Creating ODRs

You can create on demand routers (ODRs) to route requests to WebSphere® Virtual Enterprise nodes. The ODR is fully aware of the dynamic state of the cell, so that if one server in the cell fails, the requests are routed to another server. The configuration of the ODR in the DMZ is not supported.

Before you begin

The ODR is a server that acts as an intermediary for HTTP requests that are serviced by application servers or Web servers. Make sure you have an application or Web server installed. By default, the ODR binds to ports 80 and 443 for listening on HTTP and HTTPs, which requires running the ODR as a root user. If you want to run the ODR as a non-root user, you must change the PROXY listening ports to values greater than 1024.
SIP is not supported on the z/OS® operating system.

About this task

A deployment manager profile cannot be used as the target profile for an ODR. Only an application server profile can be used as the target node when creating an ODR. To collocate an ODR with a deployment manager, a separate WebSphere Virtual Enterprise-enabled application server profile must be created and federated on the same machine as the WebSphere Virtual Enterprise-enabled deployment manager profile. You can then create an ODR within the application server profile.

Procedure

Navigate to the ODR creation wizard in the administrative console. In the administrative console, select Servers > On demand routers. Click New.
Select the node on which you want the ODR to be created. The selected node is pre-populated with available nodes in the cell. If your environment is a heterogeneous mix of WebSphere Virtual Enterprise and nodes that are running other middleware software, select a product node. If you select a node that is not running the product, your ODR does not start.
Tip: Select a node to run the ODR that does not run any dynamic clusters, unless you are using the z/OS operating system. In a z/OS environment, you can co-locate the ODR on a node that hosts application servers.
Determine whether to generate HTTP ports, SIP ports, or both. The Generate unique ports option is selected by default and is the recommended option. If you deselect this option, port conflicts might occur.
Select a server template to base your new ODR. You can use an application server template on which to model the servers for the new ODR. You can use a default template or map an existing application server. Mapping preexisting ODRs can save time. You can build one ODR, apply all of the configurations that your environment needs, and use that ODR as a template.
If you are running WebSphere Virtual Enterprise for z/OS, ensure that the SIP option is not selected.

Results

The ODR that you created automatically routes HTTP requests to product cells.

What to do next

To enable routing to another product cell, configure your cell to communicate with other product cells.

You might want to configure the ODR to route work to nodes that are not running WebSphere Virtual Enterprise nodes. After you create the ODR and apply any optional configuration parameters, you can define the ability to route work to nodes that are not running WebSphere Virtual Enterprise. Note that the configuration of the ODR in the DMZ is not supported.