified in the field.

This example illustrates the PeopleSoft Node Configuration page. Use the Virtual Node field to define the node to process an inbound integration when no destination node is defined in the inbound request.

The example shows that the value PSFT_NODE_02 is entered in the Virtual Server Node field. As a result, inbound requests that do not specify a destination node, are sent to the PSFT_NODE__02 node.

You can also specify a virtual server node directly in the integrationGateway.properties file by setting the following property equal to the PeopleSoft node you want to handle the request:

ig.isc.virtualserverNode

If you specify this information directly in the integrationGateway.properties file, the JOLT connect information must adhere to the example provide in the example in the file. The order of properties must not deviate from the example provided in the properties file, shown here:

#ig.isc.virtualServerNode=VIRTUALSERVERNODE
#ig.isc.serverURL=//MYSERVER:9000
#ig.isc.userid=MYUSERID
#Use the supplied "Password Encryption Utility" to generate an encrypted 
#password for the next entry.
#ig.isc.password=encrypted_password
#ig.isc.toolsRel=8.46
#Use the supplied "Password Encryption Utility" to generate an encrypted
#password for the next entry.
#ig.isc.domainConnectionPwd=encrypted_domain_password 

This section discusses registering and synchronizing integration gateways and virtual application server domains.

Using the Inbound Gateways Page

The options for setting up manual or automatic synchronization are on the Inbound Gateways page. To access the Inbound Gateways page, select PeopleTools > Integration Broker > Configuration > Integration Gateways and click the Inbound Gateways link.

This example illustrates the Inbound Gateways page. Use the Ping button or the Set Up link to register and synchronize virtual application servers with gateways.

The following fields and controls appear on the page:

Field or Control	Description
Gateway URL	Enter the integration gateway URL.
Ping	Click the button to ping the defined gateway.
View Details	Click the link to access the Gateway Server URLs page to view virtual server domains configured for the gateway. Using the Gateway Server URLs page is described later in this topic.
Set Up	Click the button to access the Auto Sync page to set up and enable auto-synchronization of the integration gateway and virtual application servers. Using the Auto Sync page is described later in this topic.
Status	This read-only field indicates the status of auto-synchronization. The values are: Disabled. Enabled.
Application Server Re-Sync	This option is applicable only for situations where you are using a default application server configuration in the integration gateway (PeopleSoft Node Configuration page) and there are no virtual servers defined. If you set this option and the default application server goes down, the system synchronizes the gateway and the default application server so that when the application server is brought back up, the gateway again uses the application server without the need to recycle the gateway. Click the Set Up link to access the Auto Sync page to set up auto-synchronization of the default application server and the integration gateway.
Sync	Click the button to manually synchronize the integration gateway with virtual application servers.
Update	Click the button after performing a manual synchronization of the integration gateway and virtual application servers to complete the action.
Cancel	Click the button to exit the Inbound Gateways page without saving any changes.

Manually Registering and Synchronizing Virtual Server Domains with Gateways

To manually register and synchronize virtual server domains with gateways:

1. Access the Inbound Gateway page (PeopleTools > Integration Broker > Configuration > Integration Gateways and click the Inbound Gateways link).

2. Click the Sync button.

3. Click the Update button.

To set up the system to automatically register and synchronize virtual application servers with gateways use the Auto Sync page (IB_AUTOSYNC_SEC). To access the page, click the Set Up link on the Inbound Gateways page.

Note: When auto-synchronization is enabled, you may still use the Sync button to perform manual synchronization if needed.

This example illustrates the Auto Sync page.

The Gateway Server URLs page (IB_GWSERVER_SEC) lists the server URLs assigned to each node for a particular integration gateway. To access the Gateway Server URLs page, select PeopleTools > Integration Broker > Configuration > Integration Gateways > Inbound Gateways and click the View Details link for a gateway.

This example illustrates the Gateway Server URLs page. Virtual server URLs are identified on this page by a check in the Virtual column.

You can require that all inbound requests be sent using Secure Socket Layer security/Transport Layer Security (SSL/TLS).

To do so, set the following property in the integrationGateway.properties file to True.

ig.SecureVirtualRequests=True

This property is located in the Virtual Server Section of the properties file.

When this property is set to True, the gateway accepts only those requests that are sent using SSL/TLS.