IBM Sterling Containers - Getting Started
Table of Contents
Introductory Notes
Intent
The purpose of this blog is to introduce the IBM Sterling suite of products that can be deployed using certified containers on a container orchestration platform and provide some useful information / links to get you started with your deployment(s).
Whenever available, I have included links to resources such as both IBM and/or external documentation as well as my own previously written blogs which cover topics such as:
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- Container deployment patterns for some of the common cloud providers
- Installation / configuration steps for the products
It is important to note that this blog will not teach you about containerization.
IBM Sterling Data Exchange Software
IBM Sterling Data Exchange Software (SDE) is a suite of "reliable, purpose-built solutions for optimizing your e-commerce order fulfillment and your B2B Data Exchange with customers and suppliers".
For information about each individual product, refer to its subsection in this blog.
OpenShift Container Platform (OCP) and Kubernetes (K8s) - Differences
Kubernetes, also commonly referred to as K8s, is an open-source container orchestration platform. It automates product deployments, their resources, scaling, and the management of the various resources.
Red Hat OpenShift is built on top of Kubernetes with additional functionality, features, and monitoring. It also standardizes the various cloud providers such as AWS, Azure, Google Cloud, and IBM Cloud while abstracting cloud-specifics.
With regards to the containerized SDE products and Helm charts, SDE products can be installed in either K8s or OCP via the provided Helm charts.
Why We Like OCP
IBM SDE prefers / recommends OCP for a few reasons:
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- OCP is more powerful than K8s. It offers a variety of components that K8s does not such as networking, monitoring, logging aggregation, service, mesh, CI/CD workflows and pipelines, etc..
- It standardizes the various cloud providers while abstracting cloud specifics.
- If needed, the Sterling application support team can open a support case directly with RedHat as opposed to relying on the customer support contract with a cloud provider.
- Even-numbered OCP versions qualify for Extended Update Support (EUS) which would allow you to stay on that version for a longer period.
- In addition to functioning in all clouds, OCP also runs on-premises.
- OCP is IBM's most popular platform, so it is the one our support teams have the most experience with. Our teams also maintain OCP test environments for the products.
However, IBM Sterling still supports K8s deployments of our applications.
Software Product Compatibility Reports (SPCR)
The IBM Product Compatibility Reports (SPCR) tool is a useful tool for getting a list of product requirements prior to your installation. This includes versions for K8s/OCP.
The supported versions of K8s/OCP change often for SDE products as they go out of support. The intent for each release is to support N through N-3 versions for K8s or OCP which allows you to stay on a version of K8s or OCP for 12-18 months.
Refer to the SPCR for each product prior to installation to verify your environment meets the compatibility specification.
Determining if You're Ready for Containers
When comparing container deployments to VM or BareMetal deployments there are some key differences that must be noted in deciding. The first difference to note is that while container deployments are easier and fast to deploy and upgrade, they do also require more frequent updates than their VM or BareMetal counterparts. This is due to the underlying K8s / OCP environment that containerized deployments run on going out of support every 12-18 months. The benefit to these frequent updates is the ability to easily obtain the most recent bug fixes / updates and security patches. However, this comes at the cost of frequent updates and upgrades.
Furthermore, while Kubernetes and OCP provide a lot of capability, they are also additional systems that need to be maintained and managed. If you choose to do container installations with K8s or OCP, you should ensure that you have sufficient experience in maintaining a Kubernetes / OCP system and production software within the environment.
Helm
What is Helm / a Helm chart?
Helm is a package manager that helps manage the definition, installation, and resources involved in deploying applications. Helm makes use of Helm charts which are essentially a package of all the information needed to create an instance of an application.
Most Helm charts use YAML to define the chart artifacts and configuration parameters for you to modify for your specific needs.
The Helm CLI is then used alongside K8s to deploy the application and its resources in a specific order.
SDE Helm Charts
The most recent SDE Helm charts and their past versions can be found in the IBM Helm chart repository.
You should note that the SDE Helm chart values.yaml files, which are the files used to specify your configuration, allow for providing different images for the components of the overall application deployment. You should always use the most up-to-date compatible application images for your deployments.
Cloud Container Deployment Patterns
The following blogs provide some SDE high level deployment patterns and cloud details for the various cloud providers:
IBM B2B Integrator / IBM Sterling File Gateway
Product Overview
IBM Sterling B2B Integrator (B2Bi) is a highly scalable business process and transaction engine that runs processes defined by you and manages them according to your business requirements.
IBM Sterling File Gateway (SFG) is a file transfer consolidation system that provides scalability and security. SFG can intelligently monitor, administer, route and transform high volumes of inbound and outbound files.
Helm Chart / Container Image Tags
The IBM B2Bi / SFG Helm charts can be downloaded from the IBM Helm chart repository with the prefixes ibm-b2bi-prod-{version}.tgz and ibm-sfg-prod-{version}.tgz for B2Bi and SFG respectively.
For more information on the most recent chart version and the most recent B2Bi / SFG image tags for each corresponding chart version, refer to the B2Bi / SFG documentation page "Downloading Certified Container Helm Charts from Chart Repository".
Getting Started
The IBM documentation for getting started with a B2Bi / SFG installation using the certified containers can be found through the following link:
Note that the installation steps for SFG are the same as those for B2Bi given that SFG is a customization on top of B2Bi. What would differ is the Helm chart you use and the images you specify for your installation.
My Blog(s)
Below are some of my other blogs which may help you get started with deploying B2Bi / SFG in a POC environment:
IBM Transformation Extender Advanced (ITXA)
Product Overview
IBM Transformation Extender (ITX) allows for any-to-any data transformation by automating transactions and validation of data between formats and standards.
IBM Transformation Extender Advanced (ITXA) provides additional support and metadata for mapping, compliance checking and related processing functions for specific industries. Additionally, ITXA provides a user interface to interact with.
Helm Chart / Container Image Tags
The IBM ITXA Helm charts can be downloaded from the IBM Helm chart repository with the prefixes ibm-itx-rs-prod-{version}.tgz and ibm-itxa-prod-{version}.tgz respectively.
For more information on the most recent chart version and the most recent ITXA image tags for each corresponding chart version, refer to the ITXA documentation page "Supported Helm Charts and Container Images".
Getting Started
The IBM documentation for getting started with an ITX or ITXA installation using the certified containers can be found through the following link:
My Blog(s)
Below is a blog that may assist you in deploying an ITX or ITXA POC environment:
IBM Partner Engagement Manager (PEM)
Product Overview
IBM Sterling Partner Engagement Manager (PEM) is a partner onboarding and self-service tool which supports automated partner onboarding processes and allows for partners to maintain their own records.
Helm Chart / Container Image Tags
The IBM PEM Helm charts can be downloaded from the IBM Helm chart repository with the prefix ibm-pem-standard-prod-{version}.tgz.
For more information on the most recent chart version and the most recent PEM image tags for each corresponding chart version, refer to the PEM documentation page "Downloading Certified Container Images from IBM Entitled Repository".
Getting Started
The IBM documentation for getting started with a PEM installation using the certified containers can be found through the following link:
IBM Control Center Monitor (CCM)
Product Overview
IBM Sterling Control Center Monitor (CCM) is an application for monitoring the Sterling suite of products. It "tracks the critical events across your B2B and managed file transfer (MFT) infrastructure for improved operations, customer service and B2B governance".
Helm Chart / Container Image Tags
The IBM CCM Helm charts can be downloaded from the IBM Helm chart repository with the prefix ibm-sccm-{version}.tgz.
For more information on the most recent chart version and the most recent CCM image tags for each corresponding chart version, refer to the CCM documentation page "Downloading the Container Software for Online Cluster" or "Downloading the Container Software for Offline Cluster".
Getting Started
The IBM documentation for getting started with a CCM installation using the certified containers can be found through the following link:
My Blog(s)
Below is a blog that may help in deploying a POC environment of IBM CCM:
IBM Sterling Secure Proxy (SSP)
Product Overview
IBM Sterling Secure Proxy (SSP) is a software forward and reverse proxy custom built to use with Sterling products. It "helps shield your trusted network by preventing direct connectivity between external partners and internal servers. It can secure your network and data exchanges at the network edge to enable trusted business-to-business transactions and managed file transfer (MFT) file exchanges. As a demilitarized zone (DMZ)-based proxy, Secure Proxy uses multifactor authentication, SSL session breaks, closing of inbound firewall holes, protocol inspection and other controls to ensure the security of your trusted zone."
You should note that SSP is broken up into two components, those being SSP Engine and SSP Configuration Manager (CM). The SSP Engine sits in the demilitarized zone (DMZ) to handle communications while SSP CM resides in the trusted zone to handle the configuration of the SSP Engine.
Helm Chart / Container Image Tags
The IBM SSP Helm charts can be downloaded from the IBM Helm chart repository with the prefix ibm-ssp-cm-{version}.tgz and ibm-ssp-engine-{version}.tgz.
For more information on the most recent chart version and the most recent SSP (CM and Engine) image tags for each corresponding chart version, refer to the SSP documentation page "Downloading the Container Software".
Getting Started
The IBM documentation for getting started with a SSP installation using the certified containers can be found through the following link:
My Blog(s)
Below is a blog that may help you in deploying IBM SSP (CM and Engine) in a POC environment:
IBM Sterling External Authentication Server (SEAS)
Product Overview
IBM Sterling External Authentication Server (SEAS) allows you to configure external authentication with Sterling products. It "allows you to implement extended authentication and validation services for IBM products, called client applications".
Helm Chart / Container Image Tags
The IBM SEAS Helm charts can be downloaded from the IBM Helm chart repository with the prefix ibm-seas-{version}.tgz.
For more information on the most recent chart version and the most recent SEAS image tags for each corresponding chart version, refer to the SEAS documentation page "Downloading the Container Software".
Getting Started
The IBM documentation for getting started with a SEAS installation using the certified containers can be found through the following link:
My Blog(s)
Below is a blog that can be used to help you deploy IBM SEAS in a POC environment:
IBM Connect:Direct (C:D)
Product Overview
IBM Sterling Connect:Direct (C:D) provides point-to-point file transfer with a proprietary protocol used for ultra reliable transfers. IT is optimized for high-volume delivery of files within and among enterprises.
Helm Chart / Container Image Tags
The IBM C:D Helm charts can be downloaded from the IBM Helm chart repository with the prefix ibm-connect-direct-{version}.tgz.
For more information on the most recent chart version and the most recent C:D image tags for each corresponding chart version, refer to the SEAS documentation page "Downloading IBM Sterling Connect:direct for UNIX Container".
Getting Started
The IBM documentation for getting started with a C:D installation using the certified containers can be found through the following link:
Ansible Deployment Scripts
Below are a couple additional resources for deploying SDE products using Ansible:
Help / Troubleshooting
Below are some resources and links that may help you troubleshoot your installation and/or provide some guidance on best practices for Sterling container deployments / upgrades:
Finally, you should bear in mind that while my blogs are not officially supported by IBM, you may open a support ticket with IBM for any Helm chart or installation related questions or problems. This can be done via IBM Support.
Acronyms
General
- OCP: OpenShift Container Platform
- K8s: Kubernetes
- SDE: IBM Sterling Data Exchange
- B2B: Business-to-Business
- SPCR: Software Product Compatibility Reports
Products
- B2Bi: B2B Integrator
- SFG: Sterling File Gateway
- ITX(A): IBM Sterling Transformation Extender (Advanced)
- SSP (CM / Engine): Sterling Secure Proxy (Configuration Manager / Engine)
- SEAS: Sterling External Authentication Server
- PEM: Partner Engagement Manager
- CCM: Control Center Monitor
- C:D: Connect Direct