Introduction
Congratulations on your selection of HCL Link as your data integration solution!
What's new
Learn about the new and changed functions and features in HCL Link version 1.1.3.0.
Release notes
Read the latest release specific information for HCL Link version 1.1.3.0.
Installation
See the HCL Link online documentation for installation information.
Link Application Programming Interface Installation and Configuration
This section describes general and API-specific requirements.
Adapter-Specific Installation and Configuration
This section describes adapter-specific requirements.
License management
Learn important information about the licenses for your HCL Link product.
Registering the host computer with the license server
Before you can run a licensed feature, the computer where the feature is installed must register with the license server. Registering the computer’s host name enables HCL Link to obtain the licenses required to run licensed features on that computer.
License feature names
The license names of the HCL Link features display in the entitlement on the license server and in the messages that the runtime servers log. The feature names are also keywords of the dtxlicutil -view command.
License allocation and persistence
A license is required for each logical processor on the host computer where the licensed feature runs. The number of logical processors is the number of physical processors, or cores, multiplied by the number of virtual processors.
License availability and usage
An entitlement must have enough licenses available for the number of logical processors on the requesting host. If there are not enough available licenses for all logical processors, the request fails and the host does not acquire any licenses.
License status on the host computer
The dtxlicutil -local command displays the licenses that the host computer currently has. The available count and maximum count reflect the number of logical processors on the host computer, so the values for a single host are always the same.
Releasing licenses
Use the dtxlicutil -release command to release the licenses of all features from a host computer. The licenses return to the entitlement pool, where they are available for other hosts to acquire.
Acquiring licenses
After a host computer releases a license, you can request the license again by running the dtxlicutil -acquire command on the host...
The dtxlicutil command
The dtxlicutil command works with the licensed features of HCL Link HCL Link. Use it to register a computer with a license server, acquire or release licenses, and display details about license usage for an entitlement.
System requirements
A complete desciption of the hardware and software requirements for both Windows and Linux systems.
Windows system requirements
Hardware and software requirements for Windows systems.
Linux system requirements
Hardware and software requirements for Linux.
Installation
Everything you need to know to install HCL Link.
Windows installer
This documentation describes how to install the HCL Link using the Windows Installer.
Linux installation
You have the choice of two installation types: Native and Docker.
Using the OneDB wire listener as a MongoDB server
The OneDB wire listener may be used in place of a MongoDB server when it is suitably configured.
HCL Link design data
The documentation provided here describes data backup, data restoration, and data migration of HCL Link design data.
Administration
Here you will find the tasks that are required for administration of your HCL Link product.
User Management
HCL Link provides inbuilt support for managing users who may create, deploy and run integrations.
Keycloak
This documentation describes about the Keycloak functionality.
Account recovery
These instructions describe how to use the Administrators' account recover utility to recover account information for both Windows and Linux accounts.
Projects
A project is a container for HCL Link artifacts.
Flows
This documentation describes how Flows can be run from REST API, listeners, or they can be scheduled.
Maps
Maps define input and output specifications and mapping rules for data transformation.
Schemas
Use the schema designer to define, modify, and view schemas. A schema describes the syntax, structure, and semantics of your data.
Connections and Actions
This documentation describes connections and actions.
Files
Files are used in various places within HCL Link. HCL Link allows files to be uploaded to the HCL Linkserver.
Services
Service definitions define REST services and the endpoints of a service.
Defining a service
A service can be defined in HCL Link in a number of ways.
Defining endpoints
An endpoint can represent either a single API call or it can be a composite endpoint whereby multiple endpoints can be called in sequence.
Using service definitions in Link
Service descriptions can be used in several ways in HCL Link.
Connectors
This documentation describes the connectors and how they are used.
Introduction to the connector wizard
The Link connector wizard provides an easy way to create REST-based adapters, or connectors, within the user interface, without having to write code or use additional tooling.
Service based adapters
Service based adapters are created by referencing a service definition that defines REST endpoints. Endpoints defined in the service become operations of the adapter, and the parameters of the service and its endpoints become the properties of the adapter.
Flow based connectors
Flow based connectors are created by referencing a project that contains Link flows.
Flow and service based connectors
Connectors that use both flows and services are created by referencing a project that contains Link flows, and a service defiition that defines REST endpoints.
Hand coded adapters
Link adapters can be implemented in Java or C/C++. The connector wizard can be used to create the adapter descriptor that is required to expose the properties and operation of the adapter to Link.
Connector wizard functionality
The connector wizard provides capabilities from the connectors page of the user interface.
Connector properties
Connector properties allow you to configure a connector.
Operations
Operations provide a convenient way for you to set the properties of a connector. Selecting an operation automatically configures one or more properties to simplify your experience.
Schema mapping
Certain applications that use Link require that connectors define a schema mapping.
Package definitions
A detailed definition of packages.
Deployment
Deploying a package copies it to one or more Link runtime environments. Any maps within the package are compiled during the deployment process
Servers
This documentation contains a description of the server groups and servers.
Server groups
Server groups define collections of servers for which different values of configuration variables might be desired.
Servers
Server definitions specify the location and access method for instances of Link runtime. Packages can be deployed to the instances of the Link runtime by specifying which server definition to deploy.
Proxy server
This documentation describes the Proxy server.
Variables
The variables described here include Configuration variables, flow variables, and cache variables.
Configuration variables
A configuration variable defines an alias that resolves at run time to a value that is specific to a deployment environment. A deployment environment is represented by a server group. By associating the values of a configuration variable with different server groups, you can run the same map or flow in different environments, servers, and platforms without changing the map or flow.
Flow variables
Flow variables provide a means of passing information throughout a flow instance without requiring that the information to be passed through data links. flow variables are name-value pairs that persist, unless deleted.
Cache variables
Cache variables provide a means of processing information throughout a flow instance without requiring that the information to be passed through data links.
Dashboards
A description of HCL Link dashboards, including the Server dashboard and the Kibana dashboard.
Server dashboard
A server dashboard in Link, manages deployed flows and to see the results of flow runs. The server dashboard allows you to run maps and flows, but only those that have no input defined. If one wants to run any other endpoints, one must go to the endpoint Swagger page and run from there. The server dashboard is similar to Swagger page and to the 'Run' dialog available from the flow designer.
Kibana dashboard
Learn about the Kibana dashboard.
Runtimes
Descriptions of Link runtime services.
REST API
The REST Runtme provides a REST API used to run maps and flows that have been deployed.
Flow Command Server
Deploy a flow from the HCL Link to the local filesystem using Execution flow server definition.
Map Command Server
To use the Map Command Server to execute a map, you will prepare the maps for execution.
SDK
The LNK programming interface includes language-specific methods and objects that provide common functionality across multiple environments.
Resource Adapters
About the HCL Link Resource Adapters, and how to use them.
Resource Adapters overview
Resource adapters are used to retrieve and route data. They provide access to databases, files, messaging systems, enterprise applications and other data sources and targets.
Apache HDFS Adapter
The Apache HDFS Adapter allows the HCL Link to access the HDFS file system in Apache Hadoop environments.
Apache ActiveMQ Adapter
With the ActiveMQ Adapter, users can access any of the queues of the Active MQ Adapter to send and receive messages. Users can also create a new queue altogether for sending and receiving messages.
Azure Service Bus Adapter
The Azure Service Bus adapter supports accessing queue and topics on the Microsoft Azure Service Bus, a fully managed message broker service on the Microsoft Azure cloud.
Azure SQL Adapter
Microsoft Azure SQL Database is a general-purpose relational database, provided as a managed service. With it, you can create a highly available and high-performance data storage layer for the applications and solutions in Azure.
Azure Blob Storage Adapter
The Azure Blob Storage adapter provides support to perform read and write operations on the blobs in the block storage managed by the Azure Blob Storage cloud service
Apache Kafka Adapter
With the Apache Kafka adapter, maps can connect to a Kafka cluster to consume and produce messages.
Amazon S3 Adapter
This documentation discusses the Amazon S3 Adapter.
Amazon SNS Adapter
With the Amazon SNS adapter, a user can access the Amazon Simple Notification Services. This adapter connects to the Simple Notification Services (SNS) topics, using AWS keys. The adapter can fetch and send notifications from and to those AWS SNS topics, to which the user has subscribed.
Batch File and Shell Script Adapters
The Batch File adapter processes a (Windows™) batch file as the data source of an input map card or the data target of an output map card. The Shell Script adapter processes a (UNIX™) shell script as the data source of an input map card or the data target of an output map card.
Cipher Adapter
The Cipher adapter encrypts and decrypts data by using the Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) established by the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). A single cryptographic key enciphers (encrypts) and deciphers data. The cryptographic key is stored in a master key file (MKF) in an AES-based encrypted format. As long as the MKF is not compromised or lost, the enciphered data is cryptographically secure.
Email Adapters
An email adapter automatically receives email messages as sources of a map or sends email messages as targets of a map.
FTP Adapter
Use the File Transfer Protocol (FTP) Adapter to transport data. When source data arrives at its target, it often must be transformed into a different format for a receiving application to use it successfully.
Excel Adapter
The Excel Adapter reads data from and maps data to a sheet in a Microsoft Excel workbook. In Design Studio, use the Excel importer (File > Import > Excel) to create a type tree based on a specified worksheet in the Excel workbook.
Google Cloud Storage Adapter
The Google Cloud Storage Adapter provides access to Google Cloud Storage buckets and objects in the Google Cloud Platform.
Google Pub / Sub Adapter
The Google Cloud Pub/Sub adapter provides access to Google Cloud Pub/Sub topics and subscriptions in the Google Cloud Platform.
GZIP/ZLIB Adapter
Use the GZIP/ZLIB Adapter to retrieve data in file or memory formats and export data for GZIP, ZLIB and Plain file formats.
HTTP Adapter
The Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) Adapter provides support for Proxy servers and Secure Socket Layer (SSL) protocol, which is required to process HTTPS (secure) URLs.
IBM MQ Adapter
The IBM® MQ adapter works with IBM MQ to accomplish the task of maintaining data compatibility, handling all kinds of data transformations from the simplest to the most complex.
Java Class Adapter
Use the Java Class Adapter to instantiate a Java™ object and to invoke a sequence of methods on the object.
HL7 MLLP Adapter
The HL7 MLLP adapter uses the MLLP protocol over TCP/IP to pass data to and from HCL Link. The adapter has a listener interface that can detect the arrival of data on a socket and trigger a map to run. With the HL7 MLLP adapter, remote applications can pass data to HCL Link without using additional middleware software.
JAXB Adapter
The JAXB adapter converts Java™ objects to XML and converts XML to Java objects. With the JAXB adapter, you can build Java objects that can be represented with XML, parse the objects, and use them in maps. The JAXB adapter supports all JAXB properties for marshalling and unmarshalling an XML document.
JDBC Adapter
Use the Java Database Connectivity (JDBC) adapter to query or update a database through the appropriate JDBC driver for the database.
JMS Adapter
Use the Java™ Message Service (JMS) Adapter as a client to any JMS-compliant messaging system provider.
JNDI Adapter
Use the Java™ Naming and Directory Interface (JNDI) Adapter to enable maps to look up, add, modify and delete entries in external directories, and retrieve the results that these operations return so that they can be reused in a map.
MongoDB Adapter
Use the MongoDB adapter to create, read, update, and delete single or multiple JavaScript Object Notation (JSON) documents in a MongoDB database.
OData Adapter
The OData (Open Data Protocol) adapter provides support for performing read and write operations on data sources that expose OData interface. OData adapter is an ISO/IEC approved, OASIS standard that defines a set of best practices for building and consuming RESTful APIs.
OpenPGP Adapter
Use the OpenPGP Adapter to exchange information with the GnuPG application.
PDF Adapter
The PDF Adapter works with Acrobat forms and templates to generate a PDF document or extract data from all or part of an input PDF document.
REST Adapter
REST adapter is a solution where Link can readily call any Web/REST API and provide easy mapping to and from the APIs.
SAP BAPI Adapter
The SAP BAPI contains the BAPIs which internally invokes Remote Function Calls (RFCs) which is necessary to pass inbound and outbound data to and from SAP R/3.
Salesforce Adapter
Salesforce Adapter provides support to access Salesforce REST API resource. It is useful for abstracting a piece of information or an action.
ServiceNow Adapter
The ServiceNow adapter provides support for accessing ServiceNow REST API resources.
SFTP Adapter
With the Secure File Transfer Protocol (SFTP) adapter, you can send and fetch files securely to and from an SFTP server.
SOAP Adapter
SOAP defines the XML-based message format that applications use to communicate and inter-operate with each other over the Web.
Socket Adapter
The Socket Adapter provides a means of passing data to and from HCL Link through standard TCP/IP sockets.
Archive (Tar) Adapter
This documentation introduces the Archive (Tar) adapter. You can use the adapter with a Command Server, Software Development Kit, or map in a map rule.
Archive (Zip) Adapter
Use the Archive (Zip) Adapter with a Command Server, Software Development Kit, or map in a map rule.
Reference
This documentation provides HCL Link reference information.
Functions and Expressions
Use HCL Link functions and expressions to create component rules and map rules.