Architecture, Components, and Server Topology
Tiers and components
The web tier is a gateway or reverse proxy that forwards requests; the application tier contains dispatchers and services; the data tier contains the content store, notification database, audit database, and reporting data sources. Dispatchers are the request entry point and route work to services such as Content Manager, Report, Batch Report, Presentation, Job, Delivery, and Monitor.
Core rules
- The Content Manager is the only service that reads and writes the content store; isolate it in distributed deployments and ensure one active Content Manager manages a given content store.
- The gateway URI is what browsers use; the dispatcher URI is how the gateway reaches the dispatcher. Misconfiguring either breaks logon or report execution.
- In a cluster, publish the external dispatcher URI so members can route to each other and to the Content Manager.
- Notification and audit databases are optional but required for delivery tracking and audit reporting.
- Container topology adds pods, services, routes, and persistent volumes; the content store remains external.
Worked example
A user opens a report. The browser calls the gateway, which forwards to a dispatcher. The dispatcher asks Content Manager for the report specification and security, then routes execution to the Report Service. The Report Service uses the query service to reach the data source and returns output through the Presentation Service.
Traps
Putting the content store on an application host; confusing gateway and dispatcher URIs; forgetting the external dispatcher URI in a cluster; and assuming every service must run on every dispatcher.