Planning for your web application server

IBM Content Navigator is a web application whose server component runs within a web container on a Java Platform, Enterprise Edition application server.

The following table shows which web applications are supported on each web application server. Ensure that you are running a supported version of your web application server. For more information, see Prerequisites for installing IBM Content Navigator.

Table 1. Supported application servers. IBM Content Navigator is supported on multiple web application servers. However, the web application server that you use depends on the repositories that you are connecting to and the features that you plan to use.
Repository Type IBM WebSphere® Application Server Version 7 IBM WebSphere Application Server Version 8 or later Oracle WebLogic Server Version 11gR1 Oracle WebLogic Server 12 or later
IBM Content Manager Enterprise Edition ✓ ✓    
IBM Content Manager OnDemand ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
IBM FileNet® Content Manager ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
Task manager services   ✓   ✓
Sync services   ✓   ✓
IBM CMIS for Content Manager ✓ ✓    
IBM CMIS for Content Manager OnDemand ✓ ✓   ✓
IBM CMIS for FileNet Content Manager ✓ ✓   ✓
IBM FileNet Collaboration Services ✓ ✓    

If you use IBM Content Navigator with IBM Content Manager or IBM FileNet Content Manager, you must deploy IBM Content Navigator on the same type of web application server as your repository, including the version. Because IBM Content Manager OnDemand is not deployed on a web application server, this restriction does not apply to IBM Content Manager OnDemand repositories.

If you plan to connect to IBM Content Manager and IBM FileNet Content Manager, but they are deployed on different types of web application servers, you have two options:
  • Redeploy IBM FileNet Content Manager on IBM WebSphere Application Server
  • Deploy a separate instance of IBM Content Navigator on Oracle WebLogic Server to connect to your IBM FileNet Content Manager repositories

You can use one instance of IBM Content Navigator to interact with all the supported repositories, or you can use separate instances for each repository.

Collocating IBM Content Navigator with other applications

IBM Content Navigator must be deployed in its own application server instance (that is, deployed into a single JVM). For example, if you are running IBM WebSphere Application Server, you deploy IBM Content Navigator into the application server that is running within a profile. No other Java EE applications can be deployed within this application server instance. However, other Java EE applications can be deployed in their own application server instances within a profile if the server is sized appropriately.

For example, you cannot deploy the following applications in the same application server instance as IBM Content Navigator:
  • IBM FileNet Workplace XT
  • IBM Enterprise Records

    If you want to install the full IBM Enterprise Records solution, you must deploy IBM Enterprise Records to a different application server instance from IBM Content Navigator. Alternatively, to use record declaration capabilities in the IBM Content Navigator web client, you can add the IBM Enterprise Records plug-in interface, which is provided as a plug-in JAR file, to your existing IBM Content Navigator installation.

The exception to this rule is IBM Case Manager, Version 5.2 or higher. The IBM Case Manager administration client and Case Manager Client must be deployed into the same JVM as the IBM Content Navigator web client.

Important: Although IBM Case Manager can be collocated with IBM FileNet Workplace XT only in a development environment, you cannot deploy IBM Content Navigator in the shared application server instance in the deployment environment. IBM Case Manager and IBM FileNet Workplace XT cannot be collocated in a production environment.

Session replication support

Highly Available ClustersIBM Content Navigator supports session replication only for IBM FileNet P8. Session replication is recommended for highly available IBM FileNet P8 environments. However, in a Kerberos/SPNEGO single sign-on (SSO) environment, session replication is required for failover support.

When IBM Content Navigator is deployed in a clustered environment, application server sessions that access IBM FileNet P8 repositories can use session replication to ensure uninterrupted service. However, if your IBM Content Navigator deployment accesses other types of repositories, users must log in to IBM Content Navigator again if an application server session is interrupted.

Important: After you deploy IBM Content Navigator on WebSphere Application Server Network Deployment, you must configure distributed sessions in the IBM Content Navigator enterprise application.

Memory requirements

You must have sufficient memory in the Java virtual machine (JVM) in the web application server where you plan install and deploy IBM Content Navigator components:
  • If you are deploying to WebSphere Application Server, you must increase the JVM minimum heap size on the web application server to at least 1 GB or, preferably, to 2 GB. This setting prevents the web application server from hanging when deploying IBM Content Navigator components.
  • If you are deploying to WebSphere Application Server Network Deployment, you must increase the JVM minimum heap size on the deployment manager to at least 1 GB or, preferably, to 2 GB. This setting prevents the web application server from hanging or running out of memory when deploying IBM Content Navigator components.
  • If you are deploying to Oracle WebLogic Server, you must set the memory arguments (MEM_ARGS) parameter to at least 1 GB or, preferably, to 2 GB. This prevents the web application server from running out of memory when deploying IBM Content Navigator components.

Application server administrative security requirements

Most IBM Content Navigator components support or require application server administrative security. Additionally, the IBM Content Navigator Configuration and Deployment Tool requires you to specify the name and password of a web application server administrator to connect to your web application server.
Restriction: IBM CMIS for Content Manager OnDemand uses application managed authentication and does not work when application server administrative security is enabled. You must disable administrative security after you deploy IBM CMIS for Content Manager OnDemand and before you use IBM CMIS for Content Manager OnDemand to connect to your repository.

You cannot deploy IBM CMIS for Content Manager OnDemand and another IBM Content Navigator component in the same instance of WebSphere Application Server or in the same Oracle WebLogic Server domain.