Installing BIRT iHub in a cloud : Understanding a BIRT iHub cloud deployment
 
Understanding a BIRT iHub cloud deployment
A cloud deployment in the BIRT iHub environment has the following features:
*Easy-to-prepare, stateless iHub image
This image of an installed iHub run-time environment does not require modification during installation or the life time of the instance. The administrator can create a customized image by generating an archive of an installed iHub run-time environment. Alternatively, an out-of-the-box (OOTB) image is available as a separate iHub distribution package for Windows and Linux. The administrator deploys the image by unbundling the archive and running an installation script or installing a virtual image on the target machine.
*Ready-to-launch iHub instance
Launching an iHub instance requires minimal work. After installing, the administrator launches the deployed iHub image from the command line using a script to execute the commands.
*Elastic iHub clustering
The use of a ready-to-launch iHub image simplifies iHub cluster installation and management. Nodes with the same cluster ID, running on the same sub‑net, automatically detect and join to form the cluster. The cluster automatically detects the on-off status of any node. Single-point node failure does not affect the availability of the other nodes.
In Release 11 and earlier, iServer used multicasting to broadcast event information and synchronize operations in a cluster. Some cloud computing environments do not support multicasting. In Release 11 Service Pack 1 and later, iServer and iHub use a third-party RDBMS as a shared repository for storing cluster information. This enhancement replaces multicasting as a way of managing the cluster environment.
For more information on setting up a cluster after performing a cloud deployment of a stand‑alone iHub installation, see “Setting up iHub to join an existing cluster,” later in this chapter; Chapter 5, “Installing a BIRT iHub cluster,” earlier in this book; and Chapter 9, “Clustering,” in Configuring BIRT iHub. For more information on iHub architecture, see “Understanding Actuate BIRT iHub architecture,” earlier in this book.