Move the portals to a different server than where CAMS Enterprise is located and outside a firewall.
Problem: Portals are not on the same machine as CAMS Enterprise and outside a firewall.
Possible Solution: Because Unit4 Education Solutions, Inc. cannot account for every firewall configuration, we cannot make a suggestion as to the best method of running the portals on a separate server from CAMS Enterprise. We can provide the requirements for doing so, and may be able to assist with any issues you encounter.
It is necessary for the portal pages running on the Portal Server to have access to the CAMS Enterprise middleware objects. These .dll files reside in the CAMSEnterprise\MTSDLL folder and are installed as a COM+ application on your CAMS Enterprise Server. Giving the Portal Server access to these objects can be accomplished in 2 ways.
Both options have several implications as far as maintenance, and communication requirements between the two servers.
Communication
The two installation options above require different communication scenarios for the Portal Server. In option 1, since the middleware code is executing directly on the Portal Server, it will require access to the CAMS SQL Server. In option 2, the code is still executing on the CAMS Enterprise Server, so access to it will be necessary as it handles the needed communication to the CAMS SQL Server.
In either case, the following is necessary for the DTC (Microsoft Distributed Transaction Coordinator) to operate between the two servers. Generally speaking the DTC on a server can only communicate to other DTC’s on other servers by name. This requires manually editing the host files on the two servers to assign a name to the IP. Also, network traffic between port 135 and the port range 1024-65535 must be open between the two servers for the DTC’s on both to talk to each other.
Port 135 is the RPC port that allows one DTC to tell the other that it will be making a request, and on what port. When the DTC replies to the subsequent request from that port, it selects a port at random from the 1024-645535 range and sends the reply.
This means that if a firewall is present between the two machines, some configuration will be necessary to allow network traffic between the two servers on those ports. That either means opening those ports on the firewall, or creating a permanent VPN tunnel between the two servers through the firewall.
Maintenance
In both cases, some work is necessary after a CAMS Enterprise update has been installed.
In case 1, the Portal Server needs a copy of the new objects installed as part of the patch and those objects must be reinstalled in COM+ on the Portal Server
In case 2, the COM+ application on the CAMS Enterprise Server must be re-exported and re-installed on the Portal Server.
For Unit4 Education Solutions to be able to perform this maintenance for you, there are some requirements.
It is up to you to choose the best configuration for your environment.