Using a container architecture for an OpenEdge application allows you to upgrade individual components of the application without disrupting the application’s availability.

Traditionally, an on-premises OpenEdge environment was built using multiple machines running multiple instances of PAS for OpenEdge and OpenEdge applications. Upgrading this environment meant taking down an entire production application leading to a disruption of service. In addition, the actual upgrade was a time consuming, manual process.

Docker containers can now be used to build in the redundancy and resiliency you need in an OpenEdge environment. By refactoring your OpenEdge environment into containers, a single virtual machine can be used to run multiple containers, and by extension, multiple instances of PAS for OpenEdge and your OpenEdge application. If it becomes necessary to upgrade container, you simply shut down and remove that container, and bring up a new one online with little to no impact to the operation of your production OpenEdge application.

Container architecture for on-premises and hybrid-cloud based solutions

To create an on-premises architecture for continuous operations with OpenEdge and containers, you create PAS for OpenEdge instances in containers. Each container can be shut down and removed in isolation, meaning that by making changes to the containers you do not affect the other instances or the OpenEdge application.

The components of a container-based on-premises architecture are:
  • PAS for OpenEdge HTTP Clients
  • PAS for OpenEdge instances running in containers
  • A local load balancer
  • A locally installed version of the OpenEdge database for deployment and continuous integration
  • OpenEdge database replication

To manage the traffic to the PAS for OpenEdge instances, select a software load balancer that is optimized to function with multiple containers. Moreover, your load balancer you should be one that is best suited for your container execution platform. The on-premise architecture provides continuous operation through the simplification of the upgrade process.

A hybrid-cloud architecture combines both the on-premises and cloud architectures, and gives you the added advantage of continuous integration. In this architecture, the OpenEdge database and the load balancer are installed on-premises but the PAS for OpenEdge instances and web clients run in Docker containers deployed to a cloud platform, such as Amazon Web Services. When your OpenEdge application is ready for production, you integrate the containers into an automation pipeline. You now can easily upgrade both the PAS for OpenEdge instances and the clients while preserving continuous integration. This type of architecture is best suited for SaaS offerings.

For more information about automating your OpenEdge application, see Learn about CI/CD.

Container architecture for cloud-based solutions

In a cloud environment, all aspects of your deployment environment, such as your PAS for OpenEdge instances, ABL business application, and web applications, are built in containers and deployed to an automation pipeline. You utilize the native services of the cloud such as orchestration and load balancing to provide continuous operation of your OpenEdge application. As with the on-premises and hybrid-cloud architecture, each container can be modified independently of the others, and thereby do not affect the other instances or the availability for your application.

The components of an OpenEdge container architecture in the cloud are:
  • Availability zones or regions built into your cloud deployment for redundancy and high availability
  • PAS for OpenEdge HTTP Clients running in containers
  • PAS for OpenEdge instances running in containers
  • The orchestration service offered by the cloud (for example, Kubernetes)
  • A load balancer service offered by the cloud platform (such as the Elastic Load Balancer)
  • Locally installed OpenEdge database
  • OpenEdge database replication

Refactoring your OpenEdge application into containers has the added benefit of a built-in high availability infrastructure and external availability management. As a business that uses cloud services, you do not need to worry about securing and maintaining the infrastructure for continuous operation, one is provided to you by the cloud service of your choosing.

For more information about using containers and other cloud features in OpenEdge applications, see Learn about modernization in OpenEdge.

For more information about automating your OpenEdge application, see Learn about CI/CD.