Quote | DECENT TEACHING

1. Explain PeopleSoft Internet Architechture?

Answer : Posted 24/May/2020

PIA Architecture Basics

This is a Basic diagram, Which shows various steps in the PeopleSoft Architecture.

We will see explanation for each part of the diagram.

DataBase Server – In simple words Database means Collection of data (or) a place where data is stored.

If we move a step forward in understanding what is a database. The actual meaning of database is

Database – “A structured set of data held in a computer, especially one that is accessible in various ways”

(or)

A database is a collection of information that is organized so that it can be easily accessed, managed and updated.

All these definitions speak about the data. How this data is stored?

Data is stored in the form of tables – i.e in rows and columns

Data is organized into rows, columns and tables

I would like to add two more points here that is indexing

By attaching an index to the table it makes it easier to find relevant information.

What really happens in the database in the real time. Data gets updated, expanded and deleted as new information is added.

All this activity is done through SQL (Structure Query Language). As the database can understand only SQL language.

Coming to PeopleSoft the database is used to store PeopleSoft Application Data.

PeopleSoft Application data means – Application Object Definitions, System Tables, and data.

The PeopleSoft Database contains 3 layers

Application Data Tables
PeopleTools Metadata
System Tables

Application Data Tables :Application Data Tables Stores Data entered though PeopleSoft Application.

Tables and structures vary depending on the Application used.These tables contain transactional data entered by users. These tables are empty prior to data entry if it is not DEMO database.

PeopleToolsMetadata :PeopleTools tables provides infrastructure of the PeopleSoft Applications by storing and managing the PeopleSoft Application Metadata.

Metadata contains the information that defines the PeopleSoft application, such as fields, records, pages, PeopleCode and Security.

PeopletoolsTables :

Define the structure of all object definitions that make up an application.
Use same table structure for all applications
Contain data that is added and updated only when the application is installed, or when using development tools such as PeopleSoft Application Designer or Data Mover.

System Tables : We can call them as System Catalog Tables. Catalog means – ‘a complete list of items, typically one in alphabetical or other systematic order, in particular’ In simple words something in list of items in order.

The system tables are just like analogous to

the table of contents in book
file allocation tables in hard disk

analogous – ‘comparable in certain respects, typically in a way which makes clearer the nature of the things compared’ I simple words it means something which is easy to compare.

System tables:

Keep a track of the objects that reside in the database.
Are created and owned by the RDBMS.
Also described as System Metadata.

Application Server

“The application server handles the bulk of the workload within the PeopleSoft system. It runs the business logic and processes all application requests.”

Lets us try to understand what these lines –

Bulk workload - it can handle good amount of workload and it is within the PeopleSoft System, something which is within the specified limits.

Business logic – means program that manages communication between end user and a database.

The application server depends on the Oracle Tuxedo Middleware to perform the transactions.

We have Oracle Jolt as well which makes the Oracle Tuxedo available for web based requests.

What is Jolt in PeopleSoft?

“PeopleSoft application server relies on Jolt, a companion product that co-exists with Tuxedo, to handle all web requests. In other words, Jolt is the bridge betweenPeopleSoft application server and the web server (any supported one) that facilitates web communication.”

(Or)

“Oracle Jolt is a Java class library and API that provides an interface to Oracle Tuxedo ... Oracle Joltconsists of the following components for creating Java-based”

We have various unique processes run the PeopleSoft application. Each server process is designed to handle specific type of process. For example the some server processes are designed to handle browser requests, while others are designed to handle Integration Broker requests.

Server process are configured to boot within a domain.

Each Domain has its own server processes depending on the purpose of the domain.

For exampleif the domain is specific to application then it contains all Application related processes and if it is a integration broker specific then the major processes are related to integration broker.

A domain can connect to only one database but a database can accept connections from multiple domains.

One application server can contain multiple domains and each domain contains multiple processes.

To enhance the scalability of system we can configure multiple domains in an application server and we can incorporate multiple application server machines to meet the system demand.

Batch/Process Scheduler Server :

The common usage of the Process scheduler server is to generate a report and post it on the regular basis. The PeopleSoft Batch scheduler is used to run the Pre- programmed routines either on demand or on a schedule. We use the processes scheduler to make changes in the data like general ledger posting.

We have various Types of reports they are COBOL, Application Engine, SQR, nVision, Crystal reports. The reports generated are stored the report repository with the help of the distribution agents.

Why we have a separate Batch server for running reports and getting reports for business purpose?

If all the processes are getting database from the file server which are connected though internet, We may experience slowness due to internet traffic, As the process scheduler is used for generating reports in specific we can get best performance.

WebServer

Webserver receives the request from Internet or Intranet and send them to Oracle Jolt port in the Application server. Webserver contains PeopleSoft Servlets.

Servlet –

“An applet that runs on server typically within Java”

(or)

“A servlet is a Java programming language class that is used to extend the capabilities of servers that host applications accessed by means of a request-response programming model. Although servlets can respond to any type of request, they are commonly used to extend the applications hosted by web servers.”

The collection the PeopleSoft servlets handles the incoming Requests as the Application server does. Like the Servers processes in the application server, each PeopleSoft servlets performs unique functions.

For Example the Portal Servlet handles the web requests and the gateway servlet handles service oriented architecture (SOA) messages and requests.

File Server

Data Repository for the upgrades and patches. All PeopleSoft Client Executables( PeopleSoft Application Designer and Configuration Manager), PS/nVision, Change Assistant files and directories necessary to perform upgrade, Client SQR.

PeopleTools Development environment

In PeopleSoft many Development and administrative tools are accessible by browser.

Some Tools are available only from windows based workstation.

The PeopleTools Development Environment means the Microsoft Windows workstations with collection of various PeopleTools. This is used by application developers, technical specialists and system administrators for perform various tasks.

For Example : Application Developers use Peoplesoft Application Designer in the developing the environment to create and modify application definitions such as fields, records, pages and components.

System administrators use Data Mover to import data to the database and Application Designer to migrate the projects.

What is 2 tier and 3 tier architecture?

2 Tier means connecting directly to the database. This requires the RDBMS Software i.e Oracle Database client installed in the workstation, We generally use this two tier connections for Installation and Upgrades.

3 Tier Means connection to the database through the Application Designer. In this the application server maintains the connection to the database for transmitting the SQL statements between the application server and the database server.

PeopleSoft Internet Architecture

We Call this as the 4 Tier architecture as here the communication flow includes one more step that is the Webserver.

What is XML – “a metalanguage which allows users to define their own customized markup languages, especially in order to display documents on the Internet.”

Another Explanation For same question

The Infrastructure or Architecture of PeopleSoft has changed very little since the introduction to the PeopleSoft Internet Architecture or PIA. PeopleSoft software is installed on several servers, each server with a specific type of duty. Additionally, some may be physically separate machines while others may be logical servers (more on that a little later).

The primary servers needed by PeopleSoft software are:

File Server
Database Server
Batch Server
Application Server
Web Server
Reporting Server

These servers work together to distribute the processing needed to the user, typically through a web browser. Together, these servers consist of the Pure Internet Architecture (PIA, for short.

PIA Architechture Flow

As you can see from this diagram there are many layers and servers to consider. An end user client browser communicates with the web server over the HTTP protocol. The web server is responsible for running the java servlets and web services.

Next, the web server communicates to the application server through Jolt/Tuxedo. The web server passes requests to the application server, the application server runs several key PeopleSoft services that will obtain meta-data and data from the database, the database passes it back to the application server, the application server builds any components necessary packages it over jolt/tuxedo and sends it back to the web server who presents it to the browser.

As you can see there are many layers and servers involved in the PeopleSoft architecture. Therefore, it is crucial that you understand them, how to install, configure, and tune each area specifically. If you'd like to learn how to tune your PeopleSoft Application, check out this Tuning your PeopleSoft Apps for Maximum Performance eBook Here.

File Server

When installing PeopleSoft software, the first stop is the file server. Typically a Windows 2008 server, the file server is where the PeopleSoft CDs are first installed. Many of the other servers, as well as Windows-based clients, can map a drive to the file server to run PeopleSoft software. The file server simply contains the PeopleSoft files; in other words, the installation routines do not place anything in the registry, so the files can be FTP’d to non-Windows servers, etc. The file server is the master, or “golden” copy of the PeopleSoft-delivered files.

Database Server

The heart of the infrastructure is the database server. It houses the database(s) that contain the application data. Many PeopleSoft customers have several databases for each PeopleSoft application suite (i.e. PeopleSoft Financials or Human Capital Management). Typical databases would include Demo, Development, Training, Unit Test, System Test, QA, Performance, and Production. The Database Server must be powerful and contain many high-capacity, high-speed, high-availability disks. Most PeopleSoft customers use Oracle for the database (especially now that Oracle owns PeopleSoft Corporation).

Batch Server

The Batch Server is also commonly referred to as the Process Scheduler Server, as the PeopleSoft-delivered software that handles batch processing is called the Process Scheduler. We will refer to this server from this point forward simply as the batch server. The batch server executes reports and processes on a scheduled basis, and this server typically resides on the same physical machine as the database server, for performance purposes.

Application Server

If the database server is the heart of the infrastructure, then the application server is truly the brains of the bunch. This needs to run on a machine with a very fast CPU and plenty of memory. It does not require extensive disk space like the database server. The application server is the communicator; as all database requests (except those initiated by the batch server or 2-tier Windows clients) are accepted by the application server, and sent to the database server through various services running on the application server machine. For example, long-running queries are handled by one type of application server service while quick-running ones are handled by a separate service. Additionally, 3-tier Windows clients, as well as web browser clients’ connections (via the Web Server) are handled by the application server. Consider the application server as the traffic cop.

Web Server

The web server accepts the web-based browser clients’ requests and connections. In turn, it sends messages (using Jolt software) to the application server. The web server does not know what a database is, nor does it even know about PeopleSoft. It simply serves up web pages and passes messages to the application server.

Reporting Server

The reporting server, working closely with the batch server, allows a user to see the results of a report. When a web-based client runs a report in PeopleSoft, this is accomplished by accessing the PIA through web pages. Once the report request is made, the Process Scheduler (i.e. batch server) runs the report. Once the report file is produced, the distribution agent service of the batch server passes the report file to the reporting server, which makes the report available automatically on the web. The reporting server is like a reporting-specific file server.

2. What is Application Server?

Application Server

“The application server handles the bulk of the workload within the PeopleSoft system. It runs the business logic and processes all application requests.”

Lets us try to understand what these lines –

Bulk workload - it can handle good amount of workload and it is within the PeopleSoft System, something which is within the specified limits.

Business logic – means program that manages communication between end user and a database.

The application server depends on the Oracle Tuxedo Middleware to perform the transactions.

We have Oracle Jolt as well which makes the Oracle Tuxedo available for web based requests.

What is Jolt in PeopleSoft?

(Or)

“Oracle Jolt is a Java class library and API that provides an interface to Oracle Tuxedo ... Oracle Joltconsists of the following components for creating Java-based”

Server process are configured to boot within a domain.

Each Domain has its own server processes depending on the purpose of the domain.

A domain can connect to only one database but a database can accept connections from multiple domains.

One application server can contain multiple domains and each domain contains multiple processes.

To enhance the scalability of system we can configure multiple domains in an application server and we can incorporate multiple application server machines to meet the system demand.

3. What is Batch/Process scheduler Server ?

Batch/Process Scheduler Server :

We have various Types of reports they are COBOL, Application Engine, SQR, nVision, Crystal reports. The reports generated are stored the report repository with the help of the distribution agents.

Why we have a separate Batch server for running reports and getting reports for business purpose?

4. What is Web Server?

Webserver receives the request from Internet or Intranet and send them to Oracle Jolt port in the Application server. Webserver contains PeopleSoft Servlets.

Servlet –

“An applet that runs on server typically within Java”

(or)

For Example the Portal Servlet handles the web requests and the gateway servlet handles service oriented architecture (SOA) messages and requests.

5. What is File Server?

6. Why to use Process Scheduler Server even though we have Application Server?

7. Difference between 2 tier, 3 tier and 4 tier?

2 Tier the user connects directly to the Database, in 3 Tier the connection to the database goes through the application server. For 4 Tier the connection established from Web Server and Application Server to Database.

Examples for 2 Tier - Datamover/Application Designer connection with Connection type oracle, SQL Developer connection, sql connection with command prompt etc.,

Examples for 3 Tier - Application Designer/Datamover with connection type 'application server',

Examples for 4 Tier - PIA connection, PTF etc.,

8. Give some 2 Tier connection example?

Datamover/Application Designer connection with Connection type oracle, SQL Developer connection, sql connection with command prompt etc.,

9. How Servers are there in Your Project?

5 Web Servers, 9 Application Servers, 5 Process Schedulers, 5 IB Servers and 1 Database server from production environment. For non production environment we have total for 6 Servers and also have a replica of the production environment which has same 25 Servers as Production.

10. What is the Size of the Database ?

Near to 1 TB or nearly 750GB

11. How to check Peopletools version?

select TOOLSREL from PSSTATUS; run this sql we will get the tools release version.

12. Have you worked on PeopleSoft Security ?

Yes, I have worked on peoplesoft Security in various scenarios like creating new user, Roles, Permission lists. I also know how to give read only access and stuff. I also know how to enable control locking for application designer and things like user password controls and timeout setting as well.

13. How to create a User with Access to Application Designer, Data Mover and PIA?

We need to create a user with default permission list like, All pages/All Panels, Peopletools, PeopleSoft user etc., Also we can restrict/allow access to specific pages with Display only and authorization check boxes available for specific pages from Edit pages option for specific pages.

14. What is a Role in Security?

Roles are intermediate objects that link user profiles to permission lists. You can assign multiple roles to a user profile, and you can assign multiple permission lists to a role. Some examples of roles might be Employee, Manager, Customer, Vendor, and Student.

A manager is also an employee and may also be a student. Roles enable you to mix and match access appropriately.

You have two options when assigning roles: assign roles manually or assign them dynamically. When assigning roles dynamically, you use PeopleCode, LDAP, and PeopleSoft Query rules to assign user profiles to roles programmatically.

15. What is a Permission list ?

Permission lists are groups of authorizations that you assign to roles. Permission lists store sign-in times, page access, PeopleTools access, and so on.

A permission list may contain one or more types of permissions. The fewer types of permissions in a permission list, the more modular and scalable your implementation.

A user profile inherits most of its permissions through roles, but you apply some permission lists, such as process profile or row-level security (data permissions), directly to a user profile.

16. How to create a custom Permission list with Read only Access ?

We can create customer permission list by just copying the existing permission list and renaming with new name. To make it read only, access the pages tab of the permission list and user edit pages option and check the check box Display only for each menu item. Else we can use the sql statement also to make all pages Display only by updating the table psauthitem, Disply only value to

17. How to change the Password controls to never expires password ?

Navigate the peopletools -- Security - Password Controls, we will find any option like, never expires, choose that option.

18. What are different types of ID's in PeopleSoft ?

The PeopleSoft system uses various authorization IDs and passwords to control user access. You use PeopleTools Security to assign two of these IDs: the user ID and the symbolic ID.

This section discusses:

User IDs.
Connect ID.
Access IDs.
Symbolic IDs.
Administrator access.

User ID :

A PeopleSoft user ID is the ID you enter at the PeopleSoft sign in page. You assign each PeopleSoft user a user ID and password. The combination of these two items grants users online access to the PeopleSoft application. The system can also use a user ID stored within an LDAP directory server.

The user ID is the key that the application uses to identify the user profile definition.

Connnect ID :

The connect ID performs the initial connection to the database.

Note: PeopleSoft no longer creates users at the database level.

A connect ID is a valid user ID that, when used during sign in, takes the place of PeopleSoft user IDs. Using a connect ID means you do not have to create a new database user for every PeopleSoft user that you add to the system.

Note: A connect ID is required for a direct connection (two-tier connection) to the database. Application servers and two-tier Microsoft Windows clients require a connect ID. You specify the connect ID for an application server in the Signon section of the PSADMIN utility. For Microsoft Windows clients, you specify the connect ID on the Startup tab of PeopleSoft Configuration Manager. You can create a connect ID by running the ConnectSQL and GrantSQL scripts.

Note: When performing a database compare or copy, both databases must have the same connect ID.

Warning! Without a connect ID specified, the system assumes the workstation is accessing PeopleSoft through an application server. The option to override the database type is disabled.

Access ID :

When you create any user ID, you must assign it an access profile, which specifies an access ID and password.

The PeopleSoft access ID is the RDBMS ID with which PeopleSoft applications are ultimately connected to your database after the PeopleSoft system connects using the connect ID and validates the user ID and password. An access ID typically has all the RDBMS privileges necessary to access and manipulate data for an entire PeopleSoft application. The access ID should have Select, Update, and Delete access.

Users do not know their corresponding access IDs. They just sign in with their user IDs and passwords. Behind the scenes, the system signs them into the database using the access ID.

If users try to access the database directly with a query tool using their user or connect IDs, they have limited access. User and connect IDs only have access to the few PeopleSoft tables used during sign in, and that access is Select-level only. Furthermore, PeopleSoft encrypts the sensitive data that resides in those tables.

Note: Access profiles are used when an application server connects to the database, when a Microsoft Windows workstation connects directly to the database, and when a batch job connects directly to the database. Access profiles are not used when end users access applications through PeopleSoft Pure Internet Architecture. During a PeopleSoft Pure Internet Architecture transaction, the application server maintains a persistent connection to the database, and the end users leverage the access ID that the application server domain used to sign in to the database.

Note: PeopleSoft suggests that you only use one access ID for your system. Some RDBMS do not permit more than one database table owner. If you create more than one access ID, it may require further steps to ensure that this ID has the correct rights to all PeopleSoft system tables.

Symbolic ID :

PeopleSoft encrypts the access ID when it is stored in the PeopleTools security tables. Consequently, an encrypted value cannot be readily referenced or accessed. So when the access ID, which is stored in PSACCESSPROFILE, must be retrieved or referenced, the query selects the appropriate access ID by using the symbolic ID as a search key.

The symbolic ID acts as an intermediary entity between the user ID and the access ID. All the user IDs are associated with a symbolic ID, which in turn is associated with an access ID. If you change the access ID, you need to update only the reference of the access ID to the symbolic ID in the PSACCESSPROFILE table. You do not need to update every user profile in the PSOPRDEFN table.

19. How to reset a OPRID, Access ID ?

To reset the OPRID

We can do it with Data mover as follows

To change the PS password in PSOPRDEFN do the below:

1. Login to Datamover with Bootstrap mode.
2. Execute
UPDATE PSOPRDEFN SET OPERPSWD = ' ', PTOPERPSWDV2='new password', ENCRYPTED=0, ACCTLOCK = 0 WHERE OPRID='PS';
ENCRYPT_PASSWORD PS;

3. Test logging into application with OPRID and new password.

We can do it with SQL as follows

UPDATE PSOPRDEFN SET PTOPERPSWDV2='<new password>', OPERPSWDSALT= ' ' , ENCRYPTED=0

WHERE OPRID='OPRID';

-- then run below statement with Datamover in bootstrap mode

ENCRYPT_PASSWORD OPRID

To reset the Access ID

Changing the access password should be done in two tier while the App server and Process Scheduler are down. If possible, it is also best to do while all users are logged off.

A few important notes:

Please make sure that your SYMBOLIC ID and your ACCESS ID are not the same. PeopleSoft delivers the SYMBOLIC ID in most databases as SYSADM1 and the ACCESS ID as SYSADM. If for some reason you make these two ids match it can cause problems. The SYMBOLIC ID is a proxy for the ACCESS ID because the ACCESS ID gets encrypted.
If your database platform is MSSQL Server or SYBASE then you MUST change the password in ALL instances of PeopleSoft on that server that share the same Access ID, or no one will be able to logon to any other PeopleSoft DB except for the first one changed.
If you have already changed the Access ID Password and now cannot logon to PeopleSoft (ie. the trace file will contain error ORA-01017: invalid username/password; logon denied) to change it in App Designer then you can use method 1 or 2 below.

IMPORTANT NOTE: One thing to remember is that PeopleSoft does not support an Access ID or Access ID password of over 8 Characters. It MUST also start with an alpha character and can not contain any white space, or any of the following characters: ; : & , < > \ / " ' [ ] { } ( )! % * ? - = +

The @ $ # characters will sometimes work, depending on DB platform, but cannot be at the beginning of the password. The Access ID cannot be a restricted word used in the Database either.

There are ONLY three ways to change the Access ID password. These options MUST be done in 2 tier and your application servers, Process Schedulers, and Web Servers MUST BE DOWN. Once the password is changed you will want to also clear ALL cache files.

METHOD # 1 - Recommended Method

Step 1. Log into DataMover as the Access ID (Bootstrap mode).

Step 2. Then run the following command:

CHANGE_ACCESS_PASSWORD sa1 (This is your symbolic ID) abcdefg (This is the new password for the Access ID)

Step 3. Hit the Green traffic light.

METHOD # 2 - Second best method

Step 1. Change the Access ID Password at database level first.

Step 2. You can either run the SQL statement in your SQL tool or you can log into DataMover in bootstrap mode (As the Access ID with the NEW password) and run the following SQL statement:

update PSACCESSPRFL set ACCESSID = 'what your Access ID is' , ACCESSPSWD = 'your New Access Password' , ENCRYPTED = 0 where SYMBOLICID = 'whatever the SYMBOLICID is';

Please note, in PT 8.55, there is a new table that stores the Access ID/Password. The new table is PSACCESSPROFILE. The update statement for this table will look like:

UPDATE PSACCESSPROFILE SET STM_ACCESS_ID = 'SYSADM', SYMBOLICID = 'SYSADM1', STM_ACCESS_PSWD = 'SYSADM', VERSION = 1, ENCRYPTED = 0;

Step 3. Then run the following command in DataMover

ENCRYPT_PASSWORD *;

You can skip step 3 by just logging on to app designer or booting the app server and this will encrypt the Access ID and password on the PSACCESSPRFL table. In PT 8.55, this step is mandatory.

METHOD # 3 - Last and most discouraged method, in fact some times will not even work in upgraded databases so only use this method if the first two do not work!

Step 1. Log into Application Designer and navigate to Tools > Miscellaneous Objects > Access Profiles.

Step 2. Highlight the Symbolic ID and push the Edit button, enter the old password, new password, and confirm new password.

20. What is use of Definition Security and how can you access it from Application Designer?

Definition Security is to govern access to database object definitions, such as record definitions, field definitions, and page definitions, and to protect particular object definitions from being modified by certain developers.

Access definition security in the Windows client using either of these actions: • In PeopleSoft Application Designer, select Go, Definition Security. Or, • Execute the PSOSE.exe file located in the following path: \bin\client\winx86\psos.exe

21. How to set User Timeout settings ?

Select the number of minutes of inactivity allowed at a terminal before the system automatically signs the user out of the PeopleSoft online system. Inactivity means no mouse clicks, keystrokes, import, file print, or SQL activity. The default timeout minutes setting is Never Time-out. Note: Time-out limits are also controlled at the web server and application server levels. If you select Never Time-out, an inactive user is never automatically signed out. Otherwise, select Specific Time-out ( minutes) and enter the appropriate value in minutes. A custom time-out interval: • Must be a positive integer. • Cannot contain edit characters, such as commas or a $. • Must be a SMALLINT in the valid range allowed for this field (0-32767).

Entering a value of zero (0) is equivalent to selecting Never Time-out. To comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), you might set up most permission lists to time out in 20 minutes, but create a special ADA permission list for which timeout occurs after 60 minutes. Note: Because timeout limits are also controlled at the web server level, you will need to change the web server timeout values also.

22.