Architecture

Starting version 8.2.00, TrueSight Orchestration is also available in containers. This topic describes the product architecture for classic mode and in containers.

The components that comprise the product enable you to implement run book automation in your IT environment. The Platform provides a highly scalable and fault-tolerant environment for automatically deploying and executing workflows.

Platform architecture is based on a computer cluster.

Platform components
BMC Authentication service – BMC Remedy Single Sign-On
Development Studio
Content

The platform components also compose a load-balanced cluster, known as the grid, as shown in the following figure. For more information about how you would deploy the platform components, see Installing – Classic mode.

BMC_Atrium_Orchestrator_basic_grid_new

Platform components

is built on a grid architecture that offers high-availability, load-balancing, and industry-leading performance out of the box.

Repository

The repository stores content, such as adapters and workflow modules, in a central location.

As the source of record, the repository is accessed by many users such as workflow developers, software testers, and system administrators. The repository enforces versioning and keeps a history of workflow modules through their revisions. It also offers role-based access control to ensure that users can access only the appropriate content.

Each environment that you maintain, such as separate production and development environments, has its own repository. Using the Repository Manager web application, one can manage content.

Configuration distribution peer

The configuration distribution peer (CDP) is the primary peer in the grid. It is the master application that controls all workflows, including load balancing across the grid of peers. It provides a central administration point and is a workflow execution engine.

The CDP is accessible through the Grid Manager web application, which enables administrators to conduct various configuration, activation, and maintenance tasks on the grid. It can host adapters and workflow modules that are used by the grid to communicate with external systems. Typical grid configurations include one CDP, although a grid can house two CDPs in a high-availability (HA-CDP) mode.

A CDP automatically fails over to another available peer when the host peer becomes inoperative.

For more information about HA-CDP configurations, see Deployment scenarios.

Activity peer

An activity peer (AP) executes workflows.

Like a CDP, the AP can host adapters, but it does not provide administrative services.

When you add an AP to the grid, the AP automatically downloads activated workflows from the CDP to provide high-availability workflow load balancing. If a CDP becomes unavailable, the AP continues to process workflows with the other available peers in the same grid.

Lightweight Activity Peer

Lightweight activity peers (LAPs) host adapters, but unlike the other peer types, they cannot execute workflows.

Because they present a very small footprint, LAPs can be hosted on the same servers that host the third-party applications with which the grid communicates. LAPs are particularly helpful when a third-party system requires the adapter to make calls locally, or an adapter requires access to software libraries that cannot be installed outside of the third-party application.

LAPs connect directly into the grid to traverse network boundaries and provide high availability communications over multiple paths. While they do not add workflow processing capacity, LAPs can offload protocol overhead from a peer, thus increasing system throughput.

Operator Control Panel

The Operator Control Panel software is a web-based interface that enables operators, such as service desk personnel, network operators, and IT technicians, to run workflows in a semi-automated mode. Using Operator Control Panel, operators can fulfil requests for IT services more accurately and efficiently while maintaining full control of workflow execution. Operators can manually launch a workflow, follow its progress in a graphical view, step-through workflows interactively, and debug workflows. Each instance of Operator Control Panel can attach to only one peer and provides access to a single grid.

BMC Authentication service – BMC Remedy Single Sign-On

uses Remedy Single Sign-On (Remedy SSO or RSSO) as an authentication service, which supports LDAP and local user authentication.

You may be using one of the following Remedy SSO options:

Embedded Remedy SSO, which is installed with Platform CDP, repository, and HA-CDP components
External Remedy SSO

The embedded version does not require an external database. It uses the 's internal HSQL database (HSQLDB). The embedded version uses 's Platform capabilities for high-availability (resulting in easier HA configuration management).

For more information about external Remedy SSO, see Remedy Single Sign-On architecture.

Development Studio

Development Studio is a graphical authoring tool used to create, modify, and test workflows. It is a thick-client application that can be installed on Windows operating system. Using Development Studio, you can edit rules and schedules to trigger workflows automatically by external events or at regular intervals. Your developers can maintain control of workflows in their local Development Studio environment or through an external source code management (SCM) system. However, before the workflows can be activated on a grid, they first must be exported to the repository.

Content

Content includes base and application adapters, operations actions and workflows, and run books. Operations actions and workflows are groups of processes, schedules, rules, and configuration items for specific operational disciplines. The processes, schedules, rules, and configuration items are based on the IT infrastructure Library (ITIL).

You can use content to develop additional workflows specific to your environment.

Adapters

Adapters establish connections and facilitate communications between workflows and the external applications and support systems. provides the following classes of adapters:

Base adapters, which interact with external systems using standard protocols, such as JDBC, Telnet, SSH, JMS, and through the native operating system command line. They are system integrators, gateways, or connectors used to translate Operations Actions to standard access protocols for integration of workflows with third party applications or devices.
Application adapters, which interface with the API of an external application to issue remote calls to the application. They are system integrators, gateways, or connectors used to translate Operations Actions to vendor-specific application actions using vendor APIs (such as BMC Remedy AR System or Microsoft Active Directory).

Modules

Operations Actions Management modules and utilities are collections of predefined workflows that automate common IT tasks. These "building block" processes can be used individually or incorporated into larger, more complex workflows.

Operations Actions Management modules contain workflows that perform tasks that are common to a specific system type, such as Create Changes and Update Incidents in a Change Management system.
Operations Action Utilities contain workflows that perform tasks that are common to an operating system, such as Create Directory and Delete File.

Run books

run books contain solutions to specific use cases. They include predefined adapter and module workflows that perform functions that offer solutions to targeted IT management problems.

In a new container-based deployment, TrueSight Orchestration components – repository, CDP, and content are made available as pre-built packaged images ready to be deployed on containers in a network.

You can set up a complete TrueSight Orchestration environment using a combination of platform components partially in containers and on physical servers.

For example, a production-level deployment will consist of the repository, CDP, and content (includes all adapters and modules) in containers, and a Development Studio on a server (physical or virtual). In addition, a Lightweight Activity Peer (LAP) can also be available on a server to install windows-based adapters. This release of platform in containers is supported on Linux-based operating systems only.

The following figure describes the architecture and the components used for TrueSight Orchestration in containers.

The following table describes the components used to deploy TrueSight Orchestration in containers.

Component	Description
Docker Engine	Docker Engine is the underlying technology that builds and runs containers using Docker components and servers. TrueSight Orchestration uses Docker to make platform and content available in containers. Before installing TrueSight Orchestration, Docker Engine must be installed on each host.
Docker Compose	Docker Compose is a YAML file that contains all configuration definitions for TrueSight Orchestration components. The YAML file stores definitions for services, networks, and volumes that are essential for running TSO components in containers. It also contains memory definitions for resource utilization.
Docker Swarm	TrueSight Orchestration uses Docker Swarm for cluster management and load balancing purpose. A swarm is a collection of hosts, called as nodes. At a minimum, you create a swarm with a manager node and other worker nodes, which forms a cluster. If a node is unavailable, Docker swarm ensures that the tasks on the unavailable node are not stopped and are run using other available nodes.
Docker Registry	Docker Registry is a repository used for storing and distributing application images. If you already have a Docker Registry in your environment, you can push the TrueSight Orchestration images to the existing registry and provide the registry details while deploying images in your environment. You may also choose to set up your own registry inside or outside the swarm.
External mounted volumes	In a Docker world, volumes are used for persisting data generated and used by the containers. Volumes are easier to manage and can be safely shared among containers. When you deploy the component images in your containers, TrueSight Orchestration mounts the volumes on the hosts. For example, for the repository, data from the tomcat logs, repository folder, and the config folders is retained in a an externally mounted volume. Volumes are managed by Docker and you do not need to perform any additional steps to configure volumes.
Remedy SSO	TrueSight Orchestration uses Remedy Single Sign-On as an authentication system. By default, embedded Remedy SSO is installed with the repository component. No instance of embedded Remedy SSO is available with the CDP. CDP connects to the Remedy SSO embedded with the repository.
Repository	The repository stores content, such as adapters and workflow modules, in a central location. As the source of record, the repository is accessed by many users such as workflow developers, software testers, and system administrators. The repository enforces versioning and keeps a history of workflow modules through their revisions. It also offers role-based access control to ensure that users can access only the appropriate content. Each environment that you maintain, such as separate production and development environments, has its own repository. Using the Repository Manager web application, one can manage content.
Configuration Distribution Peer	The configuration distribution peer (CDP) is the primary peer in the grid. It is the master application that controls all workflows, including load balancing across the grid of peers. It provides a central administration point and is a workflow execution engine. The CDP is accessible through the Grid Manager web application, which enables administrators to conduct various configuration, activation, and maintenance tasks on the grid. It can host adapters and workflow modules that are used by the grid to communicate with external systems.
Content	Content includes base and application adapters, operations actions and workflows, and run books. Operations actions and workflows are groups of processes, schedules, rules, and configuration items for specific operational disciplines. The processes, schedules, rules, and configuration items are based on the IT infrastructure Library (ITIL). You can use content to develop additional workflows specific to your environment.
LAP	Lightweight activity peers (LAPs) host adapters, but unlike the other peer types, they cannot execute workflows. Because they present a very small footprint, LAPs can be hosted on the same servers that host the third-party applications with which the grid communicates. LAPs are particularly helpful when a third-party system requires the adapter to make calls locally, or an adapter requires access to software libraries that cannot be installed outside of the third-party application. LAPs connect directly into the grid to traverse network boundaries and provide high availability communications over multiple paths. While they do not add workflow processing capacity, LAPs can offload protocol overhead from a peer, thus increasing system throughput. In this release, TrueSight Orchestration in containers is only available on Linux-based operating systems. Windows-based adapters such as the PowerShell, Windows Command, and so on cannot be installed on Linux hosts. To use windows-based adapters, you can choose to add an LAP to your container grid. LAP must be installed separately on a Windows host.
Development Studio	Development Studio is a graphical authoring tool used to create, modify, and test workflows. It is a thick-client application that can be installed on Windows operating system. Using Development Studio, you can edit rules and schedules to trigger workflows automatically by external events or at regular intervals. Your developers can maintain control of workflows in their local Development Studio environment or through an external source code management (SCM) system. However, before the workflows can be activated on a grid, they first must be exported to the repository.