1. Enterprise Deployment Guide for Oracle SOA Suite
  2. Preparing for an Enterprise Deployment
  3. Procuring Resources for an Enterprise Deployment

5 Procuring Resources for an Enterprise Deployment

It is essential to procure the required hardware, software, and network settings before you configure the Oracle SOA Suite reference topology.

This chapter provides information on how to reserve the required IP addresses and identify and obtain software downloads for an enterprise deployment.

Parent topic: Preparing for an Enterprise Deployment

Hardware and Software Requirements for the Enterprise Deployment Topology

It is important to understand the hardware load balancer requirements, host computer hardware requirements, and operating system requirements for the enterprise deployment topology.

This section includes the following sections.

Parent topic: Procuring Resources for an Enterprise Deployment

Hardware Load Balancer Requirements

The section lists the wanted features of the external load balancer.

The enterprise topology uses an external load balancer. The features of the external load balancer are:

  • Ability to load-balance traffic to a pool of real servers through a virtual host name: Clients access services by 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.

  • Ability to configure names and ports on your external load balancer. 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.

  • 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.

  • 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 by using the equivalent non-SSL protocol (for example, HTTPS to HTTP).

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

  • The ability to route TCP/IP requests; this is a requirement for Managed File Transfer, which can use sFTP/FTP protocol.

Parent topic: Hardware and Software Requirements for the Enterprise Deployment Topology

Host Computer Hardware Requirements

This section provides information to help you procure host computers that are configured to support the enterprise deployment topologies.

It includes the following topics.

Parent topic: Hardware and Software Requirements for the Enterprise Deployment Topology

General Considerations for Enterprise Deployment Host Computers

This section specifies the general considerations that are required for the 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, CPUs, and memory requirements for each node depending on the specific system's load as well as the throughput and response requirements. These requirements vary for each application or custom Oracle SOA Suite system being used.

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

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. See Using the Enterprise Deployment Workbook.

Reviewing the Oracle Fusion Middleware System Requirements

This section provides reference to the system requirements information to help you ensure that the environment meets the necessary minimum requirements.

Review the Oracle Fusion Middleware System Requirements and Specifications to ensure that your environment meets the minimum installation requirements for the products that 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 the required operating system libraries and packages.

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

Typical Memory, File Descriptors, and Processes Required for an Enterprise Deployment

This section specifies the typical memory, number of file descriptors, and operating system processes and tasks details required for an enterprise deployment.

The following table 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 this topic reflects the minimum requirements for configuring the Managed Servers and other services required on SOAHOST1, as depicted in the reference topologies.

When you are procuring machines, use the information in the Approximate Top Memory column as a guide when determining the minimum 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 Processes and Tasks column. See Setting the Open File Limit and Number of Processes Settings on UNIX Systems.

Managed Server, Utility, or Service Approximate Top Memory (SOA Classic Domain) Approximate Top Memory (SOA Reference Configuration Domain) Number of File Descriptors Operating System Processes and Tasks

Administration Server

3.5 GB

4 GB

3500

165

WLS_WSM

3.0 GB

8 GB

2000

130

WLS_SOA

4.0 GB

8 GB

3100

240

WLS_OSB

4.0 GB

8 GB

2200

180

WLS_ESS

3.5 GB

8 GB

1300

35

WLS_BAM

3.5 GB

N/A**

2300

210

WLST (connection to the Node Manager)

1.5 GB

1.5 GB

910

20

Configuration Wizard

1.5 GB

1.5 GB

700

20

Node Manager

1.0 GB

1.0 GB

720

15

TOTAL

27.0 GB*

40 GB*

17000

1200

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

** BAM is not supported in Reference Configuration Domains.

Beginning with Release 12c (12.2.1.4), you can create either a Reference Configuration domain or a Classic domain by using the Templates screen of the Configuration Wizard, during installation. A Reference Configuration domain guards servers from running into out-of-memory, stuck threads, endpoint connectivity, and database issues.

The Reference Configuration domain supports SOA, OSB, SOA + OSB, and B2B topologies and Oracle recommends it in the SOA Enterprise Deployment Guide for the components that support it.

In a Reference Configuration domain, the min and max heap memory (-Xms -Xmx) configured for each server are greater than in Classic Domains: they are set to 4 GB for the Admin Server and 8 GB for the managed servers.

In case you need to tune these parameters, they are specified in the file $ORACLE_HOME/soa/common/bin/setSOARefConfigEnv.sh
# JVM Memory Arguments
        if [ "${STARTUP_GROUP}" = "AdminServerStartupGroup" ] ; then
                MEM_ARGS_NEW_MIN="-Xms4g"
                export MEM_ARGS_NEW_MIN

                MEM_ARGS_NEW_MAX="-Xmx4g"
                export MEM_ARGS_NEW_MAX
        else
                MEM_ARGS_NEW_MIN="-Xms8g"
                export MEM_ARGS_NEW_MIN

                MEM_ARGS_NEW_MAX="-Xmx8g"
                export MEM_ARGS_NEW_MAX
        fi

See Configuring a Reference Configuration Domain in Administering Oracle SOA Suite and Oracle Business Process Management Suite.

Typical Disk Space Requirements for an Enterprise Deployment

This section specifies the disk space that is typically required for this enterprise deployment.

For the latest disk space requirements for the Oracle Fusion Middleware 12c (12.2.1.4.0) products, including the Oracle SOA Suite products, review the Oracle Fusion Middleware System Requirements and Specifications.

In addition, the following table summarizes the disk space that is typically required for an Oracle SOA Suite enterprise deployment.

Use the this information and the information in Preparing the File System for an Enterprise Deployment to determine the disk space requirements required for your 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 GB*

SOAHOSTn (SOA and OSB)

11 GB*

* For a shared storage Oracle home configuration, two installations suffice by making a total of 20 GB.

Operating System Requirements for an Enterprise Deployment Topology

This section provides details about the operating system requirements.

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

Note:

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 by using the bash shell on Oracle Linux.

Parent topic: Hardware and Software Requirements for the Enterprise Deployment Topology

Reserving the Required IP Addresses for an Enterprise Deployment

You have to obtain and reserve a set of IP addresses before you install and configure the enterprise topology. The set of IP addresses that need to be reserved are listed in this section.

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 that you have procured for the topology

  • A virtual IP (VIP) address for the Administration Server

  • Additional VIP addresses for each Managed Server that is configured for Whole Server Migration

    For Fusion Middleware 12c products, such as Oracle SOA Suite, that support Automatic Service Migration, VIPs for the Managed Servers are typically not necessary.

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

You can then work with your network administrator to be sure that 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 topics.

Parent topic: Procuring Resources for an Enterprise Deployment

What is a Virtual IP (VIP) Address?

This section defines the virtual IP address and specifies its purpose.

A virtual IP address is an unused IP Address that belongs to the same subnet as the host's primary IP address. It is assigned to a host manually. If a host computer fails, the virtual address can be assigned to a new host in the topology. For the purposes of this guide, virtual IP addresses are referenced, which can be reassigned from one host to another, and physical IP addresses are referenced, which are assigned permanently to hardware host computer.

Parent topic: Reserving the Required IP Addresses for an Enterprise Deployment

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, host names 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 that are assigned to it.

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

Whether you should use Whole Server Migration or not depends upon the products that you are deploying and whether they support Automatic Service Migration.

For example, starting with Oracle SOA Suite 12c, the SOA Suite products support automatic service migration. As a result, it is no longer necessary to reserve VIPs for each of the Managed Servers in the domain. Instead, a VIP is required for the Administration Server only.

Note:

Regardless the use of virtual or physical IPs, Oracle also recommends that you use aliases to map to different IPs in different data centers in preparation for disaster recovery. It is recommended to use these aliases to configure the listen address for the components. This approach will be used in this guide.

Parent topic: Reserving the Required IP Addresses for an Enterprise Deployment

Physical and Virtual IP Addresses Required by the Enterprise Topology

This section describes the physical IP (IP) and virtual IP (VIP) addresses that are required for the Administration Server and each of the Managed Servers in a typical Oracle SOA Suite enterprise deployment topology.

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 5-1.

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

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. See Using the Enterprise Deployment Workbook .

Table 5-1 Summary of the Virtual IP Addresses Required for the Enterprise Deployment

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.

Parent topic: Reserving the Required IP Addresses for an Enterprise Deployment

Identifying and Obtaining Software Distributions for an Enterprise Deployment

Before you begin to install and configure the enterprise topology, you must obtain the software distributions that you need to implement the topology.

The following table lists the distributions used in this guide.

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

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

Note:

The information in this guide is meant to complement the information contained in the Oracle Fusion Middleware certification matrixes. If there is a conflict of information between this guide and the certification matrixes, then the information in the certification matrixes must be considered the correct version, as they are frequently updated.
Distribution Description Installer File Name

Oracle Fusion Middleware 12c (12.2.1.4.0) 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.

 fmw_12.2.1.4.0_infrastructure.jar

Oracle HTTP Server 12c (12.2.1.4.0)

Download this distribution to install Oracle HTTP Server on the Web tier hosts.

fmw_12.2.1.4.0_ohs_linux64.bin

Oracle Traffic Director 12c (12.2.1.4.0)

Download this distribution to install Oracle Traffic Director on the Web tier hosts.

fmw_12.2.1.4.0_otd_linux64.bin

Oracle Fusion Middleware 12c (12.2.1.4.0) 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).

fmw_12.2.1.4.0_soa.jar

Oracle Fusion Middleware 12c (12.2.1.4.0) Service Bus

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

fmw_12.2.1.4.0_osb.jar

Oracle Fusion Middleware 12c (12.2.1.4.0) 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.

fmw_12.2.1.4.0_b2bhealthcare.jar

Oracle Fusion Middleware 12c (12.2.1.4.0) Managed File Transfer

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

fmw_12.2.1.4.0_mft.jar

Parent topic: Procuring Resources for an Enterprise Deployment