Managing the Orchestration Instance

The orchestration instance comprises all of the Bentley i-model Composition Server for PDF components (processors and dispatchers) that you have installed on one or more computers. The orchestration instance unifies all the components and links them together to carry out the work of your jobs.

The orchestration instance information is stored in the Orchestration Framework database. To unify multiple Bentley i-model Composition Server for PDF installations into a single orchestration instance, simply reuse the same Orchestration Framework database when installing Bentley i-model Composition Server for PDF on each computer. All of the Bentley i-model Composition Server for PDF components on all of the computers will be registered as belonging to the same orchestration instance.

Inspecting the Orchestration Instance

When you open the Orchestration Framework Browser and connect to the Orchestration Framework database, you can see your orchestration instance represented in a few different ways.

Instances

All of the orchestration instances in the Orchestration Framework database are listed under the Instances node in the Orchestration Framework Browser.

Dispatchers

Dispatchers are the components that Bentley i-model Composition Server for PDF uses to assign work in a job. All of the Bentley i-model Composition Server for PDF dispatchers that have been installed and registered with the Orchestration Framework database are listed under the Dispatchers node, grouped by the computer on which they are installed.

Processors

Processors are the components that Bentley i-model Composition Server for PDF uses to do the actual work. All of the Bentley i-model Composition Server for PDF processors that have been installed and registered with the Orchestration Framework database are listed under the Processors node, grouped by the computer on which they are installed.

Note: For testing purposes you may have installed Bentley i-model Composition Server for PDF on the same computer as ProjectWise Design Integration Server. If so, you may notice components whose names begin with "AsyncExtraction" under the Dispatchers and Processors nodes. These belong to the Automated File Processing feature that gets installed with ProjectWise Design Integration Server.

Orchestration Instance Monitor

Use the Orchestration Instance Monitor when you want to:

see how the components in your orchestration instance are linked together
view detailed information regarding the flow and execution of the work
troubleshoot any problems occurring in the process

To open the Orchestration Instance Monitor, expand the Instances node, right-click your instance and select Monitor.

The monitor has a Graph tab and a Details tab, depending on how you want to view the instance.

The Graph tab provides a graphical representation of how the components are linked together in the instance, along with details about each component. Use the controls at the bottom of the Graph tab to zoom in to read detailed information about each component, such as the computer it is installed on, whether it is running or not, the start time of the job, and so on. Click the Display Text tool at the bottom of the screen to control whether you see text or icons for the individual components (dispatchers and processors).

The Details tab provides the same detailed information as the Graph tab, the difference is that here the information is provided in a list view, and it does not show how the components are linked together.

To Restart a Component in the Orchestration Instance

If any component in the orchestration instance stops running, you can restart it from the Orchestration Instance Monitor.

Open the Orchestration Instance Monitor (right-click the instance and select Monitor).

You can restart a component from either the Graph tab or the Details tab.
To restart a component from the Graph tab:
1. Click the Pointer icon and select the component that stopped running.
  A dashed line displays around the component.
2. Right-click and select Restart.
To restart a node from the Details tab:
1. Right-click the component and select Restart.

To Disable or Enable a Component in the Orchestration Instance

Open the Orchestration Instance Monitor (right-click the instance and select Monitor).

You can disable or enable a component from either the Graph tab or the Details tab.
To disable or enable a component from the Graph tab:
1. Click the Pointer icon and select the component.
  A dashed line displays around the component.
2. Right-click and select Disable or Enable as needed.
To disable or enable a component from the Details tab:
1. Right-click the component and select Disable or Enable as needed.

Note: If you try to disable a component that is necessary for the operation of the instance, you will get an error message telling you that the component cannot be disabled because it is a single point of failure within the orchestration instance. You must replicate the component before you can disable it. To replicate a component, either install another copy of that component on another computer, or rerun the configuration wizard on an existing computer and increase the number of that component installed on that computer.

Process Management - Changing Processor and Dispatcher Settings

There are process management settings available for each processor and dispatcher in the orchestration instance. To view or change these settings, right-click a particular dispatcher or processor and select Properties, then click the Process Management tab on the Component Properties dialog.

Setting	Description
Maximum Memory Usage (after processing message)	Sets whether or not the process will be restarted after processing a message, if the process happens to go over the memory usage limit set here. The process' memory is returned to its normal state on startup. The default setting allows the process to use up to 5000 MB memory before it will be restarted. In practice, this means that if the process goes over the memory limit while processing a message, the process will wait until the message has finished processing, and then it will restart. If the process never reaches the memory limit, or if the limit is set to Infinite, then the process will not restart and its memory will never return to its normal state, unless you restart the ProjectWise Orchestration Framework Service.	In previous releases this setting was named "Maximum Memory Usage", and it works the same as in previous releases.
Maximum Memory Usage (while processing message)	Sets whether or not the process will be restarted while processing a message, if the process happens to reach the memory usage limit while processing a message. The process' memory is returned to its normal state on startup. If set to Infinite (the default, recommended), there is no limit to the amount of memory the process can use while processing a message, meaning that it will never be restarted while processing a message. If needed, you can set a limit on the amount of memory (in MB) the process can use while processing a message. If a limit is set and the process reaches that limit before it finishes processing a message, the process restarts and begins processing the message again from the beginning.
Maximum Single Message Processing Time	Sets the maximum amount of time (in minutes) that the process can spend processing any one message. This setting can help in the event that a process becomes stuck indefinitely while trying to process a message. If the process goes over the time limit for a message, the message is skipped. If set to Infinite, there is no limit to the amount of time the process can spend processing a message.
Maximum Single Message Idle Time	Sets the maximum amount of time (in minutes) the process can be idle when processing any one message. If the process remains idle on a single message longer than the idle time limit allows, the message is skipped. If set to Infinite, there is no limit to the amount of time the process can be idle while processing a message.
Force Restart After	Sets the maximum number of messages after which the process is restarted. You can set a fixed number of messages, or set it to Never (the default) so that the process never restarts its own, unless you restart the ProjectWise Orchestration Framework Service.
Maximum Attempts to Process Message	Sets the maximum number of times the process will try to process a message before the message is removed from the queue. You can set a fixed number of attempts, or set it to Infinite so that the message is never removed from the queue.