Configuring node types for agents and listeners

You can start a node with a specific node type, which allows the node to run only the associated agents and listeners for that node type. For example, if you have six nodes, you can configure three nodes to perform web user functions, two nodes for background processing, and one for search indexing. You can also start a node with multiple node types. In this situation, the node runs a set of listeners and enabled agents that are associated with the specified node types.

By segregating nodes by their purpose and using the appropriate node types, you can optimize resources and improve performance.

To configure a node with a node type, set the following JVM argument with the appropriate node type:

-DNodeType=<node-type>

For example, the following procedure describes how to configure node types on an Apache Tomcat server.

Note: For other application servers, set the JVM argument by following the documentation for that application server.

If you use Apache Tomcat as the application server, modify the setenv.bat file, which is in the <TOMCAT_HOME>/bin directory, by setting the following JVM argument:

-DNodeType=<node-type>

where <node-type> is one or more of the following node types:

Node type	Description	Configuration string
BackgroundProcessing	Runs the agents and listeners on a background node.	`-DNodeType=BackgroundProcessing`
BIX	Runs the agents and listeners on a BIX node for BIX jobs.	`-DNodeType=BIX`
Search	Runs the agents and listeners on a search node for search jobs.	`-DNodeType=Search`
WebUser	Runs the agents and listeners on a web user node for web user jobs.	`-DNodeType=WebUser`
Universal	Runs all the agents and listeners on that node.	`-DNodeType=Universal`
Custom1, Custom2, Custom3, Custom4, Custom5	Additional five node types that can be used for other purposes. Each custom node runs the agents and listeners associated with this node type.	`-DNodeType=Custom1`, `-DNodeType=Custom2`, `-DNodeType=Custom3`, `-DNodeType=Custom4`, `-DNodeType=Custom5`

Note: To start a node with multiple node types, enter node types separated by a comma. For example, to start a node with the Search and the BIX type, enter: -DNodeType=Search, BIX. If the same agent is enabled on both node types and there is a conflict in agent schedules, the agent schedule for the node type that is listed earlier takes precedence. In this example, the agent that is enabled on the Search and BIX nodes runs according to the schedule that is specified for the Search node type.

If a node is not configured with any node type, the node classification feature does not apply on that node. The node starts with the Untyped node type, the agents run based on the Data Agent Queue configuration for that node, and the listeners associated to a node type do not run.

To verify that you configured node types successfully, click Designer Studio > System > Operations > Cluster Management, and check for node types that correspond to the nodes that you configured.