3 System Requirements
Learn about the hardware and software requirements for an Oracle Communications Billing and Revenue Management (BRM) system.
Topics in this document:
Note:
Before you configure your system, see "Improving BRM Performance" in BRM System Administrator's Guide and "Database Configuration and Tuning". These documents contain information about configuring hardware and software for optimal performance with BRM. They also contain a detailed description of memory configuration for the Connection Manager (CM) and Data Manager (DM) on all platforms.
Overview of Hardware and Software Requirements
Running BRM requires the following:
-
A compatible operating system.
-
Available disk space.
See "Disk Space Requirements".
-
Database software.
See "Database Requirements".
-
Network connections.
See "Network Requirements".
Operating System Requirements
The BRM software is available for the Linux and Solaris operating systems. To determine which versions of each operating system are currently supported by BRM, see "BRM Software Compatibility" in BRM Compatibility Matrix.
Note:
On Solaris operating systems, BRM requires the Forte compiler with the appropriate operating system patches. For the list of patches you must install, see
https://docs.oracle.com/cd/E19683-01/806-5195/6je7ls07i/index.html
About Critical Patch Updates
Install all Critical Patch Updates as soon as possible. To download Critical Patch Updates, find out about security alerts, and enable email notifications about Critical Patch Updates, see "Critical Patch Updates, Security Alerts and Bulletins" on the Oracle website.
Disk Space Requirements
Table 3-1 shows disk space requirements for the BRM server processes:
Table 3-1 Server Disk Space Requirements
| BRM System Component | Required Disk Space |
|---|---|
|
BRM server |
300 MB |
|
BRM database |
2 to 5 GB per 10,000 customers per year. Note: This requirement varies greatly with the number of accounts and the amount of activity. |
For information on determining your database requirements, see "Database Configuration and Tuning".
Hardware Guidelines
-
Use large disk controller RAM size.
-
Maximize the processor cache size on the database and DM servers. For best performance, use caches that are at least 1 MB.
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In most cases, performance is best when there are approximately one and a half times as many CPUs on the CM/DM systems as on the database server system.
-
The total number of CM CPUs (regardless of the number of CMs) is approximately 25% - 33% of the total number of CPUs on the database server.
-
CM and DM systems need less RAM than the database system.
-
CM and DM systems have very low disk requirements. Disks are needed only for the operating system, BRM software, and swap space. Two 9-GB disks on each CM or DM system is usually enough, as long as these systems are not being used for non-BRM workloads.
Two disks are recommended so that access to temp space, the operating system, swap, and BRM code are not bottlenecked on a single disk.
CM and DM RAM and Swap Guidelines
Each CM system should have at least 128 MB of RAM. Too much more than 256 MB might not add additional performance unless there are a large number of connections to the CM.
DM RAM can be lower than 512 MB for smaller installations. For larger installations with eight or more DM CPUs on a single SMP box, 512 MB to 1 GB is recommended. Heavy usage of certain business policies and large searches can greatly increase CM memory requirements.
A typical requirement for swap on a CM/DM system is two to three times the amount of RAM, but this depends upon the operating system and the number of processes running on the CM/DM system.
Database Requirements
BRM supports Oracle databases on Linux and Solaris platforms.
To run BRM with an Oracle database, you need the following:
-
Oracle Enterprise Edition.
-
AL32UTF8 database character set.
Note:
BRM 12.0 supports AL32UTF8 as its default character set. You use the unicode character set AL32UTF8 for all new BRM 12.0 deployments.
-
(Optional) Oracle Partitioning. You need this to partition the tables in your BRM database. See "Partitioning Tables" in BRM System Administrator's Guide.
To determine which versions of the Oracle software are currently supported by BRM, see "BRM Software Compatibility" in BRM Compatibility Matrix.
Network Requirements
To set up networking and communications channels, you need TCP/IP. You also need a permanent IP address for each computer that hosts a BRM process or application.
Any kind of network connection that supports TCP/IP supports BRM, for example, local area network, virtual private network, and PPP.
TCP/IP
BRM requires TCP/IP on every machine that runs a BRM component, including custom client programs.
Note:
BRM also needs very large bandwidth to handle traffic between the DM and the database. For more information, see "Database Configuration and Tuning".
About Network Performance
Any kind of network connection that supports TCP/IP supports BRM (for example, local area network, virtual private network, and PPP).
The network bandwidth needs are relatively simple. BRM has an OLTP footprint (as opposed to Decision Support). This means that transactions are normally small and network traffic will consist of smaller packets. The only requirement for network connectivity is TCP/IP. The real constraint is to have enough bandwidth between the DM systems and the database server; otherwise, the network might become a bottleneck even under moderate loads.
-
Use 100BaseT or FDDI between each DM system and the database server. 10 Mbit Ethernets have too little bandwidth to handle heavy DM-to-database-server traffic. To minimize any collisions, the DM-to-database connections should use a separate physical connection (or a switch) and each of these should be a separate network.
-
For switch-connected systems, connect all systems in the BRM configuration by using a single switch. For the largest configurations, use gigabit connections.
-
When the development systems have multiple network cards, verify that the operating system network routing tables are configured to avoid bottlenecks. By default (depending on the system), output from the database server system may go through one LAN card, even though you have several configured, and even though input comes in through the multiple cards from different DMs. Examine and fix the routing tables as necessary. Ensure that each DM-to-database-server connection is explicit so all traffic between the two machines goes through the single dedicated physical path. The most common environment where you might find this problem is when there are multiple paths between the same sets of systems.
-
For best performance, ensure all the systems in the testing environment are connected to the same hub with no intermediate hops.
About Oracle Exalogic and Oracle Exadata
BRM is supported on Oracle Exalogic and Oracle Exadata systems. You can install BRM server and client software on an Oracle Exalogic system (with 32-bit libraries) on Oracle Linux 7.2 and the BRM database on an Oracle Exadata system.
You can install and configure the BRM database with Oracle RAC. See the Oracle Exadata documentation for more information about creating an Oracle RAC instance in Oracle Exadata.
When both Oracle Exalogic and Oracle Exadata are available and connected together using InfiniBand network, you can configure a database listener for the network to serve all connection requests from BRM. See the discussion about setup listener on InfiniBand network using both SDP and TCP protocol (Doc ID 1580584.1) on the My Oracle Support website:
Additional Requirements
You need additional software packages to create a complete customer management and billing solution for your business. These packages allow you to take best advantage of BRM functionality:
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Internet software
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Credit card processing software
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Tax calculation software
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Invoice formatting software
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Compilers
You need the following third-party software for installing BRM:
-
Latest certified version of Java Platform, Standard Edition (Java SE), containing Java Development Kit (JDK) and Java Runtime Environment (JRE). See "BRM Software Compatibility" in BRM Compatibility Matrix.
Important: To protect from security vulnerabilities, ensure you apply the latest critical patch updates. See "About Critical Patch Updates."
BRM is certified on Java SE 8 and you should regularly apply the latest patch set for Java SE 8 to ensure that Java has the latest security fixes.
For instructions on installing Java, see "Installing Java".
-
Latest certified version of Perl. See "BRM Software Compatibility" in BRM Compatibility Matrix.
For instructions on installing Perl, see "Installing Perl".
-
Latest certified version of Apache Kafka. See "BRM Software Compatibility" in BRM Compatibility Matrix.
For instructions on installing Apache Kafka, see "Installing Apache Kafka".
For a list of other third-party software supported by BRM, see "BRM Software Compatibility" in BRM Compatibility Matrix.
Information Requirements for BRM Installation
This section describes the information that you will be required to provide during the BRM server installation process.
Note:
Oracle recommends that you print the tables in this section and record the values for future reference.
Information Requirements for BRM Typical and Complete Installations
This section describes the information requirements common to both typical and complete BRM server installations.
In each section that follows, you can use the Value column of the tables to note the values of the fields for your specific installation.
BRM Database System User Details
Table 3-2 lists the BRM database system user details required during the BRM server installation.
Table 3-2 BRM Database System User Details
| Field | Description | Value |
|---|---|---|
|
Host name |
The host name or IP address of the machine on which the BRM database is installed. |
- |
|
Port number |
The port number assigned to the BRM database service. |
- |
|
Database name |
The BRM database alias. |
- |
|
User Name |
The name of the BRM database system user This user should have the following capabilities on the BRM database: create user, grant any role, grant any privileges, select any table for Enterprise edition, and DBA for XE. |
- |
|
Password |
The BRM database system user password. |
- |
BRM Database Connection Details
Table 3-3 lists the BRM database connection details required during the BRM server installation.
Table 3-3 BRM Database Connection Details
| Field | Description | Value |
|---|---|---|
|
User Name |
The BRM database schema user name. |
- |
|
Password |
The BRM database schema user password. |
- |
BRM Connection Manager Details
Table 3-4 lists the BRM Connection Manager (CM) details required during the BRM server installation.
Table 3-4 BRM Connection Manager Details
| Field | Description | Value |
|---|---|---|
|
User Name |
The fully qualified host name or IP address of your CM machine. |
- |
|
Port Number |
The port number for your CM. |
- |
Enterprise Application Integration Framework Details
Table 3-5 lists the Enterprise Application Integration (EAI) framework details required during the BRM server installation.
Table 3-5 Enterprise Application Integration Framework Details
| Field | Description | Value |
|---|---|---|
|
Port Number |
The port number for your EAI Manager. |
- |
Oracle Data Manager Details
Table 3-6 lists the Oracle Data Manager (DM) details required during the BRM server installation.
Table 3-6 Oracle Data Manager Details
| Field | Description | Value |
|---|---|---|
|
Database Number |
The DM database number. |
- |
|
Port Number |
The port number for your DM. |
- |
BRM Table and Index Tablespace Details
Table 3-7 lists the BRM table and index tablespace details required during the BRM server installation.
Table 3-7 BRM Table and Index Tablespace Details
| Field | Description | Value |
|---|---|---|
|
Table Tablespace |
The name of your data tablespace. |
- |
|
Index Tablespace |
The name of your index tablespace. |
- |
Additional Information Requirements for BRM Complete Installation
This section describes the additional information requirements for a complete BRM server installation.
In each section that follows, you can use the Value column of the tables to note the values of the fields for your specific installation.
Oracle Connection Manager Proxy Details
Table 3-8 lists the CM proxy details required during the BRM server installation.
Table 3-8 Oracle Connection Manager Proxy Details
| Field | Description | Value |
|---|---|---|
|
Port Number |
The port number for your CM Proxy. |
- |
Oracle Connection Manager Master Process Details
Table 3-9 lists the CM Master Process (CMMP) details required during the BRM server installation.
Table 3-9 Oracle Connection Manager Master Process Details
| Field | Description | Value |
|---|---|---|
|
Port Number |
The port number for your CMMP. |
- |
Pipeline Schema User Details
Table 3-10 lists the Pipeline schema user details required during the BRM server installation.
Table 3-10 Pipeline Schema User Details
| Field | Description | Value |
|---|---|---|
|
User name |
The name of the Pipeline schema user |
- |
|
Password |
The Pipeline schema user password. |
- |
|
Table Tablespace |
The name of the data tablespace for the pipeline schema. |
- |
|
Index Tablespace |
The name of the index tablespace for the pipeline schema. |
- |
BRM Schema User Details
Table 3-11 lists the Pipeline schema user details required during the BRM server installation.
Table 3-11 BRM Schema User Details
| Field | Description | Value |
|---|---|---|
|
User name |
The name of the BRM database schema user |
- |
|
Password |
The BRM database schema user password. |
- |
|
Table Tablespace |
The name of your BRM data tablespace. |
- |
|
Index Tablespace |
The name of your BRM index tablespace. |
- |