Migration and deployment overview
As an application moves through its lifecycle, it is migrated and deployed a number of times in different environments. Although the underlying principles for migration and deployment steps are similar, different types of applications must use different tools and processes to complete the steps.
An application is typically developed in one environment, and then migrated from that environment and deployed into other environments that are used for different purposes. For example, the application development typically occurs in a development environment. The application can be moved to a test environment for testing activities, and to a production environment when it is ready for use.
In the context of migration and deployment activities, the term environment is a collection of object stores, servers, and services that belong to a distinct FileNet® P8 domain that is created for a particular purpose. The purpose can include activities such as development, testing, or the use of the application in production. An environment can be a source environment or a destination environment during a specific migration and deployment operation. The role that the environment takes is dependent on the lifecycle of the application. A source environment at one stage of the lifecycle can be a destination environment in a different stage of the lifecycle.
Moving an application into a new environment requires the migration of system and application assets, including any content or code, from a source environment and a subsequent deployment of the system and application assets into a destination environment. When an application is moved, environment-specific data in the source assets must be updated to values that are appropriate for the destination environment. Then the synchronization of the application assets in the various environments is verified to confirm that every environment behaves identically after the same changes are applied to each environment. This verification is a critical step in ensuring that no unexpected behavior occurs after an application is deployed to the final production environment.
- To move assets between multiple repositories or instances of a FileNet P8 system. For example, you might need to share assets or customizations between different organizations within your business.
- To support the lifecycle of an application that is developed by using a FileNet P8 system as its basis. The lifecycle of an
application includes two important stages:
- Initial deployment of an application from a source environment, such as a development or test environment, to a destination environment, such as a test or production environment.
- Propagation of incremental sets of changes from a source environment, such as a development or test environment, to a subset of the existing objects in a destination environment, such as a test or production environment.
An application comprises many elements, including data containers, configuration data, implementation data, object data, and object metadata. Different tools and processes are used to migrate and deploy these elements.
- Data containers, such as object store and workflow system databases for data and metadata, storage devices for content, IBM® Content Search Services indexes, Case Analyzer stores, and others.
- Database connections and workflow system connection points.
- Configuration data that is used to start software services, such as application server authentication provider settings and JDBC connection pool settings.
- Installed add-on features.
For these elements that must be created or configured in the destination, native administration tools and processes are used to create and manage configuration of the environment. Examples of administration tools in a FileNet P8 system include the IBM Administration Console for Content Platform Engine and the IBM Content Navigator administration feature in the web client.
- Metadata, including class definitions, property templates, choice lists, and workflow definitions and configuration
- Implementation objects, including folders, documents, custom objects, event actions, subscriptions, search templates, code modules, custom launch and step processors with any necessary custom code, and other system artifacts to support the modules and processors
Various tools are used to migrate and deploy these system-level elements that applications are dependent on. To migrate and deploy applications and assets with objects that are stored on Content Platform Engine, IBM FileNet Deployment Manager is used. For applications and assets that are based on Content Platform Engine, the additional tools used for migration and deployment are determined by the tools used to create the assets and their storage method. Examples of these tools include the File Plan Import Export tool for IBM Enterprise Records assets, the IBM Content Navigator administration feature of the web client for IBM Content Navigator, or the IBM Case Manager administration client for IBM Case Manager.
Some of the same processes and tools that are used for application migration and deployment can be used for data migration. Data, such as object instances, that is managed by FileNet P8 can be exported and imported to migrate it from one environment to another. The environments can be within the same FileNet P8 domain or in different domains. The tools that are used to export and import data include IBM FileNet Deployment Manager, the IBM Content Navigator web client, and the Case Analyzer Process Task Manager.
For more information about data migration for object data and similar data, see Data migration.