Setting Up Publish Instance on AEM 6.1 JEE Version

[daleschimpf]

Hi:

I was recently attempting to setup a Publish instance on a demo AEM 6.1 JEE server I am running. My goal was to set up more of a real world environment with various instances for the purpose of learning how the instances work together.

Before posting this I did a search on this forum and found this thread http://help-forums.adobe.com/content/adobeforums/en/experience-manager-forum/aem-forms.topic.html/fo... which contained this link https://helpx.adobe.com/aem-forms/6/aem-forms-architecture-deployment.html detailing various author/publish/processing topologies.

When spinning up a JEE version of AEM you get an Author instance by default. This documentation goes onto say that the Processing instance (when required) would typically be the JEE version and if I understand correctly the Author and Publish instances could technically be JEE or standalone versions, although the general recommendation seems to be to try and stick with standalone versions when possible. I realize the topologies using HTML Workspace and the AEMS Forms Workflow add-on (ie Process Management) are a little more complex and at least the Author instance will require JEE.

Before coming across this forum post I found this bit of documentation about creating a Publish instance on a JEE server http://help.adobe.com/en_US/AEMForms/6.1/InstallTurnkey/WS0b373c8e7f652f14-5cc6d7413c5cb4e174-8000ae... which, among other things, says "You must run separate author and publish instances. You can configure the two instances on the same or on different machines."

This documentation seems to be saying that the JEE server (jboss in this case) can run multiple instances of different types. Is this correct?

While the instructions seem fairly straight forward, step 1 mentions creating an "appserver profile" with no explanation of what this is or how to create it. There seems to be a presumption the reader should know what this is. Forgive me if this is common knowledge but I'm not clear on what this is or what the context of this term is. It sounds to me like it's a jboss term.

I've googled this term but did not come up with anything meaningful, either from an AEM or Jboss perspective.

To summarize the information from both of these links, there seems to be more than one way to configure Publish instances (1 using standalone versions and another using JEE servers).

Can anyone talk about the ins and outs of these different options and which one might be recommended over another?

If the "appserver profile" method is still a valid and viable approach in AEM 6.1, can anyone expand on how to create an "appserver profile" and/or how to set up a author/publisher instances with the AEM JEE version?

Thanks in advance.

Dale

[smacdonald2008]

Thank you for your feedback. We are going to use this feedback to open a bug on the AEM install docs. In mean while - we will get your question addressed. 

[mexicurios]

I have the same question as daleschimpf . Was this answered on another thread?

[patrickpai]

Hello

I also have the same, is this resolved???

Also using 6.3 now

Thank you very much, i also need to know how to create that appserver profile.

[smacdonald2008]

This should all be in the AEM Forms Documentation.

[patrickpai]

Hi,

i'm looking into this PDF right now: Installing and Deploying AEM forms on JEE Using JBoss Turnkey

And the section at the end doesn't specify what is needed here. if its anywhere else, perhaps you good give me an idea on where it is hiding at.

The info is buried deep I find, to try to get all of AEM to work. I've looked at a few different sites from Adobe as well, I saw how to configure the Quickstart Author and Publish instance, but I couldn't get it to work well. so went back to the big install "aemforms_server_6_3_0_jboss_all_win" from the LWS website.

This installs version 6.3. with a lot of configurations.Right now I would like to get this install working at some point, and it works ok, I just need the Publish instance now in order to have my users connect to it and view my forms catalog. if I understand it all.

I need a bit more help from you guys, so sorry

Thanks again

[smacdonald2008]

I asked the AEM Forms team to look here and help you.

[patrickpai]

Thank you very much, I look forward to hearing from them

[Khushwant_Singh · Accepted solution]

Hi Dale,

Creating an appserver profile means, running a new instance of JBoss application server. You can use the Adobe pre-configured JBoss application server provided with JEE installer ([AEM Forms JEE instllaer]Adobe\Adobe Experience Manager\JBoss) on a different location on the same machine and pass the following startup argument:

-Djboss.socket.binding.port-offset=100

You can change the value of offset. The argument helps run multiple instances of JBoss on the same machine.

If you run instance of JBoss application server on a new machine, the above argument is not required.

- Khushwant Singh

[patrickpai]

Thank you so much for the info Khushwant, that was very helpful.

So I have now the first install done (my Author instance, from what I understand) and that's great. Now before I start a second install on the same machine, but a different location. I see here in the "publish notes under the turnkey PDF that it mentions this:

NOTE:

If author and publish instances are on the same machine, ensure that you start the publish

instance using a different port.

Now, my next question would be, how do you change the initial 8080 port to be something else? I know how to do this using the Quickstart approach, but with this install, I don't know how at all.

Would you, or someone else be able to let me know how I can start my second install to have a different port all together???

Thank you very much again

Patrick

[smacdonald2008]

I marked the response as correct - i will get them to follow up here too

[patrickpai]

Thank you very much, again

[patrickpai]

Good morning

I still need an answer guys on that port config issue, anyone know how this can be done for JEE/jboss of course?

Thank you so much, once i get this going, i might finally have a working environment

[Khushwant_Singh]

Hi Patrick,

Before you run the second install (Publish instance) on a different location on the same machine, pass the following startup argument. It will bump the port number by the count of 110.

-Djboss.socket.binding.port-offset=110

You can use any value in place of 110. Ensure that the value used for publish and author instances is different.

- Khushwant Singh

[patrickpai]

Wow, thank you so much, I will try this right away.

Thank you so very much Khushwant and sorry, I just realized that's what you had mentioned previously to OP. I didn't make the conection.

[patrickpai]

Good morning Again

ok, based of off Khushwant info and a bit of research I got this syntax going from the bin folder inside the Jboss folder of my author instance: (JBoss\bin\)

standalone.bat -Djboss.socket.binding.port-offset=110

the offset means also that if my first instance is at 8080, I would now get the second one at 8990, correct??

ok, when I get this started, how could I validate the install to see if this all went well or not?

thank you so much again guys,

Patrick

[patrickpai]

Hi guys

Still cant get this to run, that pesky second instance.

I successfully install the first one using the exe file for Jboss windows and I can test it on port 8080, I connect to the forms page and can design from there and so many other things.

NOW

For the second instance, what I do is:

1. copy the Jboss Folder (from working install, the first instance) and copy it to a different location on that machine.

2. I go to the \Bin folder and locate the standalone.bat file and pass it arguments like so: standalone.bat -Djboss.socket.binding.port-offset=110

3. What should I look for after that command, and how do I test all of this??

Not sure if these steps are ok, and when I test it, using the 8080/form URL, but changing it to 8190, I get nothing.

I just want this thing to finally work

[Khushwant_Singh]

Hi Patrick,

1. Shut down the application server.
2. Open the [appserver root]/bin/standalone.conf.bat file in an editor.
3. Add the argument to the standalone.conf.bat file of application server.
4. Save and close the standalone.conf.bat file.
5. Start run the application server.

AEM 6.1 Forms preparing to install single server document provides instructions to Modify the JBoss configuration. Kindly modify only required configurations.

For AEM 6.3 Forms documentation, visit Adobe Experience Manager Help | AEM 6.3 Forms User Guide

Regards,

Khushwant Singh

[patrickpai]

Good morning

Ok, so tried doing what you mentioned in last thread, did that to the first instance, and it broke it, to the point i had to re-install, couldn't restart it afterwards properly.

Tried it on second instance (where i i have a copy of the jboss folder) and that didn't work either.

Guys, thank you so much for your help thus far.

Again i yet to have this working, the documentation says its doable, the community says its doable, but yet, nothing i try gets that second instance working.

We paid so much money for this, and to get a software that is so difficult to run on first try, is new to me.... So now, i have first instance running again, could i get an actual step-by-step of what is exactly needed for that second instance to run???

I'M RUNNING AEM 6.3, JBoss 6.4 i believe on windows server. I'm using the "aemforms_server_6_3_0_jboss_all_win.zip" for the .exe file. and following the info in this PDF: "Installing and Deploying AEM forms on JEE Using JBoss Turnkey".

You test this out and let me know via private email if you prefer, just let me know if someone is going to look into this.

Thank you very much again,

[Maruan_Sahyoun]

Are you running

standalone.bat -Djboss.socket.binding.port-offset=110

from the command prompt? If yes, there should be a console output as well as log output in <jboss 2nd install>/standalone(log/server.log.

That works just fine. Now to an important topic. You wrote that you copied the installed/running version. Don't do this!

You need to do a fresh install on the second JBoss instance as otherwise the Database, Temp directory ... is shared which will cause you issues at least remove the adobe*.ear/war files from the deployment directory before starting the second instance of JBoss.

[patrickpai]

Hi

Thank you so much for your reply. Ok, how do I start a fresh install for second instance?

Patrick