Loading the App Connect Professional image

 

Published on December 13, 2018 / Updated on December 17, 2018

IBM App Connect Professional supports Docker and can be installed as a stand-alone Docker container or in a Kubernetes cluster. There are two ways in which you can launch App Connect Professional in a Docker container:

• Use the App Connect Professional Docker image running on Ubuntu 16.04 that is provided by IBM (7.5.3.0-WS-ACP-
• Build your own Docker image by using App Connect Professional software (7.5.3.0-WS-ACP-

System requirements
You can run the App Connect Professional Docker container in the following configurations:

1. Two CPUs with 4 GB RAM and a 100GB disk
2. Four CPUs with 8 or 16 GB RAM and a 100GB disk
3. Eight CPUs with 16, 24, or 32 GB RAM and a 100GB disk

For production purposes, it’s recommended that you use four or more CPUs.

Loading the App Connect Professional image

The first stage is to load the App Connect Professional Docker image into the local repository of the machine where the Docker software is installed.
The following steps describe how to load the Docker image for the two types of App Connect Professional Docker image.

Loading the App Connect Professional Ubuntu Docker image

1. Download the App Connect Professional Docker image (7.5.3.0-WS-ACP-
2. Copy the file to the Linux machine where Docker is installed and run the following command:
   docker load -i 7.5.3.0-WS-ACP-
3. Run the docker images command to verify that the image is available in the local Docker repository.

Build the Docker image from the App Connect Professional software and load it

Use these steps to customize the Docker image for your requirements. For example, use a different flavor of Linux, or load and start projects and other artifacts during container launch.

1. Download the App Connect Professional software (7.5.3.0-WS-ACP-
2. Copy the file to the Linux machine where Docker is installed.
3. On the Linux server, extract the TAR file by using the following command:
   tar –xvzf FILE_NAME
4. If any customization is needed, navigate to the extracted folder and find the directory castiron_docker. All customization can be done in this folder. For more information about customizations, see IBM App Connect Professional: Customizing docker containers.
5. Navigate to the parent directory of castiron_docker and create the Docker image by running the following command:
   docker build --no-cache -t ibmappconnect:7.5.3.0_
   For example:
   docker build --no-cache -t ibmappconnect:7.5.3.0_20181115-1639_H17 castiron_docker
6. Run the docker images command to verify that the image is available. You should see the following output:
   REPOSITORY TAG IMAGE ID CREATED SIZE
ibmappconnect 7.5.3.0_20181115-1639_H17 f931edf5e533 7 minutes ago 1.37GB
ibmjava 8-sdk 115d3b07ebf5 42 hours ago 360MB

Launching the App Connect Professional container

To launch the container from the App Connect Professional image that is available in the local repository, run the following command:

docker run -dit -p 28443:8443 -p 44444:9443 -p 443:443 -p 80:80 DOCKER_IMAGE_ID

where:

• DOCKER_IMAGE_ID is the image ID of the App Connect Professional image. You can get this value for your environment by running the docker images command.
• 8443 is the port number that is used by App Connect Professional for accessing the Web Management Console. Port number 8443 in the command maps to port number 28443 on the host machine. This value is an example; you can provide any available port value on the host machine.
• 9443 is the port number that is used by App Connect Professional when a secure connector is configured and running. Port number 9443 in the command maps to port number 44444 on the host machine. This value is an example; you can provide any available port value on the host machine. The same port number from the host machine (e.g. 44444) must be configured in the secure connector.
• If you’re exposing APIs by using the “HTTP Receive Request” activity or “Web Services/SOAP Provide” activity, the port numbers that are used by these activities also need to be exposed. Typically, the port numbers are 80 and 443; therefore, we’re also showing these port numbers in the example. It’s up to you which ports you use to expose the API, and to ensure that they’re mapped correctly to the host machine.

Check the status of the App Connect Professional container and access the Web Management Console

You can check whether the container is up and running by running the following Docker command and monitoring the output. The logs get generated and you can see whether all components (DerbyServer, maestro, Web Management Console, Gateway) are running.
docker logs -f CONTAINER_ID

You can also check whether the container is up and running by logging into the container and executing the status command, as described in the following steps.

1. To see the container ID of the App Connect Professional instance, run the following command:
   docker ps
2. To log in to the App Connect Professional container console, run the following command:
   docker exec -it
3. To check the status of the App Connect Professional instance, run the following command:
   castiron -–status
   You’ll see the status of various components in App Connect Professional, and the status should be “Up” for all components.
   output : Cast Iron Component Status
--------------------------
DerbyServer : Up
Maestro : Up
WMC : Up
Gateway : Up

   When you’ve checked the status, exit the container.

4. From a browser, access the home page of the App Connect Professional Web Management Console by using the following URL (you might need to wait for 4-5 minutes after the container is launched before you can test it):
   https://HOST_NAME:PORT

   where:

   • HOST_NAME is the host name or the IP address (default network interface) of the host machine where the App Connect Professional container is running
   • PORT is the port number that is used when the container is launched (28443 in this example)

In this particular example of launching an App Connect Professional container, the container uses the default bridge network and we map the port numbers to the host machine port numbers so that App Connect Professional can be accessed from external systems. More details about network configurations during the launch of the container are available in IBM App Connect Professional: Docker containers and network configuration.

The following examples illustrate how to set memory and CPUs while launching the container:
docker run -dit --memory 8GB -p 28443:8443 -p 44444:9443 -p 443:443 -p 80:80 DOCKER_IMAGE_ID
docker run -dit --cpus 4 -p 28443:8443 -p 44444:9443 -p 443:443 -p 80:80 DOCKER_IMAGE_ID
docker run -dit --memory 16GB --cpus 4 -p 28443:8443 -p 44444:9443 -p 443:443 -p 80:80 DOCKER_IMAGE_ID

This article is written by testing with App Connect Professional version 7.5.3 latest build and using Docker version 18.09.0

2 comments on"IBM App Connect Professional: Docker introduction"

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IBM App Connect Professional: Docker containers and network configuration

Published on December 13, 2018 / Updated on December 17, 2018

0

The first article IBM App Connect Professional: Docker introduction explains how to launch IBM App Connect Professional as a Docker container. This article explains about the various available options to configure the network and ports that are used with App Connect Professional.
When App Connect Professional is launched as a container, it uses the following ports internally:

• Port 8443 to access the Web Management Console
• Port 9443 to configure a secure connector (for when the container is running in the cloud and needs to connect to endpoints behind a firewall)
• Any other ports like 80 or 443 or specific ports that you need to expose ReST/SOAP API by developing orchestrations

A Docker container can be configured to use any of the built-in Docker networks like a bridge network, host network, or overlay network. Users can also create custom networks to use with containers. For more details about networking in Docker, refer to the Docker documentation.

• In a bridge network, the container ports need to be mapped to the host ports. This way you have control to expose which port is used for which specific network interface so that the Web Management Console can be accessed only when in a private network.
• In a bridge network, multiple App Connect Professional containers can be run on the same network interface of the host machine by using a different host port while mapping.
• In a host network, the container’s ports will be available directly on the host machine.
• In a host network, only one Docker container can be run in one network interface.

We will use the following details as an example in all commands while configuring and launching the container:

• The host machine has 3 network interfaces with IP addresses 9.182.245.37, 10.45.73.120, and 11.120.23.175 (default network interface).
• The ports that the container is using are 8443 (Web Management Console), 9443 (while using a secure connector), and 443 (a data port for all APIs exposed by developing orchestrations). If a secure connector is not being used, there’s no need to map the secure connector port.

Below are the various options for how we can configure App Connect Professional to restrict and control IP addresses and ports while using as a Docker container.

• Use a bridge network and expose App Connect Professional ports to all network interfaces
  • When using a bridge network, the ports that are used in the container need to be mapped to the ports on the host machine while launching the Docker container.
  • By default, these mapped ports can be accessed on all the network interfaces available on the host machine.
  • If using the default bridge network, run the following command:
    docker run -dit -p 18443:8443 -p 19443:9443 -p 443:443 DOCKER_IMAGE_ID
  • If using a custom bridge network, run the following command:
    docker network create --driver bridge mycustom-bridge-net
docker run -dit --network mycustom-bridge-net -p 18443:8443 -p 19443:9443 -p 443:443 DOCKER_IMAGE_ID
  • When the container is launched, you can use any of following URLs to access the container:
    For the Web Management Console: https://9.182.245.37:18443, https://10.45.73.120:18443, or https://11.120.23.175:18443
    For APIs: https://9.182.245.37:443/api1, https://10.45.73.120:443/api1, or https://11.120.23.175:443/api1
    When configuring a secure connector, edit the configuration file to use any of the three IP addresses and a port number of 19443.
• Use a bridge network and expose App Connect Professional ports to a specific network interface
  • When using a bridge network, the ports that are used in the container need to be mapped to the ports on the host machine while launching the Docker container.
  • Mention the IP address along with the port number so that the container is accessible from only the specified network interface. This way, we can expose the container ports for just one IP address.
  • If using the default bridge network, run the following command:
    docker run -dit -p 10.45.73.120:18443:8443 -p 10.45.73.120:19443:9443 -p 10.45.73.120:443:443 DOCKER_IMAGE_ID
  • If using a custom bridge network, run the following command:
    docker network create --driver bridge mycustom-bridge-net
docker run -dit --network mycustom-bridge-net -p 10.45.73.120:18443:8443 -p 10.45.73.120:19443:9443 -p 10.45.73.120:443:443 DOCKER_IMAGE_ID
  • When the container is launched, you can use the following URLs to access the container:
    For WMC: https://10.45.73.120:18443
    For APIs: https://10.45.73.120:443/api1
    When configuring a secure connector, edit the configuration file to use 10.45.73.120 as the IP address and a port number of 19443.
• Use a bridge network and expose a management port (Web Management Console) and data port (APIs) to specific network interfaces
  • When using a bridge network, the ports that are used in the container need to be mapped to the ports on the host machine while launching the Docker container.
  • Mention a specific IP address and port number to use for the Web Management Console and a specific IP address and port number to use for the APIs. This way, we can expose the data IP address to a wider set of people and restrict access to the Web Management Console to a specific internal network interface. In this example, assume that 9.182.245.37 is a private network and 11.120.23.175 is a public network.
  • The IP address that is mapped to a secure connector port must be accessible from the machine on which the secure connector is running. Based on that, we can use a private or a public IP address.
  • If using the default bridge network, run the following command:
    docker run -dit -p 9.182.245.37:18443:8443 -p 11.120.23.175:19443:9443 -p 11.120.23.175:443:443 DOCKER_IMAGE_ID
  • If using a custom bridge network, run the following command:
    docker network create --driver bridge mycustom-bridge-net
docker run -dit --network mycustom-bridge-net -p 9.182.245.37:18443:8443 -p 11.120.23.175:19443:9443 -p 11.120.23.175:443:443 DOCKER_IMAGE_ID
  • When the container is launched, you can use the following URLs to access the container:
    For the Web Management Console, using only a private network: https://9.182.245.37:18443
    For APIs: https://11.120.23.175:443/api1
    When configuring a secure connector, edit the configuration file to use 11.120.23.175 as the IP address and a port number of 19443.
• Use a host network and expose App Connect Professional ports to a default network interface
  • When using a host network, the ports that are used in the container are directly accessible from the host machine.
  • By default, the default network interface IP address is used to access the container. In this example, the IP address is 11.120.23.175.
  • The following command launches the container by using a host network:
    docker run -dit --network host DOCKER_IMAGE_ID
  • When the container is launched, you can use the following URLs to access the container:
    For WMC: https://11.120.23.175:8443
    For APIs: https://11.120.23.175:443/api1
    When configuring a secure connector, edit the configuration file to use IP address 11.120.23.175 and a port number of 9443.
• Use a host network and expose App Connect Professional ports to a specific network interface
  • When using a host network, the ports that are used in the container are directly accessible from the host machine.
  • We pass a specific network interface name as input to the container, and the container uses the IP address of that interface. In this example, the IP address 10.45.73.120 is for the networkInterfaceName that we are using.
  • The following command launches the container by using a host network:
    docker run -dit --network host -e interface1=networkInterfaceName DOCKER_IMAGE_ID
  • When the container is launched, you can use the following URLs to access the container:
    For WMC: https://10.45.73.120:8443
    For APIs: https://10.45.73.120:443/api1
    When configuring a secure connector, edit the configuration file to use the IP address 10.45.73.120 and a port number of 9443.
• Use a host network and expose App Connect Professional management and data ports to specific network interfaces
  • When using a host network, the ports that are used in the container are directly accessible from the host machine.
  • We pass 2 network interface names as input to the container, and the container uses the IP addresses of these network interfaces. The value that’s passed for interface 1 is for the management IP address, and the value that’s passed for
  • • interface 2 is the data IP address. In this example, the IP address 10.45.73.120 is for the networkInterfaceName1, and IP address 9.182.245.37 is for networkInterfaceName2.
    • The following command launches the container by using a host network:
      docker run -dit --network host -e interface1=networkInterfaceName1 -e interface2=networkInterfaceName2 DOCKER_IMAGE_ID
    • When the container is launched, you can use the following URLs to access the container:
      For WMC: https://10.45.73.120:8443
      For APIs: https://9.182.245.37:443/api1
      When configuring a secure connector, edit the configuration file to use the IP address 9.182.245.37 and a port number of 9443.
  • Use an overlay network to run multiple replicas and distribute load
    • For more information, refer to “Scaling an API running in App Connect Professional using Docker swarm service”.

IBM Installation Manager

Download IBM IM 1.8

• Click on below link to download the IBM IM

http://www-933.ibm.com/support/fixcentral/swg/downloadFixes?parent=ibm~Rational&product=ibm/Rational/IBM+Installation+Manager&release=All&platform=All&function=fixId&fixids=1.8.2.0-IBMIM-LINUX-X86_64-20150303_1526&includeRequisites=1&includeSupersedes=0&downloadMethod=http

Once downloaded, you should have agent.installer.linux.gtk.x86_64_1.8.2000.20150303_1526.zip

Install IBM IM 1.8

• Go to folder where you have downloaded the package

[root@localhost IBM]# ls -ltr
total 162160
-rw-r--r--. 1 root root 166050912 Mar 28 05:06 agent.installer.linux.gtk.x86_64_1.8.2000.20150303_1526.zip
[root@localhost IBM]#

• unzip the downloaded zip file using unzip command

[root@localhost IBM]# unzip agent.installer.linux.gtk.x86_64_1.8.2000.20150303_1526.zip
[root@localhost IBM]#

• Execute install command

[root@localhost IBM]# ./install

• Click on next on the following screen

• Accept the license agreement and click Next

•  By default, it will install under /opt/IBM however if you wish you can change the installation path by clicking on Browse

• Click on Install on review summary window

It will take few minutes and at the end you will have installation confirmation window as below

Verify IBM IM 1.8 Installation

Click on Restart Installation Manager and you will have IBM Installation Manager 1.8 opened.

That’s all for today.