Frequently Asked Questions
Should we use physical or virtual servers?
All of WorkFusion’s products operate in virtualized environments when they are configured with the proper underlying operating system and minimum hardware requirements.
Known compatible virtualized environments: Citrix environments (non-streaming), Microsoft Hyper-V, Parallels, VMware, Microsoft Azure, and Amazon EC2.
Recommendation
The virtual environment usage is advisable as provides additional flexibility, as well as other benefits. For example many virtualization solutions provide standardized out of the box Disaster Recovery and High Availability features.
Three databases on DB Server WorkFusion system requirements say that there are three databases (PostgreSQL, MySQL, MongoDB) installed on the DB server.
Customers typically ask these types of questions:
- Is there any way to consolidate databases?
- May I swap out technologies that you are using?
- May I provide my installation of these databases?
- Do I need to buy external product support for the databases?
- Can I use WorkFusion databases for storing other data, not related to WorkFusion product functioning?
- Can I install the databases on separate servers instead of one as recommended by System Requirement?
The WorkFusion installation package includes all required software, including databases. All installation software is tested and certified by the WorkFusion team. Further, the WorkFusion team provides product support for the WorkFusion components packaged with the software, including support for the databases packaged with it.
The WorkFusion's roadmap includes consolidation of databases and data storage solutions, including a plan to first eliminate the need for MySQL. Further down the roadmap is a plan to move towards a single enterprise database solution (MS SQL Server).
To guarantee smooth update to the future data storage solutions, it is strongly encouraged to use the standard installation of the data storage solutions (on a single DB server). Doing this will allow customers to use a standard migration procedure without need of a custom solution.
- PostgreSQL (DB): stores data for Workfusion Control Tower datastores, WorkSpace data, AutoML server stats.
- MySQL (DB): stores operational data for Control Tower (configuration, runs, campaigns).
- MongoDB (OCR): used as caching mechanism to speed up OCR and Platform Monitor, keeps RPA data.
- S3 (DB): used as storage for processed data from Control Tower, uses model-related information for AutoML server.