July 18, 2023 - Alignment Meeting # 14

Discussion on infrastructure requirements for deploying BB implementations in the Sandbox environment.

• Discussed the progress of creating isolated environments for BB implementations in the Sandbox for testing. Currently, new organizations are being created for these isolated environments, and the Sandbox team is working on the setup activities.

• It was mentioned that the Technical Committee discussed the generic infrastructure requirements for each building block. The goal is to understand the resource needs and cost implications for each building block in the sandbox environment.

• Emphasized the need to gather infrastructure requirements for the building blocks. BB providers are requested to specify the infrastructure requirements for their BB implementations in the following page - Infrastructure Requirements of BB Implementations for Sandbox Deployment - GovStack - GovStack Wiki

• Discussed the need for concurrency testing of the BB implementations before their delivery to the Sandbox environment. The concurrency requirements for the Sandbox differ from the development server and there is need to determine the actual concurrency needed for each building block and ensure it aligns with the contracted concurrency limits.

• The number of concurrent users expected on the Sandbox and whether the current projections align with the actual requirements. The team suggested evaluating the real concurrency needs before provisioning infrastructure. It was suggested to assess the infrastructure needs based on the minimum concurrency requirement, such as 10 to 50 users, and determine the necessary infrastructure for that level. The idea was to start with a minimal infrastructure and scale it as needed in the future.

• BB providers raised questions about load testing and performance testing and how it relates to Sandbox requirements. It was clarified that the load testing and performance testing is part of the development process, and the concurrency and performance criteria should be evaluated in the development environments of the respective BB providers before integration into the Sandbox.

• The need for a clear guideline on load testing and acceptance criteria was highlighted by the BB providers.

• Discussed the need to minimize infrastructure requirements for Sandbox deployments to make the process efficient and cost-effective.

• Discussed the possibility of minimizing the cloud dependency for the building blocks and making the sandbox cloud-agnostic. The goal is to explore if the Sandbox could function without relying heavily on cloud infrastructure.

Discussion on approach for creating BB instances in the Sandbox and alignment with IM BB structure within a Kubernetes cluster.

• The Sandbox team provided certain clarifications about instances of building blocks in the Sandbox. It was mentioned that each building block instance is within an application (such as a USCT application), and multiple building blocks can coexist in the Sandbox. As the Sandbox is a non-production environment, the focus should be on making the building blocks work and coexist. The aim is to deploy the BB’s and ensure they could function together in multiple instances.

• The Sandbox team spoke on the concept of organizations as virtual closed networks and the need to divide the Sandbox into multiple private networks to accommodate different scenarios.

• There is a lack of clarity regarding the structure and connectivity within the Sandbox environment. The Sandbox team discussed the need for multiple instances of building blocks based on different scenarios, while others believe that multiple instances should be in the same cluster.

• Discussed about the meaning of terms like organization, building block, and application within the context of the sandbox and Kubernetes cluster. Further clarification and alignment on these terms is necessary.

• Need for clarification regarding the deployment of scenarios, the setup of the Sandbox, and the interaction between BB’s and the information mediator.

• It was suggested to review the Sandbox architecture and ensure alignment between the Sandbox structure and the IM BB structure as envisioned in GovStack. This review would address concerns and confusion related to scenarios, organizations, and the deployment approach.

• The urgency of resolving these concerns was emphasized, given the time constraints of the project implementation. It was suggested to document the concerns and share them to ensure clarity and understanding among all stakeholders. A note highlighted the concerns and call for action is at: Issues related to the implementation of Building Blocks and the Information Mediator within a Kubernetes cluster. - GovStack - GovStack Wiki (atlassian.net)

1. Reassess the infrastructure capacity requirements for Sandbox deployment based on a nominal 10/ 50-user concurrency and provide clarity on the actual requirements - in the following page - Infrastructure Requirements of BB Implementations for Sandbox Deployment - GovStack - GovStack Wiki

@Vasil Kolev @Karthik SJ @David Higgins @Allan Bernard

2. Refer the IM integration structure and Sandbox architecture concerns to the architecture team for review and alignment. Document the concerns to ensure clarity and understanding among all stakeholders.

@PSRAMKUMAR @Aleksander Reitsakas @Steve Conrad @Vasil Kolev