Distributing Framework Manager Components

Framework Manager can be installed on a computer that contains other IBM Cognos 8 reporting components or on a computer that is separate from other IBM Cognos 8 reporting components.

To publish packages so that they are available to users, you must configure the modeling tools to use a dispatcher, either directly or through a gateway. If IBM Cognos Connection is secured, you must have privileges to create data sources and publish packages in IBM Cognos Connection.The modeling tools communicate with server components using one of two methods:

• connect to the Application Tier Components dispatcher using the internal dispatcher URI. This route is the recommended route.

• connect to an additional, dedicated gateway that is configured to connect to the dispatcher using the internal dispatcher URI. You must configure appropriate security for this gateway, such as SSL . This method is useful when the modeling tool is outside a network firewall.

  Note: Do not change your main gateway to use the internal dispatcher URI. Doing so reduces the security of the IBM Cognos 8 portal and studios.

Where you install Framework Manager, and how you configure it, can depend on how large your metadata models are and on which Web server you use.

Web Servers Other Than Microsoft IIS

For Web servers other than Microsoft Internet Information Services (IIS), no functional difference exists between the two communication routes between the modeling tool and the Application Tier Components dispatcher. For either route, the modeling tool uses the BI Bus SOAP API. If you use the Web server route, and you have medium- and large-sized packages (approaching 1 MB), the models are broken into smaller pieces (chunked) for transmission.

If you use a Web server other than Microsoft IIS, we recommend that you configure the modeling tool to communicate through your Web server gateway (using the first route). This eliminates the need to set up additional communications channels if you use firewalls to separate the modeling tool, Web server, and Application Tier Components.

For more information about configuring Framework Manager, see Installing and Configuring Framework Manager.

Firewall Considerations

When the modeling tool is outside a network firewall that protects the Application Tier Components, communication issues with the dispatcher can occur. For security reasons, the default IBM Cognos 8 configuration prevents the dispatcher from accepting requests from the modeling tool when it is outside the network firewall.

By default, the modeling tool is configured to send requests directly to the dispatcher:

To avoid communication issues when communicating directly with the dispatcher, install the modeling tool in the same architectural tier as the Application Tier Components.

Alternatively, you can install an additional gateway that is dedicated for communication with the modeling tool. You then configure the modeling tool and its gateway such that the dispatcher will accept requests from the modeling tool.

Configuration Requirements

Framework Manager communicates with the Application Tier Components, which can be installed on one or more application servers. To publish packages, you must configure Framework Manager to communicate with the dispatcher, either directly or through a dedicated gateway.

You must ensure that Framework Manager can communicate with IBM Cognos 8 server components. On the computer where Framework Manager is installed, configure the following environment properties:

• Gateway URI
• Dispatcher URI for external applications

If the modeling tool is using a dedicated gateway instead of communicating directly with the dispatcher, you must also configure the Dispatcher URIs for gateway property on the dedicated gateway computer.