All Things WebSphere

1. Install the WebSphere eXtreme Scale client or client and server on your WebSphere Application Server install root for the remote and the remaining topologies respectively. gotcha: On WebSphere zOS ONLY the WXS client install and the "remote"  topologies are supported.

2. Designate the WebSphere eXtreme Scale dynamic cache provider as your cache provider.
Each cacheinstance can be individually configured to use eXtreme Scale. Dynacache is the default cache provider for a cache instance. Cache instances configured with eXtreme Scale can coexist with cache-instances configured with DRS in the WebSphere Application Server.A cache instance can be configured to use WXS in three ways:

--WebSphere Admin console
                In WebSphereND 6.1.0.x. in order to use the ObjectGrid as a cache provider, customer
                will need to set the JVM custom property "com.ibm.ws.cache.CacheConfig.cacheProviderName"  to 
                "com.ibm.ws.objectgrid.dynacache.CacheProviderImpl".
                In WebSphereND 7.0.x.x, Customer can configure the Dynacache Service to use the ObjectGrid Cache provider using the Dynacache service admin console panel.
               
        --cacheinstances.properties file bundled in the enterprise application
                Set the cacheProviderName property in the cacheinstances.properties file to "com.ibm.ws.objectgrid.dynacache.CacheProviderImpl"
                For example line to be added for cache.instance.26
                cache.instance.26.cacheProviderName = com.ibm.ws.objectgrid.dynacache.CacheProviderImpl
               
        --Factory APIs in enterprise application code:     
                Properties p = new Properties();
                ==>p.put(CacheConfig.CACHE_PROVIDER_NAME, CacheConfig.CACHE_PROVIDER_OBJECT_GRID);
                DistributedMap map1 = DistributedMapFactory.getMap("myMap", p);
                DistributedMap map2 = DistributedObjectCacheFactory.getMap("myMap2", p);

3. Configuration the cache instance for replication :
If you are only going to use local cache instances, no further configuration is required. Go to last step, and save your configuration changes. In a local cache the eXtreme Scale container is colocated with the WebSphere JVM, i.e. both share the same JVM heap.

        -If you are going to use replicated caches you will need to do one of the three actions below depending on how you have created the cache instance.
        - admin console
                -- In WebSphereND 6.1.0.x create a custom property with name "com.ibm.ws.cache.CacheConfig.enableCacheReplication" and value "true".
                -- In WebSphereND 7.0.x.x check the enableReplication checkbox when the CacheProvider selected is "ObjectGrid".

         - cacheinstances.properties file bundled in the enterprise application
                 --Set the enableCacheReplication property in the cacheinstances.properties file to "true"
                        For example line to be added for cache.instance.26
                        cache.instance.26.enableCacheReplication = true

         -Factory APIs in enterprise application code:            
                Properties p = new Properties();
                p.put(CacheConfig.CACHE_PROVIDER_NAME, CacheConfig.CACHE_PROVIDER_OBJECT_GRID);
                ==>p.put(CacheConfig.ENABLE_CACHE_REPLICATION, "true");
                DistributedMap map1 = DistributedMapFactory.getMap("myMap", p);
                DistributedMap map2 = DistributedObjectCacheFactory.getMap("myMap2", p);

4. Configure the WXS replication topology and optionally the number of initial containers for the cache instance.
        - admin console
                -- In WebSphereND 6.1.0.x and 7.0.x.x create a custom property with name "com.ibm.websphere.xs.dynacache.topology"
                   and one of the following values in the Value field "embedded", "embedded_partitioned", and "remote". For details on these please see
                   http://publib.boulder.ibm.com/infocenter/wxsinfo/v7r0/index.jsp?topic=/com.ibm.websphere.extremescale.over.doc/txsdyncache.html
                .
                -- If you specified embedded_partitioned configure the number of initial containers for the dynamic cache service.
        In WebSphereND 6.1.0.x and 7.0.x.x create a custom property with name "com.ibm.websphere.xs.dynacache.num_initial_containers"
                   an integer that is equal to or slightly less than the total number of server instances that are accessing this distributed cache instance
                   in the Value field. For example, if a dynamic cache service is shared between grid members, then the variable should be set to
                   the number of grid members.

         - cacheinstances.properties file bundled in the enterprise application
                 --Set the com.ibm.websphere.xs.dynacache.topology property in the cacheinstances.properties file to one
                   of "embedded", "embedded_partitioned", and "remote"
                        For example line to be added for cache.instance.26
                        cache.instance.26.enableCacheReplication = embedded
                       
                -- If you specified embedded_partitioned configure the number of initial containers for the dynamic cache service.
                   Set the  com.ibm.websphere.xs.dynacache.num_initial_containers property in the cacheinstances.properties to
                   an integer that is equal to or slightly less than the total number of server instances that are accessing this distributed cache instance
                   in the Value field. For example, if a dynamic cache service is shared between grid members, then the variable should be set to
                   the number of grid members.

         -Factory APIs in enterprise application code:            
                Properties p = new Properties();
                p.put(CacheConfig.CACHE_PROVIDER_NAME, CacheConfig.CACHE_PROVIDER_OBJECT_GRID);
                p.put(CacheConfig.ENABLE_CACHE_REPLICATION, "true");
                ==>p.put("com.ibm.websphere.xs.dynacache.topology", "embedded");
                ==>p.put("com.ibm.websphere.xs.dynacache.num_initial_containers", "3");
                DistributedMap map1 = DistributedMapFactory.getMap("myMap", p);
                DistributedMap map2 = DistributedObjectCacheFactory.getMap("myMap2", p);

5. Configure the eXtreme Scale catalog service grid.
When you are running a catalog service grid, you must set the catalog.services.cluster custom property for the catalog service endpoints.
To Start the catalog service process in a WebSphere Application Server environment see
http://publib.boulder.ibm.com/infocenter/wxsinfo/v7r0/topic/com.ibm.websphere.extremescale.admin.doc/txscatalogstartwas.html

        a. In the administrative console, click System administration > Cell > Custom properties > New.
        b. Enter catalog.services.cluster the Name field, and the appropriate server_name:host_name:client_port:peer_port:listener_port value in the Value field.
                server_name is the fully qualified name of the WebSphere process, such as the cell name, node name, or server name, of the server that hosts the catalog service.
                Example cellA\node1\nodeagent
                host_name is the name of the hosting server.
                client_port is the port that is used for peer catalog grid communication.
                peer_port is the port that is used for peer catalog grid communication.
                listener_port is the listener port. This port must match the BOOTSTRAP_ADDRESS value that is defined in the server configuration.
                Following is an example of a valid value: cellA\node1\nodeagent:host.local.domain:6600:6601:2809,cellA\node2\nodeagent:host.foreign.domain:6600:6601:2809
        c. Click OK.

6. Save all your configuration changes and restart all the application servers configured for using eXtreme Scale.

7. Configure custom key objects.
When you are using custom objects as keys, the objects must implement the Serializable or Externalizable interface. When you are using the embedded or embedded partitioned topologies, you must place the objects on the shared library path, like you do if you are using the default dynamic cache provider. See the topic Using the DistributedMap and DistributedObjectCache interfaces for the dynamic cache for more information. If you are using the remote topology, you must place the custom key objects on the CLASSPATH for the standalone WebSphere eXtreme Scale containers. See the steps to start a container process in the WebSphere eXtreme Scale Version 7.0 Administration Guide for more information. This publication is available on the WebSphere eXtreme Scale library page.

8. Configure eXtreme Scale container servers.
 The cached data is stored in WebSphere eXtreme Scale containers. These containers can run inside or outside of a WebSphere Application Server process. The eXtreme Scale provider automatically    creates containers inside a WebSphere Application Server process when you are using embedded or embedded partitioned topologies for a cache instance. No further configuration is needed for these topologies.
       
When you are using the remote topology, you must start up stand-alone eXtreme Scale containers before you start the WebSphere Application Server instances that access the cache instance. See the steps to start stand-alone containers in the WebSphere eXtreme Scale Version 7.0 Administration Guide for more information. Make sure that all the containers for a specific dynamic cache service point to the same catalog service endpoints.
        The dynacache-remoteobjectgrid. xml and dynacache-remote-definition.xml configuration files for the standalone eXtreme Scale Dynamic Cache provider containers are located in the install_root/customLibraries/ ObjectGrid/dynacache/etc directory if WebSphere eXtreme Scale is installed on top of the WebSphere Application Server product, or in the install_root/ObjectGrid/dynacache/etc directory if you are using a stand-alone version of WebSphere eXtreme Scale. Make copies of these files to edit and use when launching standalone containers for the eXtreme Scale dynamic cache provider. The value specified for the numIntitialContainers parameter in the dynacache-remote-deployment.xml file should be based on the number of container processes being run.
        The following example illustrates a UNIX® command line entry that launches a standalone container for the WebSphere eXtreme Scale dynamic cache provider:
        startOgServer.sh container1 -objectGridFile ../dynacache/etc/dynacache-remoteobjectgrid.xml -deploymentPolicyFile ../dynacache/etc/dynacache-remotedeployment.xml -catalogServiceEndpoints MyServer1.company.com:2809

gotcha: The set of container processes needs to have enough free memory to service all the dynamic cache instances configured to use the remote topology. Any WebSphere Application Server process that shares the same or equivalent values for catalog.services.cluster must use the same set of standalone containers. The number of containers and number of machines they reside on needs to be sized appropriately. See the topic Capacity planning and high availability in the WebSphere eXtreme Scale Version 7.0 Product Overview for additional details. This publication is available on the WebSphere eXtreme Scale library page. Please see the capacity planning section in the WXS Infocenter: http://publib.boulder.ibm.com/infocenter/wxsinfo/v7r0/topic/com.ibm.websphere.extremescale.over.doc/cxscapacityplan.html

9. VALIDATION:
If the cacheinstance was successfully configured to use eXtreme Scale you will see the following statement in the WebSphere Application Server SystemOut.log
DYNA1001I: WebSphere Dynamic cache instance named "{0}" initialized successfully using cache provider "{1}".
DYNA1071I: The cache provider \"{0}\" is being used.

If the configuration and initialization of the cacheinstance with eXtreme Scale FAILED Dynacache runtime will revert to the default Dynacache cache provider and you should expect to see the following messages in the SystemOut.log
DYNA1066E: Unable to initialize the cache provider \"{0}\". The Dynamic cache will be used to create the cache instance \"{1}\" instead of the configured cache provider.