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Only an Org Administrator can create Snaplexes.
The options available for a Snaplex depend on the Snaplex type.

To create a Snaplex, navigate to the target project in SnapLogic Manager, do one of the two following actions:

Click and from the dropdown list select Snaplex

OR

Click the Snaplex tab in the page that displays the assets for that Project.

The Create Snaplex dialog that appears contains the following tabs:

Settings
Logging
Node Properties
Node Proxies (Enabled only for Groundplex nodes.)

Click each tab to access the controls that help you define these properties for the Snaplex that you want to create.

Once you are done with these settings, click Create to create a new Snaplex.

Settings

Use the Create Snaplex > Settings dialog to enter basic settings associated with the Snaplex that you want to create.

SnapLogic Documentation > Create a Snaplex in Manager > Create_Snaplex_424.png

SnapLogic supports the Slack messaging app within the SnapLogic platform communications, enabling you as an Org admin to add Slack channels and recipients for your SnapLogic communications. For details on adding Slack communications to your Org, see SnapLogic Notifications through Slack.

Key Fields

Snaplex Type

Specify whether the Snaplex you want to create is a standard Snaplex.

Default value: Snaplex

Name

The name for the Snaplex. The name must not exceed 100 characters.

We recommend you use a descriptive name for your Snaplex, so that you can identify it easily.

Default value: No default value.

Location

Specify whether the Snaplex must be created in the cloud or on premises. Select from the following options:

Cloud: Indicates that you want to create the Snaplex in the cloud.
Sidekick: Indicates that you want to create a Groundplex (on premises.)

Default value: sidekick

Environment

Enter the value used to configure the Snaplex nodes. Alphanumeric characters and the following special characters are allowed: . - +

Example: Dev-10

Default value: No default value.

The environment value cannot be changed if there are nodes running in the Snaplex. The Snaplex nodes have to be stopped first before the environment value is changed. The config file has to be downloaded to each node and the nodes restarted for the environment value change to take effect.

Version

Specify the version of the SnapLogic Platform on which you want the Snaplex to run.

By default, all new Snaplexes are configured to work with the latest version of the SnapLogic platform. To update your Snaplex version, click Version and, from the drop-down list displayed, select the SnapLogic Platform version (such as mrc216) that you want to use with the Snaplex. Once you save the Snaplex, a rolling restart of the nodes in the Snaplex is initiated. One by one, each node in the Snaplex is put offline, and no new pipelines are sent to the node. The node waits for a maximum of 15 minutes for currently running pipelines to finish. It then restarts itself with the specified version of the Snaplex binaries. Once these restarts are done, the Dashboard shows the updated nodes to be running with the specified version.

Default value: Default

Minimum nodes per Snaplex

The minimum number of nodes that must be kept alive even when there is no activity in the Snaplex. This property ensures that when a Pipeline that runs on the Snaplex is validated, at least one node is available to perform the validation.

Minimum value: 1

Default value: 1

Email address for notifications

Lists the email addresses for notification if one of the Snaplex nodes does not respond for fifteen minutes.

Example: testuser@snaplogic.com

Default value: No default value.

Slack Channel for notifications

Enter the Slack channels, separated by commas, for notification if one of the Snaplex nodes does not respond for fifteen minutes.

Example: dev

Default value: None

Slack user for notifications

Enter the Slack recipients, separated by commas, for notification if one of the Snaplex nodes does not respond for fifteen minutes.

Example: testuser

Default value: None

Load balancer

The URL of the load balancer for Triggered Task execution requests.

Default value: No default value.

Example: https://snaplexlb.mydomain.com

Ultra load balancer

The URL of the FeedMaster load balancer for Ultra Pipeline execution requests.

This property is available only to Orgs that have subscribed to Ultra Pipeline Tasks.

Default value: No default value.

Example: https://ultralb.mydomain.com

Snaplex Configuration changes

Snaplex nodes are typically configured using a slpropz configuration file, located in the $SL_ROOT/etc folder.

If you use the slpropz file as your Snaplex configuration, then:

After a Snaplex node is started with the slpropz configuration, subsequent configuration updates are applied automatically.
Changing the Snaplex properties in Manager causes each Snaplex node to download the updated slpropz and do a rolling restart with no downtime on Snaplex instances with more than one node.
Some configuration changes, such as an update to the logging properties do not require a restart and are applied immediately.
Some configuration properties like the Environment cannot be changed without doing manual updates for the slpropz files on the Snaplex nodes.

Older Installations

If you have an older Snaplex installation and its configuration is defined in the global.properties file, then the Environment value must match the jcc.environment value In the JCC global.properties file. To migrate your Snaplex configuration to the slpropz mechanism, see Migrating Older Snaplex Nodes.

You should always configure your Snaplex instances using the slpropz file because you do not have to edit the configuration files manually. Changes to the Snaplex done through Manager are applied automatically to all nodes in that Snaplex.

Load Balancer Settings

For Snaplex triggered pipeline and for Ultra API calls, a load balancer needs to be configured. SnapLogic will provision the load balancer for Cloudplexes when the Ultra feature is enabled. For Groundplexes, the customer has to provision the load balancer. After the load balancer is provisioned, the load balancer URL needs to be configured in the Snaplex properties. This will ensure that task details show the load balancer URLs rather than pointing to the Snaplex nodes.

For Snaplexes that have feedmasters, the load balancer should point to the feedmaster nodes. The "Ultra load balancer" property should be updated to point to the load balancer URL. This will ensure that all tasks details will point to this load balancer. This includes ultra and triggered tasks.

For Snaplexes that do not have feedmasters, the load balancer should point to the JCC nodes. The "Load balancer" property should be updated to point to the JCC load balancer URL. The triggered tasks details page will point to this load balancer.

The load balancer is recommended to be configured with HTTPS enabled. If the load balancer URL is configured with HTTP instead of HTTPS, then the task details page will point to the load balancer for the HTTP URLs only. The HTTPS URLs will point to the snaplex nodes rather than pointing to the load balancer.

Check Groundplex Requirements#LoadBalancerGuidelines for more details about the load balancer configuration guidelines.

Logging Settings

Use the Create Snaplex > Logging Settings popup to configure logs associated with the Snaplex that you want to create.

SnapLogic Documentation > Create a Snaplex in Manager > Create_Snaplex_2_Logging.png

Key Fields

Level

Specify the minimum level of logging–or the kind of details–that you want to enable for the new Snaplex.

Available values:

Trace: Records details of all events associated with the Snaplex.
Debug: Records all events associated with the Snaplex.
Info: Records messages that outline the status of the Snaplex and the tasks completed.
Warning: Records all warning messages associated with the Snaplex.
Error: Records all error messages associated with the Snaplex.

Default Value: Debug

Log file size

The maximum size of the log file to be created for the Snaplex.

Default Value: 50 MB

We recommend that you use a descriptive name for your Snaplex, so that you can identify it easily.

Main backup count

The number of backup main log files that SnapLogic must maintain for the Snaplex.

Default value: 10

Error backup count

The number of backup error log files that SnapLogic must maintain for the Snaplex.

Default value: 5.

Access backup count

The number of backup access log files that SnapLogic must maintain for the Snaplex.

Default value: 5.

Node Properties

Use the Create Snaplex > Node Properties tab to configure the nodes associated with the Snaplex that you want to create.

SnapLogic Documentation > Create a Snaplex in Manager > Create_Snaplex_3_NodeProperties.png

Key Fields

Maximum slots

Each Snap in a Pipeline consumes a slot; so Pipelines can only be executed on nodes where the number of slots in use is below this threshold. Otherwise, they will fail or queued, depending on how they were executed. The number of slots in use corresponds to the number of active threads on a node, which can be viewed in the Snaplex Health dashboard.

Default Value: 4000

A heuristic to use is that 2000 slots can be allocated per 8GB of RAM available on each Snaplex node. So for nodes with 16GB of RAM, use 4000 as the slot count.

Reserved slots are used when a Pipeline or validation is executed manually from SnapLogic Designer. If no slots are reserved, then these interactive Pipeline executions—Pipeline executions run from Designer for testing or validation purposes—can be blocked by long running executions. You can adjust this setting based on your experience if the default value is not optimal. To reserve more slots for interactive sessions, set your value lower. If the Snaplex is not being used for interactive Pipeline building, set this value higher.

Reserved slot %

The percentage of slots that you want to reserve on a node for Pipelines executed through the Designer tab. Pipelines executed using Tasks or the ForEach Snap will not have access to these slots.

Changes made to this setting do not require a restart.

Default value: 15

Maximum memory %

The memory threshold at–and above–which no more Pipelines can be assigned to a node.

Changes made to this setting do not require a restart.

Default value: 85

Heap max size

Groundplex only. The maximum JVM heap size.

Default value: auto (meaning that SnapLogic will automatically set the max heap size based on the available machine memory).

HTTP Interface

Groundplex only. Specify the location from which the Snaplex node can accept HTTP network connections. The following options are available:

Localhost only (127.0.0.1)
Any interface (0.0.0.0)

Default Value: Localhost only (127.0.0.1)

HTTP Port

Groundplex only. The HTTP port on which the Snaplex node listens for connections.

Default Values: 8090 for a JCC node and 8091 for a FeedMaster.

HTTPS Port

Groundplex only. The HTTPS port on which the Snaplex node listens on for connections.

Default Values: 8081 for a JCC node and 8084 for a FeedMaster.

Restart Max Wait Time

The maximum wait time before restarting a node.

Default Value: 15 minutes

Global Properties (Key/Value pairs)

Groundplex only. Internal configuration options. Do not edit these values without contacting SnapLogic Customer Support.

Default Value: No default value.

Node Proxies

Use the Node Proxies tab to control how the nodes communicate with an HTTP/HTTPS proxy server to communicate with the outside world. The Groundplex nodes must have been setup to use an .slpropz configuration file before changes to these properties will take effect. If you make changes that affect the software configuration, but there are nodes in the Snaplex that are not setup to use a .slpropz configuration file, a warning dialog will appear with a listing of the unmanaged nodes. See the Downloads section in Updating a Snaplex for more information on setting up a node to use this configuration mechanism.

SnapLogic Documentation > Create a Snaplex in Manager > Create_Snaplex_4_NodeProxies.png

Key Fields

HTTP proxy	Configuration details associated with the HTTP proxy server.
Hostname	The URL of the HTTP proxy host. Example: 172.0.10.162 Default: No default value.
Port	The port number on which the HTTP proxy host listens. Example: 3127 Default: No default value.
Non-proxy hosts: Host pattern	The hostnames or IP addresses that should be contacted directly instead of through the proxy. Patterns may start or end with a * for wildcards.
HTTPS proxy	Configuration details associated with the HTTPS proxy server.
Hostname	The URL of the HTTPS proxy host. Example: 172.0.10.162 Default value: No default value.
Port	The port number on which the HTTPS proxy host listens. Example: 3127 Default: No default value.
Non-proxy hosts: Host pattern	The hostnames or IP addresses that should be contacted directly instead of through the proxy. Patterns may start or end with a * for wildcards.