webMethods

IBM’s webMethods Integration platform provides a modern, innovative approach to integration architecture through its unique “Develop Anywhere, Deploy Anywhere” approach. This architectural approach allows you to run integrations that can be distributed throughout the extended enterprise, with centralized management and monitoring. Distributing execution in this manner can reduce network latency by executing integrations in closer proximity to applications, while simultaneously supporting initiatives that restrict the sharing of protected data between regions.

Integration Runtimes form the execution plane of the Develop Anywhere, Deploy Anywhere architecture. An integration runtime allows you to run integrations wherever you decide to deploy it and provides the following capabilities:

·       Integration Connectors: Hosts connectors, which are software components that integrate with different back-end applications to allow data exchange between them. Connectors hide the proprietary and complex low-level code that is required to connect to the applications.

·       Integration Services: Contains services that represent the functional requirements for your integration logic. Integration services include data processing and transformation logic that is used for governing the data exchange between applications, your partners, and apps.

·       APIs: Hosts APIs in the cloud and route easily to runtimes for accessing data without exposing the applications or their local network.

Integration Runtime Types

There are currently three types of integration runtime: 

Cloud Designtime: A default runtime provided in your tenant for designing, developing, and testing integrations. Cloud Runtime: A default runtime that is provided in your tenant to run integrations. This is available only in production environments. Both the Cloud Designtime and Cloud Runtime are functionally equivalent and, technically, encapsulate three execution engines for running Workflows, “classic” Flow Services, and Deploy Anywhere Flow Services.

Edge Runtime: A runtime that is owned by you and hosted externally to your webMethods Integration tenant, whether on-prem or in the cloud. Edge Runtimes may be public, private, or shared, thus supporting fine-grained access controls for securing integrations. You can use the Cloud runtime in production when you do not want to set up an Edge runtime in your own environment. No additional infrastructure is required to use the default runtimes. Conversely, Edge runtimes must be registered with the cloud tenant to enable code provisioning and execution.

However, all connectivity between the Edge Runtimes and Cloud tenant is initiated from the Edge, making it firewall friendly and simplifying network configuration. In other words, provisioning and running integrations on an Edge Runtime only requires the Edge runtime to connect to the Cloud, rather than vice-versa.

Currently, with version 11, the only supported Edge Runtime is a containerized webMethods Micro-Services Runtime (MSR). Support for additional runtimes, such as on-premises Integration Servers, is on the roadmap.

For additional details about the Develop Anywhere, Deploy Anywhere architecture, see this blog post. The on-line documentation is also an excellent resource.

Until next time, happy integrating!

#webMethods #integration #cloud #hybrid