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7.1.3.9: Multiple applications within a node sample topology

7.1.3.9: Multiple applications within a node sample topology

Overview

The following figure shows a topology in which clones of more than one application server are hosted on a physical node.

multiapptop.gif (14489 bytes)

The example topology is a variation of the basic horizontal scaling topology. The clones of an application server are not hosted on a single machine but are distributed throughout all of the machines in the system. (In this example, a clone of each is hosted on both Machine B and Machine C.) Machine A serves as the Web server for the application and distributes client requests to the application server clones on each node. Machine D serves as the database server for both nodes.

Typical use

Hosting clones of multiple application servers within a node provides the following benefits:

  • Improved throughput. Cloning an application server enables it to handle more client requests simultaneously.
  • Improved performance. Hosting clones on multiple machines enables each clone to make use of the machine's processing resources.
  • Hardware failover. Hosting clones on multiple nodes isolates hardware failtures and provides failover support. Client requests can be redirected to the application server clones on other nodes if one node goes offline.
  • Application server failover. Hosting clones on multiple nodes also isolates application software failures and provides failover support if a clone stops running. Client requests can be redirected to clones of the application server on other nodes.
  • Process isolation. If one application server process fails, its clones on the other nodes are unaffected.

Drawbacks of this topology include the following:

  • More complex deployment. Application executable files must be distributed across multiple machines in a cluster. Using a distributed file system that provides a common file mount point for all nodes can make this task easier.
  • More complex maintenance. Clones of each application server must be maintained on multiple machines.
Go to previous article: Multiple WebSphere domains sample topology Go to next article: Putting it all together - a combined topology

 

 
Go to previous article: Multiple WebSphere domains sample topology Go to next article: Putting it all together - a combined topology