Enterprise Messaging Gateway (EMG) is delivered through downloading and all that is required is a valid license. Hardware must be purchased locally after which the EMG can be installed. Please see below FAQ for more information about hardware considerations.
You may also consider deploying EMG on a virtual server in an environment such as Digital Ocean, Linode or Amazon EC2.
On what platforms can EMG run?
EMG 7 runs only on Linux 64-bit. We recommend CentOS 7 as operating system. Earlier EMG versions run on Linux and Sun Solaris.
I want to have as high traffic throughput as possible. What servers can you recommend?
The exact hardware details are up to you and your current IT environment.
One sample configuration would be a HP ProLiant DL360 with 2 x E5-2620V3 CPUs, 32 GB of RAM, a HP Smart Array P440ar caching RAID controller and disks in a RAID-10 configuration.
| Chassis | HP ProLiant DL360, 1U |
| CPU | E5-2620V3 |
| RAM | 32 GB |
| RAID Controller | p440AR/2GB (hardware RAID, caching) |
| Disk | SAS 15k RPM disks (or data center SSD such as Intel DC S3610) in a RAID-10 configuration |
| Other | 2 PSUs for redundancy |
| Operating system | CentOS 7 |
Do you have any measurements / tests of the EMG on different servers?
Please see some EMG 6.0 benchmark results at: https://docs.nordicmessaging.se/emg-6-0-benchmark-results/
Are there any hardware configurations to consider?
The exact hardware details are up to you and your current IT environment. Some customers prefer less expensive entry-level servers which can be easily replaced if they fail and some customers prefer “beefier” configurations with lots of built-in redundancy. We recommend at least some redundancy in the disk configuration (RAID 1/5/10), at least 200 GB of disk space and a minimum of 8 GB RAM internal memory.
SAS disks still tend to be more fail-safe than SATA disks. SSD disks can be an option but the additional performance may not be that high compared to a SAS disk system using a caching RAID controller.
The amount of RAM needed depends mainly on expected queue sizes and the amount of disk space how long log files need to be archived.
A rule of thumb is that 1 message uses 1 kB of disk space. An average throughput of 100 messages per second corresponds to about 260 million messages per month which would require around 260 GB of disk space if full message data is kept.
Can we get help from you setting up our hardware?
Unfortunately we can only support EMG issues and we cannot keep up-to-date with all hardware options. When hardware and operating system is up and running with can assist with EMG installation.
Can you provide a detailed bill of material (BOM) for the EMG Server?
We only deliver software and cannot keep updated as hardware options evolve and change rapidly. You can therefore plan the new configuration to fit your IT environment and are welcome to send us any questions you might have.
Do I need a database?
A database is not required to run the EMG. However, if you intend to use EMG with EMG Portal and billing functionality a MySQL / MariaDB database is needed.
Is there any 3rd party software required?
No, not except for a database as mentioned above.
I am ready to install the EMG on the server. Is it hard to install and configure?
You find a fairly details step-by-step instruction on how to set up EMG and EMG Portal on the link below: https://docs.nordicmessaging.se/installing-emg-7-1-and-emg-portal-3-on-centos-7/
With the EMG User’s Guide, the installation and configuration is rather straightforward and most of our customers choose to install EMG themselves. We will of course be happy to answer any questions that may arise or we can perform installation remotely via SSH or similar access. This may be subject to a consultant fee.
What lead times do you have on hardware and EMG software?
The hardware you purchase locally with the lead times of your local supplier. The EMG software can be downloaded at any time, including a 30-day evaluation license. A commercial license might take up to two (2) work days from receiving payment or a correct PO depending on agreed payment terms. Once the hardware is in place you can be up and running after a very short period.
What about high-availability and redundancy?
Please check our technical article available.
https://docs.nordicmessaging.se/emg-6-and-high-availability/
How do I increase the speed of sending through the EMG?
Upgrading the license allows for increased speed in the following increments 10, 20, 40, 60, 80, 100, 140 and unlimited messages per second. Unlimited means that the EMG has no license restrictions and only the hardware and external connections limit the throughput.
Can I use shared storage for EMG?
EMG can use shared storage for configuration files, log files and spool directory. It is important that only one active instance of EMG access the writable files (log and spool directories) at any given point in time or data corruption will occur.
When high (100+ mps) performance is required it is possible that the storage device can become the bottleneck. Enterprise-class storage is required which supports a sufficient level of iops. Low-end NAS devices will not work well for a production deployment.
As part of our benchmarks we use NFS shares on Oracle Unified Storage hardware (14 x SAS disks).