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Software requirements

The supported software section specifies the additional software that HCL Portal Express 9.5 requires.

Kubernetes

This section describes the requirements to deploy the HCL Digital Experience 9.5 images to container platforms and current limitations.

Discontinuation of Operator

Attention: Beginning with HCL Digital Experience 9.5 Container Update CF200, HCL has discontinued releasing the HCL Digital Experience (DX) Operator-based deployments and provides support only for Helm-based deployments. HCL plans no further updates or code fixes provided for the Operator-based deployments. All customers must migrate to Helm-based deployments for their DX installations. HCL will work with our customers as they transition from Operator-based to Helm-based deployments. For more information on the migration process, see Migrating from Operator-based to Helm-based deployments.

Consult the HCL Digital Experience 9.5 Support Statements on the HCL Digital Experience Support pages for the latest updates on supported platforms, components, and release levels.

Requirements for supported file systems

This section describes the requirements for supported file systems.

  • DX requires two (2) ReadWriteMany volumes:
    • One volume for Core.
    • One volume for Digital Asset Management.
  • All the other pods require ReadWriteOnce volumes.
  • DX is input/output (I/O) intensive and requires a high-performance file system for optimization.
  • A persistence-node relies on PostgreSQL which requires the use of hard links. Storage systems (like Azure Files) that do not support the use of hard links cannot be used. For more information, see the Microsoft documentation for features not supported by the Azure File service.
  • All DX applications require the use of symbolic links and soft links. Storage systems must support the use of symbolic links and soft links. If you use Azure Files, enable mountOptions of the StorageClass using mfsymlinks. For more information, see the Microsoft documentation on troubleshooting Azure Files on Linux (SMB).
  • You can configure volume sizes individually by volume, and these volume sizes are depend on the respective usage. For more information, see the following Help Center topics:

Requirements for Helm-based deployments

This section describes requirements and current limitations for HCL Digital Experience 9.5 Container Update CF200 and later deployments that use Helm.

HCL DX 9.5 CF200 and later is designed to run on any Certified Kubernetes platform (https://www.cncf.io/certification/software-conformance), provided the following are true:

For the list of Kubernetes versions that are tested and supported by HCL, see the HCL DX supported hardware and software statements page.

Even though the platforms may be Certified Kubernetes platforms, you might find the environments varying slightly by vendors. We recommend that you contact HCL Support regarding what help you need in scenarios where the vendor still supports the Kubernetes version in use. If you have any unresolved issues, HCL Support may provide alternative implementation paths or open Feature Requests for the problem scenario.

Internally, HCL tests DX against a range of Kubernetes platforms that is regularly reviewed and updated. HCL does not test with every single platform vendor, but aims to cover a representative sample of popular Kubernetes implementations. See the HCL DX supported hardware and software statements on the HCL Support Knowledge Base for additional details.

To deploy HCL Digital Experience 9.5 CF200 to the supported Kubernetes platforms by using Helm, the following resources required:

  • Helm installation:

    Download and install Helm to your target environment. HCL DX 9.5 CF200 and later container deployments are tested and is supported with Helm v3. For more information regarding the supported Helm version for individual Kubernetes versions, refer Helm documentation.

  • Migration:

    For information about migrating from Operator-based to Helm-based deployments, see Migrating from Operator-based to Helm-based deployments.

  • Resource requirements for container platform capacity:

    The following table outlines the default minimum capacity of container resources that the HCL DX 9.5 Container Components in the Helm-based deployments requires, and the number of required Pods for each component.

    Component Resource name Pod Minimum CPU Pod Minimum Memory No. of Pods Minimum
    Core core 0.8 3072MB 1
    Ring API ringApi 0.1 128MB 1
    Content Composer contentComposer 0.1 128MB 1
    Design Studio designStudio 0.1 128MB 1
    Digital Asset Management digitalAssetManagement 0.25 1024MB 1
    DAM Persistence Connection Pool persistenceConnectionPool 0.5 512MB 1
    DAM Persistence Node persistenceNode 1 1024MB 1
    DAM Persistence Metrics Exporter persistenceMetricsExporter 0.1 128MB 0
    Image processor imageProcessor 0.1 1280MB 1
    Open LDAP openLdap 0.2 512MB 1
    Remote search remoteSearch 0.25 768MB 1 (Max 1 Pod)
    Runtime Controller runtimeController 0.1 256MB 1
    Sidecar sidecar 0.1 64MB 0
    HAProxy haproxy 1 1024MB 1

DX Kubernetes support matrix

View the latest Kubernetes versions and platforms that HCL tested and supports for specific HCL Digital Experience 9.5 Container Update deployments.

Important

Beginning with HCL Digital Experience 9.5 Container Update CF200, HCL has discontinued releasing the HCL Digital Experience (DX) Operator-based deployments and provides support only for Helm-based deployments. HCL will release no further updates or code fixes provided for the Operator-based deployments. All customers must migrate to Helm-based deployments for their DX installations. HCL will work with our customers as they transition from Operator-based to Helm-based deployments. For more information on the migration process, see Migrating from Operator-based to Helm-based deployments.

HCL encourages customers to remain up-to-date on the latest DX and Kubernetes releases. As a result, HCL is making all available DX fixes on the latest release. Customers may be asked to upgrade to the latest DX release to assist with problem determination.

Kubernetes platform support policy

HCL DX 9.5 CF200 and later is designed to run on any Certified Kubernetes platform (https://www.cncf.io/certification/software-conformance), provided the following statements are true:

  • The Kubernetes platform is hosted on x86_64 hardware.
  • The Kubernetes platform is officially supported by Helm (https://helm.sh/docs/topics/kubernetes_distros/).

Internally, HCL tests DX against a range of Kubernetes platforms that are regularly reviewed and updated, with the intent of staying as up-to-date as possible. HCL does not test with every single platform vendor, but aims to cover a representative sample of popular Kubernetes implementations. See Table 1 for the list of Kubernetes Platforms that HCL has tested with.

Table 1: Tested Kubernetes Platforms on Full Container Deployment

This table provides information about the sample Kubernetes platforms that are tested with DX.

Kubernetes platforms on full deployments Hybrid deployments (Kubernetes/on Premise)
- Amazon EKS
- Google GKE
- Microsoft Azure AKS
- Red Hat OpenShift		 - Amazon EKS / AWS EC2
- Red Hat OpenShift on AWS / AWS EC2

Kubernetes version support policy

Table 2 lists the Kubernetes versions that HCL tested and supports. - From time-to-time, platform providers may release previews of upcoming Kubernetes versions. HCL does not provide support for those versions. - If you encounter any issue on an unsupported or untested Kubernetes version, you may be asked to install a supported level.

Table 2: Tested and Supported Kubernetes Versions on Full Container Deployment

This table provides information about the Kubernetes versions that HCL tested and supports in HCL DX CF releases.

Review your chosen Kubernetes platform and ensure that it supports the following Kubernetes versions:

CF Level Kubernetes versions
CF204 Kubernetes 1.22
Kubernetes 1.21
Kubernetes 1.20
Kubernetes 1.19
CF203 Kubernetes 1.22 *
Kubernetes 1.21
Kubernetes 1.20
Kubernetes 1.19
CF202 Kubernetes 1.21
Kubernetes 1.20
Kubernetes 1.19
CF201 Kubernetes 1.21
Kubernetes 1.20
Kubernetes 1.19

* CF203 limited support statement

Starting with CF203, HCL DX supports Kubernetes 1.22 only for HAProxy-based deployments, and not for deployments that are still running HCL DX's Ambassador.

Application servers

Prerequisite Version Supported software versions Product Minimum Components Operating system restrictions?
WebSphere eXtreme Scale 8.6 8.6 and later maintenance 9.5 Full No

Collaboration

Prerequisite Version Supported software versions Product Minimum Components Operating system restrictions?
HCL Connections 5.5 5.5 and later maintenance 9.5 Full No
HCL Connections 6.0 6.0 and later maintenance 9.5 Full No
IBM Forms Experience Builder 8.6.3 8.6.3 and later maintenance 9.5 Full No
HCL Leap 9.2 9.2 and later maintenance 9.5 Full No
HCL Sametime Communicate 9.0 9.0 and later maintenance 9.5 Full No
HCL Sametime Complete 9.0 9.0 and later maintenance 9.5 Full No

Database

Supported Software Version Supported software minimum Product minimum Components Operating System Restrictions?
Apache Derby 10.11* and future fix packs 10.11*
Newer levels are not currently supported		 9.5 Full No
DB2 Standard and Advanced Edition 11.5 11.5 and later maintenance 9.5 Full No
DB2 Advanced Enterprise Server Edition 11.1.0* 11.1.0 and later maintenance 9.5 Full No
DB2 Advanced Workgroup Server Edition 11.1.0* 11.1.0 and later maintenance 9.5 Full No
DB2 Connect Application Server Advanced Edition 11.1.0 11.1.0 and later maintenance 9.5 Full No
DB2 Connect Enterprise Edition 11.1.0 11.1.0 and later maintenance 9.5 Full No
DB2 Enterprise Server Edition 11.1.0 11.1.0 and later maintenance 9.5 Full No
DB2 Express Edition 11.1.0 11.1.0 and later maintenance 9.5 Full No
DB2 for z/OS 11.1.0 11.1.0 and later maintenance 9.5 Full No
Microsoft SQL Server 2014 2014 and later maintenance 9.5 Full No
2016 2016 and later maintenance 9.5 Full No
Microsoft SQL Server Enterprise and Standard Edition 2017 and 2019 2017, 2019 and later maintenance 9.5 Full No
Oracle Database 12.2 Standard Edition (12.2.0.0) (12.2.0.0) and later maintenance 9.5 Full No
Oracle Database 12.2 Enterprise Edition (12.2.0.0) (12.2.0.0) and later maintenance 9.5 Full No
Oracle Database 12.2.0.1.0 Enterprise Edition 12.2.0.1.0 12.2.0.1.0 and later maintenance 9.5 Full No
Oracle Database 12.2.0.2 Enterprise Edition 12.2.0.2 12.2.0.2 and later maintenance 9.5 Full No
Oracle Database 19c 19c 19c and later maintenance 9.5 Full No
Oracle on Amazon Relational Database Service 12.2.0.1.0 12.2.0.1.0 and later maintenance 9.5 Full No

* Apache Derby is not supported in a production environment. * DB2: Includes support for the DB2 pureScale component.

Development tools

Supported Software Version Supported software minimum Product minimum Components Operating System Restrictions?
Rational Application Developer for WebSphere 9.7 9.7 and later maintenance 9.5 Full No

JDBC drivers

Supported Software Version Supported software minimum Product minimum Components Operating System Restrictions?
IBM Application Connectivity for DB2 for z/OS Feature All Versions Newer levels are not currently supported 9.5 Full No
IBM DB2 Universal JDBC Provider (XA) from DB2 z/OS (type 2) All Versions * and future fix packs Newer levels are not currently supported 9.5 Full No
IBM DB2 Universal JDBC Provider (XA) from DB2 z/OS (type 4) All Versions* Newer levels are not currently supported 9.5 Full No
IBM Data Server Driver for JDBC and SQLJ 4.21 (11.1) 4.21 (11.1) only 9.5 Full No
Microsoft SQL Server JDBC Driver 4.2 4.2 and later maintenance 9.5 Full No
6.2 6.2 and later maintenance 9.5 Full No
Oracle JDBC Driver 12.c 12.2** 12.2 and later maintenance 9.5 Full No
  • JDBC drivers are shipped as DB2 for z/OS APARs. You can check for the appropriate APAR/PTF numbers in the DB2 for z/OS Infocenter (Programming for DB2 > Programming for Java > Supported drivers for JDBC and SQLJ). Obtain the PTFs from DB2 on z/OS support or IBMLINK. Version 3.58 and later are supported.
  • Requires APAR PK93123 for DB2 on z/OS V9.1. You can obtain the fix from DB2 on z/OS support or IBMLINK.
  • Oracle JDBC Driver Thin (type 4) Oracle JDBC Driver Thick, TAF (type 2) - Supported on Linux operating systems only.

LDAP servers

All LDAP Servers that support the LDAP V3 Specification are supported.

Supported Software Version Supported software minimum Product minimum Components Operating System Restrictions?
IBM Security Directory Suite 8.0.1 8.0.1 and later maintenance 9.5 Full No

Product-specific or mixed content

Supported Software Version Supported software minimum Product minimum Components Operating System Restrictions?
Dojo Toolkit 1.9 1.9 9.5 Full No
IBM License Metric Tool 9.2 9.2 and later maintenance 9.5 Full No

Security management

Supported Software Version Supported software minimum Product minimum Components Operating System Restrictions?
CA Siteminder 12.0* 12.0 and later maintenance 9.5 Full No
IBM Security Access Manager 9.0 9.0 and later maintenance 9.5 Full No
IBM Security Access Manager for Web 7.0* 7.0 and later maintenance 9.5 Full No
Tivoli Directory Integrator 7.1.1 7.1.1 and later maintenance 9.5 Full No
  • For AIX customers, AIX 7.1 or higher is required. Please note this product does not support JDK 8.
  • Please note IBM Security Access Manager for Web 7.0 does not support JDK 8.

Web browsers

Supported Software Supported software minimum and later Product minimum Components Operating System Restrictions?
Android default browser Newer levels are tested 9.5 Full No
Apple Safari Newer levels are tested 9.5 Full No
Google Chrome Newer levels are tested 9.5 Full No
Microsoft Edge Newer levels are tested 9.5 Full No
Microsoft Edge Chromium-Based Newer levels are tested 9.5 Full Full
Microsoft Internet Explorer Newer levels are tested 9.5 Full No
Mozilla Firefox Newer levels are tested 9.5 Full No
Mozilla Firefox ESR Newer levels are tested 9.5 Full No

Web servers (non-container platforms)

Supported Software Version Supported software minimum, and later Product minimum Components Operating System Restrictions?
Apache Server 2.4 2.4 9.5 Full No
HCL Domino 9.0 9.0 and later maintenance 9.5 Full No
IBM HTTP Server 8.5.5 * 8.5.5 and later maintenance 9.5 Full No
9.0 9.0 and later maintenance 9.5 Full No
9.0.5 9.0.5 and later maintenance 9.5 Full No
Microsoft Internet Information Services 10.0 10.0 and later maintenance 9.5 Full No
  • IBM HTTP Server 8.5.5 is supported only with HCL Digital Experience Server V8.5.5.x.

WebDAV client

Supported Software Version Supported software minimum Product minimum Components Operating System Restrictions?
JSCAPE AnyClient 6.0 6.0 and later maintenance 9.5 Full No
SRT WebDrive 2016 2016 and later maintenance 9.5 Full No
davfs2 1.5 1.5 and later maintenance 9.5 Full No
Last update: July 25, 2022