Tiered-Server Deployment

If you are supporting the work of multiple departments, you will want to divide the computing load between multiple servers.

Many sites organize their servers into several service tiers or layers that can be modified independently.  Adherence to this organization results in a highly flexible and highly reusable application. It also results in an application that can use a variety of Web servers, application servers, and database servers because the interfaces for each layer follow industry-standard protocols.

Another advantage of the tiered-server deployment is that you can install the application server software and the database server software on different machines. Application and database software programs have been optimized for different tasks; by separating the software onto different servers, you allow each type of software to manage memory, disk, and other machine resources most efficiently for its own task without conflict from other server programs.

Clustered Deployment

Large organizations and global deployments will often cluster servers of each type. Doing so maintains the benefits of sharing data, documents, and workflow processes in one integrated system and one single face to enterprise users. However doing so lets you divide the computational load over multiple server computers to keep response times short. Clustering servers also helps in the case of the failure of one or more computers. It also helps in terms of maintenance; for example, if you wish to reinitialize your computers, you can reboot them in sequence on a nightly or weekly basis with no interruption in service.

The Technical Architecture diagram in the Archibus Product Architecture topic illustrates one possible configuration of a clustered server deployment.

To cluster Archibus, you must use a "sticky" affinity, meaning that within one session, the end user must receive a connection to the same Web server for all queries. Also, if you create your own personalized Archibus views, you need to deploy the view files on all servers. There are specialized controllers that perform this mapping and that optimize distribution of queries among available hardware. Another simpler technique that obviates the need for such a controller is to use a Sign In page with a URL that maps to a different Web server port based on a random number generated in JavaScript.

Also see How to Set Up a Clustered Set of Application Servers.

CAD and BIM Deployment

The Smart Client Extensions for AutoCAD and Revit enable CAD and BIM users to work at distant regional or multi-national offices and still connect to the Web Central servers at headquarters – eliminating countless emails, extracts, and duplications of data to keep remote sites, remote offices, architects, contractors, and outsourced CAD service providers in synch. You can even use servers hosted in the cloud to anchor CAD and BIM efforts – a particularly useful deployment configuration for working with AEC firms which are often CAD-savvy but that do not have in-house database and building lifecycle experience.

These products work from the same protocols and centralized security as Web Central does, meaning that you need no new IT infrastructure to provide feature-rich, high-volume, graphical editing and data access.

These products let you access enterprise real estate information even during the design stage. These features speed commissioning of buildings – the new information you need to commission and run your building doesn’t need to be “imported” or “synchronized” with your lifecycle management data because Archibus made certain it was entered to the correct standards in the first place.