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Maximo Application Suite Technical Overview
A Maximo Application Suite instance operates within the Red Hat® OpenShift® Container Platform environment. This platform facilitates seamless migration between cloud and on-premises setups, as well as containerization and orchestration, ensuring durability, resilience, availability, and scalability. It also enables consistent deployments following the operator model, while automating and optimizing the development workflow.
Virtual machines and storage
The majority of Maximo Application Suite applications and their prerequisites are hosted on a group of virtual machines forming a Red Hat OpenShift cluster. Each virtual machine possesses its own distinct IP address and functions as a node within the Red Hat OpenShift cluster.
These virtual machines are obtained and handled through two primary methods:
Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) provider: This could involve an on-premises provider like VMware, or cloud providers such as IBM Cloud®, AWS, or Azure. With this approach, you have direct access to the virtual machines, necessitating the installation and management of the Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform software.
Managed Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform service provider: An example would be Red Hat OpenShift on IBM Cloud. In this scenario, the service provider manages the Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform, relieving you of the responsibility of installation and management.
Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform control plane
A group of master nodes oversees the operations of the Red Hat OpenShift cluster. It’s important to note that for ensuring continuous and high availability, a minimum of three master nodes is recommended.
These master nodes are responsible for running the Kubernetes cluster control software, which governs the activities of the worker nodes, the other nodes within the cluster. Additionally, the master nodes maintain an internal database known as etcd, which stores the Kubernetes resource definitions.
In the case of utilizing a Managed Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform service provider, the management of these master nodes is handled by the service provider, thus shielding users from direct interaction with them.
However, if you’re managing your own Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform service, you’ll need to provision virtual machines. Following the installation of the Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform, interaction with these virtual machines occurs through the Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform and Kubernetes APIs.
Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform infrastructure
The infrastructure components of the Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform are incorporated during the installation process of the platform itself.
Services integral to the infrastructure of the Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform, such as logging and monitoring, are included.
Within the Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform cluster, there exists a storage management system known as Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform Storage.
Each worker node possesses its own private disk storage, susceptible to loss in the event of node malfunction. Certain applications within the Maximo Application Suite, along with their prerequisites, necessitate storage that endures node failures and is shareable among nodes. In cases where the deployment environment is an external cloud, opting for an external storage provider is feasible.
Specific components require deployment on all worker nodes, while others are designed for deployment on three worker nodes. Although these components can function on any worker node within the cluster, it is advisable, when feasible, to allocate them to dedicated worker nodes.
Maximo Application Suite prerequisites
Maximo Application Suite applications have several dependencies or prerequisites. Some prerequisites are necessary regardless of the selected applications. Other prerequisites are necessary only for specific applications. For most of these prerequisites, you can choose whether to deploy them in the Red Hat OpenShift cluster or run them externally, either in a separate Red Hat OpenShift cluster or by using an external service provider.
Cloud Pak for Data
One essential prerequisite for the Red Hat OpenShift cluster is the inclusion of the Cloud Pak for Data.
It’s worth noting that the Maximo Application Suite license permits the installation and utilization of various Cloud Pak for Data services, provided they are utilized alongside Maximo Application Suite applications.
Cloud Pak for Data comprises a control plane, complete with its own user interface and a distinct set of authorized users. Upon installation of Cloud Pak for Data into the Red Hat OpenShift cluster, administrators gain access to its functionalities. This access enables the installation of one or more Cloud Pak for Data services into the cluster. Among these services, Db2 Warehouse can be installed via Cloud Pak for Data, serving as a crucial component for Maximo Monitor and IoT applications.
Maximo Application Suite applications, industry solutions, addons, and tools
The Maximo Application Suite offers a comprehensive selection of applications, tools, and supplementary add-ons. Deployment options are flexible, allowing users to select and deploy specific applications contingent upon the fulfillment of requisite prerequisites.
Maximo Application Suite instance Maximo Application Suite core
Maximo Application Suite follows a similar plan to Cloud Pak for Data.
Start by installing a control plane, Maximo Application Suite core, into Red Hat OpenShift cluster.
- Use Maximo Application Suite core to install and manage the Maximo Application Suite applications, industry solutions, and add-ons that you want to use.
- Maximo Application Suite core maintains a registry of users. You can specify which users have access to which Maximo Application Suite applications.
Prerequisites that run outside the Red Hat OpenShift cluster
Certain prerequisites operate external to the Red Hat OpenShift cluster:
1. Load Balancers: Facilitate access to protocol endpoints for communication with the Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform, along with its hosted applications and services.
2. Identity Provider: Utilized for user authentication within the Red Hat OpenShift cluster, typically an enterprise directory service supporting LDAP interfaces. Although most Maximo Application Suite users don’t require direct access to the Red Hat OpenShift cluster, the same enterprise directory can manage login credentials for both Maximo Application Suite and Red Hat OpenShift users.
3. Enterprise SAML Identity Provider: Enables users to leverage single sign-on across various enterprise applications, ensuring seamless access to Maximo Application Suite without repeated authentication.
4. External SMTP Server: Necessary for configuring Maximo Application Suite core, Maximo Manage, and other applications to dispatch emails to users.
5. Interactive Connectivity Establishment (ICE) Server: Configured for VoIP connections to Maximo Assist within the Maximo Application Suite.
6. Bastion Host: Positioned outside the Red Hat OpenShift cluster, it enjoys direct network access to cluster nodes. Essential for self-installed Red Hat OpenShift clusters, the bastion host becomes particularly valuable during the installation of Maximo Application Suite core, Cloud Pak for Data, and other prerequisites within the cluster.
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The version for Maximo Application Suite, including all its applications, industry solutions, and add-ons in Maximo Application Suite is now aligned, starting on version 9.0.
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The version for Maximo Application Suite, including all its applications, industry solutions, and add-ons in Maximo Application Suite is now aligned, starting on version 9.0.
