Manage REST Proxy Nodes

This topic contains information to help you understand, set up, and manage the REST proxy nodes.

Topics

• How's the REST Proxy Used?

• Add Enrollments to the REST Proxy

• View and Edit the REST Proxy Node Configuration

• View Health Information for a REST Proxy Node

How's the REST Proxy Used?

The REST proxy maps an application identity to a blockchain member, which allows users and applications to call the Oracle Blockchain Platform REST APIs.

Instead of using the native Hyperledger Fabric APIs, Oracle Blockchain Platform can use the REST proxy to interact with the Hyperledger Fabric network. When you use the native Hyperledger Fabric APIs, you connect to the peers and orderer directly. However, the REST proxy allows you to query or invoke a Fabric chaincode through the RESTful protocol.

Add Enrollments to the REST Proxy

Enrollments allow users to call the REST proxy without an enrollment certificate. Enrollements require a new user group to be defined on your authentication server.

Adding Enrollments When Using Microsoft Active Directory as Your Authentication Server

Adding an enrollment to the REST Proxy requires a new user group to be added to Active Directory: <Rest Proxy Client Users group name>_<custom enrolment name>. You can then use the Blockchain Platform console to map the enrollment to this group.

1. Create a new Active Directory group called <Rest Proxy Client Users group name>_<custom enrolment name>.
2. Add any users needing to use the custom enrollment to this group.
3. Go to the Blockchain Platform console and select the Nodes tab.
4. In the Nodes tab, find the REST proxy node you want to add an enrollment to and open the More Actions menu.
5. Click View or create enrollments to see a list of the node’s current enrollments.
6. Click Create New Enrollment.
7. In the User Name field, enter <custom enrolment name> from the first step. Note that this is case-sensitive and must match the user group you created. Click Enroll.
   • The enrollment is created and displays in the Enrollments table.
   • The new enrollment is copied to each REST proxy node in the network.

Adding Enrollments When Using OpenLDAP or Oracle Internet Directory as Your Authentication Server

Adding an enrollment to the REST Proxy creates a new user role in the OBP_<platform-name>_<instance-name>_REST_<custom-enrollment> group on your LDAP server.

After the enrollment is created in the console, the Administrator uses the LDAP server to assign the required users to this role.

For information about how users access the REST resources, see REST API for Oracle Blockchain Platform.

1. Go to the console and select the Nodes tab.
2. In the Nodes tab, find the REST proxy node you want to add an enrollment to and open the More Actions menu.
3. Click View or create enrollments to see a list of the node’s current enrollments.
4. Click Create New Enrollment.
   The Create New Enrollment dialog is displayed.
5. In the User Name field, enter a name for the enrollment. Click Enroll.
   After you click Enroll:

   • The enrollment is created and displays in the Enrollments table.
   • The new enrollment is copied to each REST proxy node in the network.
   • A new user role in the OBP_<platform-name>_<instance-name>_REST_<custom-enrollment> group on your LDAP server.

View and Edit the REST Proxy Node Configuration

A REST proxy node’s configuration determines how the node performs and behaves on the network.

Only administrators can change a node’s configuration. If you've got user permissions, then you can view a node’s configuration settings. See REST Proxy Node Attributes.

1. Go to the console and select the Nodes tab.
2. In the Nodes tab, go to the Nodes table, locate the REST proxy node that you want configuration information for, and click the node’s More Actions button.
3. The configuration option is determined by your permissions. If you're an administrator, locate and click Edit Configuration. If you're a user, locate and click View.
   The Configure dialog is displayed.
4. If you're an administrator, then modify the node’s Proposal Wait Time (ms) and Transaction Wait Time (ms) attributes as needed.
5. Click Submit to save the configuration changes, or click X to close the Configure dialog.

View Health Information for a REST Proxy Node

You can check a REST proxy node’s metrics to see how the node is performing on the blockchain network. This information helps you discover and diagnose performance problems.

The Health pane displays these performance metrics: CPU utilization and memory utilization.

1. Go to the console and select the Nodes tab.
2. In the Nodes tab, click the REST proxy node you want to see health information for.
   The Node Information page is displayed.
3. Click the Health pane to view the node’s performance metrics.
   If the utilization percentages are consistently high, then contact Oracle Support.