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Adding Business Hosts

This topic describes generally how to use the Production Configuration page to add business hosts to a production.

Other topics describe the color coding in the diagram, and how to configure settings for the production and all business hosts.

Introduction

A business host is any business service, business process, or business operation within a production. These are also referred to generically as configuration items.

A configuration item is always associated with a specific production. It may resemble or duplicate items in other productions. Each production is an entirely closed universe that does not use configuration items from other productions.

Configuration Names

By default, the name of a configuration item is the name of its underlying host class. However, you can assign a different name, to describe the purpose of the item, for example.

For example, if you have a business service class that communicates with a specific type of server, and you use it to communicate with the same type of server in different enterprise locations, you must configure the business service with different settings to communicate with each enterprise location, even though the type of server is the same. Each different configuration of the business service must have a different Name in the diagram (except see Working with Multiple Versions of a Business Host).

The following rules govern configuration names:

  • The name must consist of at least one character.

  • The name can contain letters, numbers, and any printable character except for the following:

    | ; , : [ < > \ / & "

  • Neither the first nor the last character can be any of the following: ! $ .

  • The first character cannot be _

  • The name (if is it one character long) cannot be *

Important:

You cannot change the name of an existing configuration item. If you require a name change, you can copy the item and delete the original item.

Adding Business Hosts to a Production

To add a business host to a production:

  1. Identify (or create and compile) the appropriate business host class.

  2. Open the production on the Interoperability > Configure > Production page.

  3. Click plus-sign icon next to the Services, Processes, or Operations column heading.

  4. Use the wizard, as described in the next topic.

  5. Click OK to add the process to the production.

  6. Configure the business process as needed.

This process does not generate any new classes. It updates the production class.

Wizard Options

This section describes the options in the Business Service Wizard, the Business Process Wizard, and Business Operation Wizard.

Options in the Business Service Wizard

The Business Service Wizard provides multiple tabs, which correspond to different types of business service classes to use. Click a tab and then specify values as follows:

  • If you click the All Services tab, specify the following values:

    • Choose a host class from the Service Class list. If the class you need is not listed, create and compile the class in an IDE, and then return here to choose it.

    • Specify a configuration Service Name. For rules, see Configuration Names.

    • Enter a text label in the Display Category field to sort and organize items within the production. Display Category names are case-sensitive, and space characters are allowed. To place an item in multiple categories, list them in the Display Category field separated by commas (with no spaces around these commas).

    • Comment is an optional text description.

  • If you click the X12 Input tab or HL7 Input tab (if available), specify the following values:

    • Choose a messaging protocol to select an existing specialized host class.

    • Specify a configuration Name. For rules, see Configuration Names.

    • Use the Target Name field to identify the business process or business operation to which this business service will send the messages that it receives.

      If you select the Create New Router option, you can use the New Rule Package field to specify a package name that will be added to the name of the rule created for the new router. If you do not specify a New Rule Package value, the production’s package is used.

    • Select the Default applies if no value check box if you want blank settings to be replaced with the system default settings when the business service is created. Fields identified by an asterisk (*) will be replaced with the system default values. Click Help icon to view the possible default values.

  • If you click the Business Metric tab, specify the following values:

    • Choose a host class from the MetricClass drop-down list. If the class you need does not appear on this list, create the class in an IDE, then return to choose it.

      See Creating Business Metrics.

    • Specify a configuration Name. For rules, see Configuration Names.

    • Enter a text label in the Category field to sort and organize items within the production. Category names are case-sensitive, and space characters are allowed. To place an item in multiple categories, list them in the Category field separated by commas (do not allow spaces around these commas).

    • Comment is an optional text description.

    • Call Interval determines how often the business metric will recalculate the values of its properties. The Call Interval is in seconds, starting from a minimum of 0.1 seconds. The default is 5 seconds.

Options in the Business Process Wizard

The Business Process Wizard provides multiple tabs, which correspond to different types of business process classes to use. Click a tab and then specify values as follows:

  • If you click the All Processes tab, specify the following values:

    • Business Process Class—Choose a base class from the list of valid business process classes. If the class you need does not appear on this list, create and compile the class and then return here to choose it.

    • Specify a configuration Name. For rules, see Configuration Names.

      The wizard defaults to the business process class name if you leave this blank.

    • Specify other values as given after this list.

  • If you click the X12 Router tab or HL7 Router tab (if available), specify the following values:

    • Auto-create Rule—Select this check box to create a rule definition name based on the business process class name. When Auto-create rule is selected, you can use the New Rule Package field to specify a package name that will be added to the name of the rule created for the new router. If you do not specify a New Rule Package value, the production’s package is used. In most cases, the New Rule Package field is ignored if the Routing Process Name field begins with a package name. However, if the package specified by the Routing Process Name field is the system package name Ens or Enslib, a rule that is auto-created will have a different package name added to the beginning of the rule name. This additional package is determined by the contents of the New Rule Package field. If the package of the production or routing process is used instead of a specified value, the generated rule class name ends with 'RoutingRule'.

    • Routing Rule Name—Use the field to identify the name of the routing rule set to which this business process sends the messages that it receives. Only appears if the previous check box is cleared.

      Once you select a rule name, you can click the magnifying glass to open the Rule Editor.

    • Specify a Routing Process Name. For rules, see Configuration Names. To specify a package for the new routing process, use the format package.name in the field.

      The underlying business process class is EnsLib.MsgRouter.VDocRoutingEngineOpens in a new tab depending on which type of router you choose.

    • Specify other values as given after this list.

  • If you click the Component tab, specify the following values:

    • Component Class—Choose a base class from the list of valid business process classes designated as components.

    • Component Name—Enter a configuration name for this item. For rules, see Configuration Names. The wizard defaults to the component class name if you leave this blank.

    • Specify other values as given after this list.

Note that all types of business process share the following optional fields:

  • Display Category—Enter a text label in the field to sort and organize items within the production. Category names are case-sensitive and space characters are allowed. To place an item in multiple categories, enter a comma-separated list.

  • Comment—Enter a brief comment about the business process to appear in the informational settings.

  • Enable Now—Select this check box if you want this business process to begin processing messages immediately when the production runs; clear it for the process to be initially disabled.

Options in the Business Operation Wizard

The Business Operation Wizard provides multiple tabs, which correspond to different types of business operation classes to use. Click a tab and then specify values as follows:

  • If you click the All Operations tab, specify the following values:

    • Choose a host class from the Operation Class list. If the class you need does not appear on this list, create the class in an IDE, then return here to choose it.

    • Specify a configuration Name. For rules, see Configuration Names.

    • Enter a text label in the Display Category field to sort and organize items within the production. Display Category names are case-sensitive, and space characters are allowed. To place an item in multiple categories, list them in the Display Category field separated by commas (do not allow spaces around these commas).

    • Comment is an optional text description.

    • Specify other values as given after this list.

  • If you click the X12 Output tab, specify the following values:

    • Choose TCP, File, or FTP to determine the host class. Each class already exists and requires no programming. Simply choose one.

    • Give the item a configuration X12 Operation Name. For rules, see Configuration Names.

    • Specify other values as given after this list.

    • Select the Default applies if no value check box if you want blank settings to be replaced with the system default settings when the business operation is created. Fields identified by an asterisk (*) will be replaced with the system default values. Click Help icon

      to view the possible default values.

  • If you click the Workflow tab, specify the following values:

    • Choose a host class from the Operation Class drop-down list. If the class you need does not appear on this list, create the class in an IDE, then return here to choose it.

    • Give the item a configuration Operation Name. For rules, see Configuration Names.

    • Choose whether or not to auto-create a workflow role.

    • Specify other values as given after this list.

All types of business operation share the following optional fields:

  • Display Category—Enter a text label in the field to sort and organize items within the production. Category names are case-sensitive and space characters are allowed. To place an item in multiple categories, enter a comma-separated list.

  • Comment—Enter a brief comment about the business operation to appear in the informational settings.

  • Enable Now—Select this check box if you want this business operation to begin processing messages immediately when the production runs; clear it for the operation to be initially disabled.

Enabling, Disabling, or Restarting a Business Host

You can either enable, disable, or restart business hosts individually or for a selection of business hosts.

To enable, disable, or restart a single business host, do one of the following:

  • Double-click a host item. InterSystems IRIS displays a dialog box that allows you to enable, disable, or restart the host item depending on the current state of the production and the host item:

    • If the production is running and the host item is enabled, the dialog box gives you the option to disable the host item, restart the host item, or to cancel the request.

    • If the production is not running and the host item is enabled, the dialog box gives you the option to disable the host item or to cancel the request.

    • If the host item is disabled, the dialog box gives you the option to enable the host item or cancel the request.

  • Select or clear the Enabled setting (as appropriate) and then click Apply. To restart a host item, first disable it and then enable it.

  • Use the Stop, Start, and Restart buttons on the Action tab. Because the setting controlled by the Enabled check box is a setting stored in the production class definition, you cannot use it to stop, start, or restart a production that you cannot edit, for example because you lack sufficient privileges, or it is marked read-only due to being managed by source control system. The Stop, Start, and Restart buttons on the Action tab perform these actions without modifying the production class definition.

To enable, disable, or restart a selection of business hosts, do the following:

  1. Select multiple business hosts in the Production Configuration page by using the Ctrl and Shift keys. The Ctrl key keeps any existing selection and either adds or removes the item from the selection. The Shift key allows you to select a contiguous set of one kind of business hosts—either Business Services, Business Processes, or Business Operations.

  2. Once you have selected multiple business hosts, the right panel automatically switches to the Actions tab, which will include Enable, Disable, and Restart buttons.

  3. Select the button to enable, disable, or restart the selected business hosts.

Note:

You cannot disable a business process with a pool size of 0. The management portal does not allow this action because disabling it would stop all business processes with a pool size of 0, which use the same shared actor queue. If you want to disable only a single business process, you must first set its pool size to 1 or more. After you apply the settings, you can disable it. If you do want to stop all business processes using the shared actor pool, select Production Settings and set the Actor Pool Size to 0. Also see Pool Size and Actor Pool Size.

Changing the Class That a Business Host Uses

To modify a business host so that it is based on a different class:

  1. Display the Production Configuration page:

  2. Click the business host in the diagram.

  3. Click the Actions tab.

  4. Click Change Class. This button is visible only when you can edit the business host.

  5. Select a new class.

Copying a Business Host

To create a copy of a business host within a given production:

  1. Display the Production Configuration page:

  2. Click the business host in the diagram.

  3. Click the Actions tab.

  4. Click Copy. This button is visible only when you can edit the business host.

  5. Click Copy to create a copy of the selected business host.

    A dialog box prompts you to enter a configuration name.

  6. Enter a unique name and click OK.

When first created, the copy has the same host class and settings as the original; only the name is different. Generally your next step is to configure the copy to make it unique. For example:

  • If you have an incoming TCP business service that receives messages from a client application, and you want to receive messages from a similar application on a different application server, you can copy the first TCP service and configure the copy with the other server address.

  • If you have a business process for one message routing interface, and you want a similar one but with alterations for another interface, you can copy the first routing process and configure the copy to route messages between different sets of business services and business operations.

  • If you have an outgoing email business operation that alerts a user, but you want to alert another user at different times of day, you can copy the first outgoing email operation and configure the copy with the other email address.

The copy has no relationship to the original item; you can configure, enable, and disable each item independently.

Note:

The Copy command works only within the same production. You cannot copy a business host from one production to another.

Deleting a Business Host

To delete a business host within a given production:

  1. Display the Production Configuration page:

  2. Click the business host in the diagram.

  3. Click the Actions tab.

  4. Click Delete. This button is visible only when you can edit the business host.

    This process removes this item from the production configuration. This action does not delete the business host class on which the business host is based.

Repairing an Error

If the class for a given business host is not available, the diagram displays the item with a red background. To fix the error:

  1. Select the item.

  2. Click the Actions tab.

  3. Now either click Delete to remove the item or click Change Class to choose a class. This button is visible only when you can edit the business host.

Viewing and Configuring Connections

When you click the status indicator of a business host, lines connect items as defined by the values in the Target Config Names setting or, in the case of a routing process, as defined by the associated Business Rule Name. The following figure shows an example:

Screen shot of the Production Configuration page with lines connecting business hosts

You can assign a business service Target Config Names by clicking its status indicator and dragging the pointer to a business process or operation until you see its status indicator highlighted. When you do so, the Production Configuration page displays a dialog window requesting you to confirm the connection. If you confirm the connection, the page displays a Settings applied message and the item is added to the list in the Target Config Names setting.

Working with Multiple Versions of a Business Host

During development, it can be convenient to include multiple versions of a business host in the production and then switch among them for testing.

Only one of them can be enabled at any time; when you enable one, InterSystems IRIS automatically disables any previously enabled version.

To create and work with multiple versions of a host:

  1. Add the first business host as usual.

  2. Add the next business host and provide the same configuration name as for the first one.

    The production configuration still shows only one business host with the given name.

  3. If you are not in listing view, click the listing view icon Listing view icon.

  4. Select the business host.

    Now the diagram displays a small box that indicates the number of items that have this name, as follows:

    Small yellow box above the business host name indicating that there are two versions of the business host

    Also, the area above the diagram shows a drop-down list that you can use to select the specific item to work with:

    Item drop-down list where you can select the business host to view

    By default, the enabled version is selected. If no host is enabled, the selected version is the first business host that you added.

  5. Use the Item list to select the version that you want to configure. Specify configuration details as usual and apply them.

  6. Repeat if needed.

To understand why this is useful, consider the following: when testing or troubleshooting the production you might want to send messages by typing them at the console command line, or by reading data from files. But when running the production, you might intend for these messages to arrive from an external application via a TCP connection. Each means of obtaining input for the production requires a different business service host class.

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