Deploying to a runtime server group

This procedure deploys to a runtime development, test, or production server group for the Interactive Channel.

Before you begin

Before deploying to a live, customer-facing production runtime server group, you must confirm that all interactive offers, interactive flowcharts, interaction strategies, interaction points, zones, and events are tested and approved.

Also, after you create a stable deployment, do not make any changes to the Interactive channel, interactive flowcharts, and interaction strategies that are associated with this deployment to ensure that you send the same configuration when you deploy to the next group of servers (such as the production servers).

If you have any new or modified flowcharts or sessions, you have to navigate to those flowcharts or sessions and manually mark them for deployment before deploying the rest of the channel. If you do not, your modifications will not be included in this deployment.

Procedure

  1. Navigate to the Deployment tab of the interactive channel that you want to deploy.

    The Deployment tab is displayed.

  2. Click Deploy interactive channel changes.

    The Deploy interactive channel changes dialog is displayed.

  3. Use the Select a server group where changes will be deployed drop-down list to specify the development, test, or production server group on which you want to deploy.
  4. Enter a version name for this deployment version, such as Portal_CustomerCheck_6 or another value that is meaningful to you in the deployment history and other reports.
  5. Optional: Enter a description for this deployment that is meaningful to you in the deployment history and other reports to help track the decisions and purpose behind this deployment.
  6. Optional: Select or clear the Also deploy current global settings check box.
    This check box is selected by default, and deploys global settings that include learning configuration settings, offer attribute definitions, audience level mappings, and custom macros. Because deploying these settings might affect other interactive channels that are already deployed in the same server group, you might want to clear this check box to leave existing settings in server group as they already are configured.
  7. Confirm that you verified the prerequisites by selecting the check boxes.

    The Deploy the changes button does not become active until you confirm all the prerequisites.

  8. Click Deploy the changes.
  9. Enter the user name and password for the Unica Interact user on the runtime server and click Log in to server.

    If you complete multiple deployments during the same Unica user session, the login data for the runtime server is cached, so you do not have to enter it again.

    Also, be aware that the credentials you enter here must be defined within Unica Platform, even if Windows™ Integrated Login is enabled for your installation. Windows™ Integrated Login credentials are not used to authorize deployments.

Results

The data is deployed to the selected runtime server group. You can view the results in the Deployment history section of the Deployment tab and with the Channel Deployment History report.

Note:

When deployment starts, the data is sent to one of the run time instances in the target server group. After all the deployment data is successfully transferred to that instance and persisted into the run time database, the design time sends a notification to all the run time instances registered with the design time for loading this new deployment.

When the managed Ignite cache is configured as "Distributed", all run time instances will be registered with one another, regardless whether InteractCache or PatternStateCache uses Ignite or not.

When one runtime instance receives the notification of reloading deployment, this instance notifies all other runtime instances to reload deployment. It returns to the design time when all run time instances finish reloading.

This process is automatic; no extra setting is required.