_V5.png)
This chapter discusses the following:
ConSol CM is a Java EE (Java Enterprise Edition) application that can be run in a standard application server on Unix/Linux or Windows systems. JBoss and Oracle WebLogic are supported.
In this chapter, a short overview of the ConSol CM system architecture will be provided.
A detailed list of supported operation systems, application servers, database systems, and other systems, as well as storage and CPU requirements is given in the current System Requirements.
ConSol CM is a Java EE application which is based on the classical three-tier architecture. The ConSol CM server is deployed in an application server and accesses a relational database. Two web interfaces are available as client interfaces: the standard interface is the ConSol CM Web Client, which is used by the engineers to work on the tickets. Another web client is the ConSol CM portal, CM.Track. This provides access to the system for customers who might want to know some basic facts about the status of their tickets. The two Java applications which are used to configure ConSol CM are the Admin Tool and the Process Designer. Both can be downloaded from the ConSol CM start page using Java Web Start (JWS). JWS is a component of every recent Java edition, so no extra installation is required on the PCs or Laptops you want to use to administer the system. On the contrary - you can do this from every regular web client with a supported web browser. Please make sure that the versions of all components which are used in your company meet the system requirements.
Figure 487: ConSol CM - Basic system architecture
The ConSol CM database (CM DB) is a relational database which can be operated as Oracle, Microsoft SQL Server or MySQL system.
A detailed list of supported operation systems, application servers, database systems, and other systems, as well as storage and CPU requirements is given in the current System Requirements.
One of the core functionalities of ConSol CM is integration with mail servers. This allows ConSol CM to send and to receive e-mails. For the engineer, this means new tickets can easily be opened via e-mail and the entire communication regarding a case is located in the respective ticket, including all incoming and outgoing e-mails.
In order to receive e-mails, ConSol CM connects to a mail server and retrieves e-mails from one or more mailboxes. ConSol CM reacts like a regular e-mail client (e.g., Thunderbird, Microsoft Outlook) and uses standard e-mail protocols like IMAP or POP3. If you want to use the secure version, IMAPs and POPs are also supported, in which case the required certificates have to be installed on the server.
In order to send e-mails, ConSol CM uses an SMTP server.
Figure 488: ConSol CM - Mail server interactions
This is explained in section Architecture of a CM System with DWH.
In order to perform effective searches in the database, ConSol CM builds an index for each Custom Field, Data Object Group Field, and Resource Group Field which should be included in a search. Furthermore, the engineer data, the ticket comments and the attachments are indexed by default. The indexes are stored in the file system. Please refer to the section ConSol CM File System Structure for an explanation of the index directory structure, and read the detailed introduction to the entire topic in the section Search Configuration and Indexer Management.
As standard feature, ConSol CM can use LDAP authentication in the Web Client and/or in the portal (CM.Track). Depending on the configuration of your LDAP server (e.g., Microsoft Active Directory), a user name and password might be required to establish the LDAP connection. All LDAP parameters are stored as ConSol CM system properties.
Figure 489: ConSol CM - LDAP authentication (Web Client)