cf-kie-server

Red Hat Business Automation Execution Server on Cloud Foundry

Usage

On Cloud Foundry:

1. Install business-central, if you want to manage your execution cluster. To quickly deploy on a VM or OpenShift use the RHPAM7 Quick Install Demo
2. Install cloud foundry client and a local pcfdev or remote service (see: PCF Dev Local Environment Setup)
3. Configure src/main/resources/application.properties
   • Update the kieserver.controllers to point to the business-central management/controller/repo you deployed in 1, if you want to manage your execution cluster.
   • Set cfkieserver.remoterepo.enabled to true and update the URL, user, and pass for the business-central management/controller/repo you deployed in 1.
   • Update the user/pass settings as necessary for the system component
4. Start the process with ./deploy-cf.sh

As a standalone SpringBoot process:

1. Install business-central, if you want to manage your execution cluster. To quickly deploy on a VM or OpenShift use the RHPAM7 Quick Install Demo
2. Install a local database service. For example, postgres (default), mysql, or other JDBC RDBMS
3. Configure src/main/resources/application.pgsql.properties
   • Set server.address to your external or bridge IP address
   • Set your database settings under spring.datasource.*
   • If you want to manage your execution cluster, set cfkieserver.remoterepo.enabled to true and update the URL, user, and pass for the business-central management/controller/repo you deployed in 1.
   • Update the user/pass settings as necessary for the system component
4. Start the process with ./deploy-spring-boot.sh, which just uses mvn spring-boot:run with the appropriate properties file

Architecture

Topology Components

• kie-server: execution service for rules, process, case, event processing, and planning engine. This process can run as a service with execution package deployed to it, or run as an immutable image. (cannot be embedded in CloudFoundry)
• sso provider: kie-server uses java standard interfaces allowing authentication/authorization providers to be integrated.
• controller: service embedded in business-central for deploying and managing clusters of kie-servers. (cannot be embedded in CloudFoundry).
• business-central: management, activity monitoring, and/or authoring. (cannot be embedded in CloudFoundry).
• jbpm database: data source for jbpm process/case current state, process/case audit logs, and supplemental user information
• supplemental reporting datasources

Topologies

You have several deployment topology options:

1. On cloud foundry managed by a remote business-central and controller service (./deploy-spring-boot.sh)
2. As a plain spring-boot app managed by a remote business-central and controller service (./deploy-cf.sh)
3. On cloud foundry as an immutable image
4. As an immutable spring-boot app

Transaction Management

The kie-server embedded in SpringBoot uses the Narayana transaction manager. Narayana by default journal transaction status to the filesystem in case recovery is necessary. Cloud Foundry 1.12 allows for persistent volumes to be mounted by applications, which is required to use this by default. In addition the spring.jta.narayana.transaction-manager-id property needs to unique for reach instance of the cf-kie-server.

As an alternative, the following is currently being investigated. Narayana allows the XID journal to be logged to a jdbc database. Currently it doesn't allow for distributed recovery. Cloud Foundry enforces that there is always an application instance with instance index 0 even after node/container failure or after a scale down. So it may be possible to use the cloud.application.instance_index property to create an HA singleton instance that is responsible for recovering transactions exclusively.

CF & KIE Knowledge Base

Viewing App Properties

View the full set of process properties from the system, app, and cloud level using Actuator. Go to the http://cf-kie-server-<yourapp>.local.pcfdev.io/env address, and log in with username admin, and password asdfasdf. As you have changed the security settings this may vary, the user must have the ACTUATOR role to view the environment variables.

Connecting to the CF MySQL Instance

For a local pcfdev development environment you can run mysql behind applications. Here is how to connect to the local mysql database to query/manipulate from your local machine. The following should also work for remote environments as well:

1. Install a local mysql client brew install mysql-client, or 'sudo yum install mysql-client`
2. Install the CF mysql plugin cf install-plugin -r "CF-Community" mysql-plugin
3. List the mysql database service names cf services
4. Connect to the kie-server mysql database cf mysql cf-kie-server-db (adjusting the name as applicable)

More:

• Using MySql for PCF
• cf-mysql-plugin

Creating a Data Source in Business-Central

1. Go to Menu > Design > Pages
2. Select the setting tab (icon with three horizontal lines)
3. Expand the navigation tree; click the gear icon on 'Design' node; click '+ New Page'
4. Select 'Data Sources' from the drop down
5. Click the check box
6. Got to Menu > Design > Data Sources
7. Click '+ Add Datasource'
8. Get your URI, username, and password from the cloud.services.cf-kie-server-db.connection.jdbcurl property using the \env actuator page.
9. Click 'Test Connection' to verify
10. Save/Update the connection

Monitoring JVM in Cloud Foundry

1. Start process with ./deploy-cf.sh (The manifest.yml > JBP_CONFIG_JMX: '{enabled: true}' setting, plus the cf ssh -N -T -L 5000:localhost:5000 cf-kie-server command in the deploy script enables jmx connections)
2. Use jconsole and connect to localhost:5000
3. Use jvisualvm and connect to localhost:5000

More:

• CloudFoundry: Enabling Java JMX/RMI access for remote containers
• CloudFoundry: Java thread and heap dump analysis on remote containers
• Download JVisualVM
• Java Home in OSX is /System/Library/Frameworks/JavaVM.framework/Versions/Current/Commands/

Remote debugging JVM in Cloud Foundry from IDEA Intellij

1. Start process with ./deploy-cf.sh (The manifest.yml > JBP_CONFIG_DEBUG: '{enabled: true}' setting, plus the cf ssh -N -T -L 8000:localhost:8000 cf-kie-server command in the deploy script enables remote debug connections)
2. Open cf-kie-server in IDEA
3. In the Intellij menu, select 'Run > Edit Configuration'
4. Click '+' and select 'Remote'
5. Set Name to cf-kie-server-remote-debug, set host to localhost, and port to 8000
6. Save and close the configuration
7. In the Intellij menu, select 'Run > Debug cf-kie-server-remote-debug'

More:

• How to Remotely Debug Java Applications on Cloud Foundry

Additional Links

Red Hat Process Automation

• KIE Server jBPM Spring Boot Starter
• Spring Boot starters for jBPM and KIE Server
• Quick Install Demo

Cloud Foundry

• PCFDev Local Environment Setup
• PCF Performance Tuning
• CloudFoundry: Enabling Java JMX/RMI access for remote containers
• CloudFoundry: Java thread and heap dump analysis on remote containers
• How to Remotely Debug Java Applications on Cloud Foundry

Property Reference

• KIE Server Property Names and Constants
• SpringBoot Common Application Properties Reference
• Cloud Foundry Environment Variables Reference

Misc

• Download JVisualVM