Introducing resource groups
A resource group controls the Factory processes that iHub uses to run a design and distribute a document. A resource group allocates a set of Factory processes in a stand-alone iHub or in a cluster for executing jobs assigned to the resource group. You choose synchronous or asynchronous resource groups, depending on whether you schedule the design to run.
A design that runs unscheduled runs synchronously, as soon as possible in the foreground. iHub does not store the generated document in the Encyclopedia volume. You can view, navigate, and search the document. You must enable both the Factory and View services to run designs unscheduled.
A scheduled job runs asynchronously in the background. iHub stores job schedules and information about completed jobs in the Encyclopedia volume.
Table 8‑1 maps the types of resource groups to user operations in Management Console.
Table 8‑1 Types of resource groups mapped to user operations
Default resource group | Resource group type | User operations |
Default BIRT 360 | View | Run a BIRT dashboard (.dashboard) or gadget (.gadget) design unscheduled and view the generated document. |
Default BIRT Data Analyzer | View | Run a Data Object Store (.data) design unscheduled and view the generated document. |
Default BIRT Factory | Async | Schedule a Java design (.rptdesign) to run right now, later, on a recurring basis, or when triggered by an event. Print a Java document. |
Default BIRT Online | View | Run a BIRT design unscheduled and view the generated document. |
Default BIRT Studio | View | Used when creating, modifying, and viewing documents using BIRT Studio. |
You typically use resource groups for the following purposes:
To control the load balancing of servers in a cluster
To prioritize asynchronous jobs
To specify which node in a cluster runs designs of a particular type
To improve performance of a BIRT application, for example, by passing an argument to the application to decrease the heap size
To quickly run a synchronous design using the Default Sync or Default BIRT Online resource group
When users run a design unscheduled in an Encyclopedia volume that uses multiple resource groups, iHub selects a resource group based on load balancing and on the file type of the design. If iHub cannot find a resource group with an available Factory, the job fails. Using the Default Sync or Default BIRT Online resource group can ensure the availability of a Factory for running a design unscheduled.