This section of the user guide is focused on the infrastructure items needed for a Banner or PeopleSoft Integration. To help you navigate the article we have broken it down into the following sections:

• Webhook Servers 
• Load Balancer/Proxy Server
• Firewall Changes
• SIS Package Install

Webhook Servers 

The webhook servers host the middleware application written in Node.js required for the Ocelot integration. 

• Two webhook servers are needed: one for testing, and another for production. A best practice would have these deployed on two different webhook servers each with: 
  • Requirements:
    • Linux OS
    • CPU/cores: 2
    • Memory: 4GB
    • Disk: 40G

Ocelot will need a service account for the webhook server and the location/path of the server. 

Installation and configuration can be performed under a named account. Once deployed operationally it should run under a service account for sustainability. 

The Oracle account accessible to the webhook server should be a service account. 

Load Balancer/Proxy Server

Ocelot’s AWS-hosted Chatbot application will need to communicate with both the production and test instance of the webhook server, which are deployed along with the college’s SIS environment. These could be either on-premise or cloud-hosted. See figure 1 below. 

Requirements

• A load balancer with an SSL certificate to encrypt integrated responses. 
• This can be an open-source solution or an inexpensive solution - it doesn't have to be a hardware device/appliance. 
• If there is not an existing load balancer on campus, a reverse proxy solution can be used instead. 
• The webhook server and the load balancer can be virtualized.

Production System: the webhook server must be hosted behind an SSL-terminated load balancer. 

Ocelot’s AWS Chatbot application would need the firewall opened on port 443 to the exposed load balancer (using whatever DNS name the college assigns). The connection would be routed to the production webhook server over port 4747. 

Test System: the test webhook server must be hosted behind an SSL-terminated load balancer. Ocelot’s AWS Chatbot application would need the firewall opened on port 443 to the exposed load balancer (using whatever DNS name the college assigns). The connection would be routed to the test webhook server over port 4747.

Figure 1 

Firewall Changes

If you have not received the firewall IP addresses that need to be given access, please contact your onboarding manager.

SIS Package Install

Ocelot will ask to have access to the webhook server instances to install the Node.js application. Root access is required to ensure that PM2 automatically starts on server start-up and to install an Oracle driver. Root access may also be required to manage local firewall settings if applicable. 

The Ocelot middleware application will retrieve information from the student information system. The stored procedures will need to be installed as a package on the SIS database. Minimally, Ocelot will need access to run the stored procedures.