Content Platform Engine V5.2.1 introduces new features and other enhancements for installation and upgrades.
- JDBC 4.0 required by V5.2.1
- If a JDBC 4.0 driver is not already configured for use in your application server, you must replace your existing JDBC drivers with a 4.0 version before you install or upgrade to Content Platform Engine V5.2.1.
- Support for WebSphere® Application Server security domains
- Content Platform Engine and its client applications can now be secured by a WebSphere Application Server security domain as an alternative to the default global security configuration.
- Multiple domain environments
- Cloud service providers can host services for multiple customers
by using the multiple domain installation scenario. In this scenario,
the service provider runs a master FileNet® P8 domain and one or more
tenant domains within the same set of Content Platform Engine servers, thereby reducing
the overhead of deploying separate application server instances of
Content Platform Engine for each tenant.
For more information on multiple domain support, including important information on supported scenarios, see Multiple domain scenario.
- Support for advanced storage areas
- Advanced storage areas offer you an additional choice for content storage. With this choice, you can still store your data in a file system, as in previous releases; but you now have the option of storing data as an OpenStack-based cloud object. Advanced storage areas also offer several replication models.
Zero-downtime upgrades
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You might no longer have to perform service outages to apply patches or fix packs. As a result, users can continue to use the application without interruption and improve their productivity during an update.
Content Platform Engine must be deployed in a WebSphere Application Server cluster in order for individual servers to be updated without interrupting application service to users.
WebSphere Application Edition Management is supported as of Content Platform Engine V5.2.1 FP2. It allows multiple editions of Content Platform Engine to be deployed and staged on each server in a Content Platform Engine cluster. For example, customers can deploy and stage a Content Platform Engine fix pack as a new edition in the cluster and use the Edition Control Center in the WebSphere Integrated Solution Console to roll out the new edition. During the rollout, the currently active edition is stopped and the new edition is started for each server in the cluster. Configurations where different servers within a domain are at different patch levels can be supported temporarily while a gradual upgrade is in progress.
In certain configurations where WebSphere Application Edition Management is not used, you can still perform zero-downtime upgrades. For example, starting with Content Platform Engine V5.2.1, you can perform zero-downtime upgrades on any application server for applications that use the Content Engine or Process Engine web service transports to communicate with a Content Platform Engine server. In a system with multiple Content Platform Engine nodes, with a load balancer directing web service-based application traffic to these nodes, the individual Content Platform Engine nodes can be upgraded one at a time.
Restrictions in certain fix packs might limit the use of Content Platform Engine zero-downtime upgrades. Procedures for installing patches and fix packs without interrupting application service are available in the readme file that accompanies each patch or fix pack. The new release and the old release cannot be more than one fix pack apart from each other.