Topics: DB2, IBM Content Manager, Spectrum Protect

IBM Content Manager introduction

IBM (DB2) Content Manager Version is a product available for Microsoft Windows, AIX, Sun Solaris and Linux. The former name of IBM Content Manager was Visual Info. Actually, the Content Manager portfolio from IBM is much larger, than this single product. Basically, there are 2 products, the first one called IBM Content Manager, and the second one IBM Content Manager OnDemand. Besides these two, there are a lot of additional tools and products.

ICM is a system for the management of business content, or Enterprise Content Management (ECM). It handles all types of digitized content, based on access via browsers, similar to Documentum. In other words: ICM is a system which allows storage of digitized documents, which can be retrieved via a web browser. Content Manager OnDemand is specifically used for storing spooled output and usually replaces the older Microfiche.

In general, most organizations have well-developed information systems in place for storing, sorting and retrieving text-based data records (business or structured data). These same organizations however, usually do not have the same type of data storage and retrieval systems in place for the large and growing mass of digital media (unstructured or semi-unstructured data).

The concept of Enterprise Content Management is to bring under the control of one system a platform independent integrated solution for storing and managing large quantities of multimedia content as well as the traditional relational database data. This allows database management facilities such as referential integrity, transactional integrity, robustness and archival and retrieval to be utilized to manage the full range of data objects within the modern enterprise.

Data stored by IBM Content Manager can be categorized as follows:

  • Operational content: Scanned images (often in TIFF format - Tag Image File Format), Facsimiles, Computer generated output.
  • Workgroup documents: Word processors (like MS Word, WordPerfect, Adobe FrameMaker, Lotus), Spreadsheets (MS Excel and Lotus 1-2-3), Presentation graphics.
  • Media Assets: Audio and Video (MPEG).
  • Web Content: HTML, graphics, business content.
Forrester conducted a research of various Enterprise Content Management suites in June and July 2005. They concluded that IBM Content Manager, together with Documentum, is one of the market leaders in its field: "IBM and EMC are clear ECM suite leaders. IBM and EMC have both been in the ECM market for the longest time and have ECM strategies that align with IT's needs." - The Forrester Wave, Enterprise Content Management Suites, Q3 2005 - October 7, 2005.

IBM Content Manager consists of the following parts:

Library Server

Is actually built upon a DB2 (or Oracle, but mostly DB2) database for the index of the digitized content. It is where you define the information that you store in your library. All user access for digitized content is validated by the library server. The library server also maintains referential integrity between the indexing information in the database and the objects themselves. There is at least one library server in an ICM implementation.

Resource Managers

Resource managers are the repositories that contain the digitized content and manage the storage and retrieval of objects. The resource manager provides hierarchical storage management (HSM) when used in conjunction with TSM / IBM Spectrum Protect. There is at least one and usually more resource managers in an ICM implementation. The Resource Manager is also built upon a DB2 database and is actually the index to the resources (= files) on a filesystem.

Mid-tier server

Functions as a broker that mediates communications between the client (web browser) and the library server. This is implemented via IBM WebSphere Application Server.

Clients

Users access the content via the eClient in a Web Browser, with JavaServer Pages (JSP), servlets and a viewer applet that runs on IBM WebSphere Application Server. Also a normal (fat) Windows client, and an administrative client is available.


A standalone configuration of IBM Content Manager

The latest version of IBM Content Manager and OnDemand is version 8.3. Version 9 of IBM Content Manager will presumably combine the two products of ICM and OnDemand into 1 product (but this is only a rumour up till now). Version 8.3 from OnDemand is the same as version 7.1.2.



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