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Documentation
This Help Center provides documentation on all aspects of the HCL Commerce+ product, from installation and deployment to operating and customization.
Deploying
This section provides details on deploying HCL Commerce+. It explains how to download the Docker images and Git bundles that comprise the product, how to create a minimal environment, and how to plan for a full deployment. It details supported software versions, patches, and configurations to ensure the platform performs well.
Commerce+ environment
Kubernetes is the default tool for deploying a live HCL Commerce+ production site. HCL provides all the required applications as Docker images for you to use in a configuration of your choice. Also included are Kubernetes Helm Charts.
Preparing
This section describes how to prepare to install a full Commerce+ environment using Kubernetes. It focuses on deploying to a default data environment. You can base your production environment on this setup.
Database configuration
Prepare a Postgres, IBM Db2, or Oracle database to use as the Commerce+ database.
IBM Db2
Commerce+ is compatible with IBM Db2 Database. You can either install IBM Db2 directly using the installation manager, or you can download and configure Docker images using the provided instructions.

Documentation
This Help Center provides documentation on all aspects of the HCL Commerce+ product, from installation and deployment to operating and customization.
- Overview
  Welcome to the HCL Commerce+ overview. Explore these feature overviews to learn how Commerce+ operates. Refer to the related links listed at the end of each topic to access expanded product documentation.
- Deploying
  This section provides details on deploying HCL Commerce+. It explains how to download the Docker images and Git bundles that comprise the product, how to create a minimal environment, and how to plan for a full deployment. It details supported software versions, patches, and configurations to ensure the platform performs well.
  - Software stack
    The following table provides a list of generally available (GA) software levels, fixes, and settings for the latest HCL Commerce+ release.
  - Downloading
  - Minimal environment
    Best practice for installing HCL Commerce+ is to start with a preconfigured 'minimal environment.' To install Commerce+, first, set up and test the minimal environment, then plan for your production environment using your own organization's IT and business experts.
  - Commerce+ environment
    Kubernetes is the default tool for deploying a live HCL Commerce+ production site. HCL provides all the required applications as Docker images for you to use in a configuration of your choice. Also included are Kubernetes Helm Charts.
    - Production guidance
      Deploying Commerce+ on Kubernetes and operating it securely in a production environment requires comprehensive and careful planning, and security hardening considerations. To make it easier to deploy for non-production and testing environments, and to learn about how Commerce+ consumes data from Vault, Helm charts are provided alongside Commerce+ for deployment to a Kubernetes cluster. Once Vault is deployed and set up, you can deploy Commerce+ with different deployment topologies based on your site requirements.
    - Prerequisites
      There are multiple software, environment, and deployment configuration prerequisites to deploy Commerce+ on Kubernetes. Commerce+ provides a large degree of flexibility, and each available option should be considered for viability in your resulting production deployment.
    - Preparing
      This section describes how to prepare to install a full Commerce+ environment using Kubernetes. It focuses on deploying to a default data environment. You can base your production environment on this setup.
      - Vault
        The hcl-commerce-vault-helmchart Helm Chart deploys Vault for use as a remote configuration center, storing Commerce+ environment data, and acting as the certification agent to issue certificates to each Commerce+ application server based on their unique service names. The Vault must be deployed before deploying the Commerce+ application. Once Vault are deployed, it can be used to deploy and control multiple Commerce+ environments. After Vault is started, it can run scripts to load Commerce+ environment configuration data as specified in values.yaml, and can also configure a Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) back-end to issue certificates, if enabled via the vault.vaultLoadData configuration.
      - Persistent storage
        Enable persistent volume storage for your deployment. This storage allows for assets that to be accessed and persisted.
      - Security certificates
        Vault is used to store configuration data, and it can contain the secrets for Commerce+ security. Vault is ideal for this implementation path because it can also act as a Certification Authority (CA) to issue SSL certificates.
      - Database configuration
        Prepare a Postgres, IBM Db2, or Oracle database to use as the Commerce+ database.
        PostgreSQL
        This guide will help you set up PostgreSQL in Commerce+ as a standalone database for testing purposes. In a minimal deployment the database is installed for you using the installation Helm charts. For minimal installations, this guide covers steps such as installation, database preparation, and schema loading.
        IBM Db2
        Commerce+ is compatible with IBM Db2 Database. You can either install IBM Db2 directly using the installation manager, or you can download and configure Docker images using the provided instructions.
        Installation
        Install DB2 Enterprise Edition 12.1.x Multiplatform Multilingual package to serve as your database.
        Schema loading
        Loading the HCL Commerce+ database schema is a important step in setting up the Commerce+ environment. This process involves creating the required database schema, loading bootstrap data, and configuring default users. A script (initdb_db2_sample.sh) is provided to automate these tasks.
        Oracle
        Use Oracle Database to serve as your database.
      - API password
        The spiuser password is used for API communication between the different servers in your Commerce+ setup (e.g., Store server, Search server, Transaction server). This password needs to be set the same way on all servers to ensure they can communicate properly. It must be the same on the Store, Search, and Customization servers, and also in the database for the Transaction server.
      - Build bitnami docker images
        For Commerce+, you must build the Bitnami Redis docker image and Bitnami ZooKeeper ( if you use Elasticsearch-based search) docker image by themself before deployment. After building the images, update the image registry, repository, and tag value in the values.yaml file referring the images in your container registry.
    - Planning
      Before you set up your production environment, ensure that you understand the Commerce+ application structure and that you are familiar with basic steps for setting up the environment.
    - Deployment steps
      Commerce+ supports several deployment configurations. The default configuration mode the provided Helm Chart uses is Vault configuration mode.
  - xC development environment
    HCL Commerce+ includes an xC service that you can use to create custom plugins .
  - References
    The following topics contain information that you can use in planning and implementing custom production and development environments.
- Migrating
  The following topics show how to migrate an existing HCL Commerce Version 9.1 environment to Commerce+. The process consists of an initial migration of your database contents. This is followed by a code migration. Both are fully described.
- Operating
  The topics in this section focus on tasks that are performed by business users, marketers, and customer support representatives to connect with partners and attract and satisfy customers.
- Administering
  The site administrator performs the tasks needed to support day to day operations of the Commerce+ site.
- Extending
  Using Commerce+'s xC programming model, you can use HCL-provided extension points to extend existing Commerce logic. You can implement these extensions with the xC Customization toolkit provided by HCL. Commerce+ also provides Packaged Business Capability integrations that extend the product's reach and functionality.
- Securing
  These topics describe the security features of Commerce+ and how to configure these features.
- Performance
  Topics in the Performance section describe the means by which to plan, implement, test, and re-visit the optimization of Commerce+ site performance.
- Troubleshooting
  Topics in the Troubleshooting section highlight common issues that are encountered with Commerce+, and how they can be addressed or mitigated.
- Reference
  Topics in the Reference section contain all of the Commerce+ reference documentation.

Using an IBM Db2 database

Commerce+ is compatible with IBM Db2 Database. You can either install IBM Db2 directly using the installation manager, or you can download and configure Docker images using the provided instructions.

Before you begin

The following deployment options are available:

Virtual Machine (VM) Installation: Install Db2 in a VM and configure it to connect to the Commerce+ application deployed by Kubernetes.
Kubernetes Deployment: Db2 can be deployed in a Kubernetes environment using IBM's official Db2 Kubernetes operator or using Helm charts.
For setup instructions, see the IBM Db2 on Kubernetes Documentation.
Docker Container (For Testing): For testing purposes, you can build your own Db2 Docker image.
For instructions on how to pull and install the image, see the IBM Db2 Docker Documentation.