Advice for Windchill test/production SQL database setup

[ademarco]

Hello,

I am working with our IT team to plan a windchill implementation. I have been trying to research information regarding architecture strategies for implementing development and test environments along-side a production environment of Windcill. Coming up short, I have some questions regarding best practices.  Any advice, or links to documentation, would be appreciated.

1) With SQL as the database server, should 1 SQL instance with a DB for each environment be used? Or should there be a separate instance of SQL for each environment?

2) Use VM for the dev/test environments on the production application server? OR use a separate application server for each instance of Windchill?

Thanks in advance for any support!

[BenLoosli]

With the DB you can it either way and there should not be any noticeable difference. I use Oracle and have done it both ways.

Do not run your VM test/Dev environment on your production server. You can run test/Dev on VM on another physical box, but let the physical production do its thing alone.

[TomU]

We run all of our servers as VMs.  I would suggest running your database on a completely different VM from production so you can test OS and database patches and updates without impacting the production system.  I also prefer having the database running on a different VM than the Windchill application, but there are plenty of people who run them together.  Keep in mind that you shouldn't need to purchase expensive processor licenses for the test SQL system.  You should be able to just run SQL developer edition.

[bsindelar]

To answer your questions (and in agreement with Ben and Tom):

1. Personally I've seen it more common to have one instance of SQL per installation.  This way, if an instance undergoes maintenance or an update, it won't take down the other 2 databases, and each machine that the instances are on will have a lower RAM / CPU requirement since they each only host 1 DB instead of 3 total.  But, either way is fine.
2. Definitely use VMs for EACH Prod/Test/Development Windchill box, with recommendation below.  I'd even say as an extra level of redundancy, have a separate physical host for the Production VMs and a separate physical host for all Test/Dev/Other non-Prod VMs

One common implementation strategy I have seen:

• Production environment (Physical Host #1)
  • Separate VMs for the Windchill Application Server and the Windchill Database Server for better performance
  • Higher RAM / CPU for these machines to support the day-to-day user base functionality
  • A connected SAN with plenty of space for file vault storage
• Test environment (Physical Host #2 - for end-user testing of newly-built functionality)
  • Only need one VM for Windchill application and DB together
  • Lower RAM / CPU requirement, as load will be very low and only have a handful of users testing at any given time
  • Vaulting strategy ranging from exact duplicate to "most recent month or quarter" of files, with local path to vault synonymous to prod setup (makes rehosting easier)
• Development environment (also Physical Host #2 - for creating and developing new configurations, types, attributes, life cycles, workflows, etc)
  • Only need one VM for Windchill application and DB together
  • Minimal RAM / CPU, as rarely will there be more than one user at a time using the environment
  • Vault location setup similar to Production and Test, but no historical vault files coped over (will allow you to MAKE content for testing, but no significant drive space requirement)

That's my two cents.

A lot of these questions do depend on your user count and the level of "depth" to which Windchill will be used.  Will it be used for the full-fledged PLM capabilities (EPMDocs, WTParts, WTDocs, workflows, representations, publishing, etc)?  Or just for document control?  Or somewhere in between?

Can you comment on that?

[ademarco]

Thanks for feedback Bob, very insightful.  We intend to use full PLM Capabilities and will have about 100 active users.

[bsindelar]

No problem, Anthony.

We'd be happy to help in any stages of the implementation, whether it be the technical, systemic implementation or, after installation, the use of and adoption by the business through optimal setup of the Windchill business elements (ACLs, OIRs, object types, contexts, teams, life cycles, workflows, modules, etc).

Feel free to contact me directly via e-mail if you are ever interested in some assistance with your implementation.