Configuring the Access Layer for HCL DX and Volt MX Foundry

This topic provides instructions to configure the Access Layer for HCL Digital Experience (DX) to integrate with HCL Volt MX Foundry.

You have two options for implementing the Access Layer in the DX deployment and MX: Ingress and Gateway API. Choose the option that fits your specific needs and preferences.

Ingress for HCL DX and HCL Volt MX Foundry

Refer to the following steps to implement a generic Ingress on your Kubernetes cluster for use with DX and MX. The actual implementation might vary depending on the cluster's setup and configuration.

Prerequisites

Ensure you have set up Ingress for DX by following the guidelines in the optional Ingress documentation.

Implementing Ingress for HCL DX and HCL Volt MX Foundry

Configure Volt MX Foundry to use the existing Ingress controller.

The following sample values configure the Ingress to use an SSL connection using custom certificates:
```
ingress:
  enabled: true
  protocol: "https"
  port: "443"
  class: "nginx"
  tls:
    enabled: true
    customCert:
      cert: "certs/your-ssl-cert.cer"
      key: "certs/your-ssl-cert.key"
  serverDomainName: "your-mx-and-dx-host.com"
```
- The certificate in customCert must match the certificate used for the Ingress configuration of HCL DX. The cer and key files must be located in the apps/certs directory of the MX Helm chart.
- The class property refers to the class name of the deployed Ingress controller.
- The serverDomainName must match the hostname that the Ingress is available at.
For more details on these values, refer to the HCL Volt MX Foundry Configuration documentation.

Gateway API for HCL DX and HCL Volt MX Foundry

Refer to the following steps to configure the optional Gateway API for DX and MX. The Gateway API serves as a routing mechanism that allows both products to operate under a unified hostname, improving deployment efficiency and management.

Prerequisites

Ensure you have set up the Gateway API for HCL DX by following the guidelines in the optional Gateway API documentation.

Implementing Gateway API for HCL DX and HCL Volt MX Foundry

Define a new Gateway API resource for Volt MX Foundry (MX) or extend the existing DX Gateway configuration to include MX routes.

The Gateway API offers a modern and centralized approach to manage HTTP(S) routing across multiple backend services under a single domain.

Ensure the Gateway API resource includes routing rules for all relevant MX context routes.

These routes include, for example, /authService, /mfconsole, /accounts, /workspace, /admin, /services, /apps, /kpns, and /apiportal. Each rule should forward traffic to the correct backend service and port corresponding to each MX component.

The following YAML configuration demonstrates how to set up a Gateway API resource for MX, routing various paths to their corresponding backend services:

apiVersion: gateway.networking.k8s.io/v1
kind: HTTPRoute
metadata:
  name: mx-http-route
spec:
  parentRefs:
  - name: gateway
    sectionName: https
  hostnames:
  - your-kube-deployment.com
  rules:
  - matches:
    - path:
        type: PathPrefix
        value: /authService
    backendRefs:
    - name: voltmx-foundry-identity
      port: 8080
  - matches:
    - path:
        type: PathPrefix
        value: /mfconsole
    backendRefs:
    - name: voltmx-foundry-console
      port: 8080
  - matches:
    - path:
        type: PathPrefix
        value: /accounts
    backendRefs:
    - name: voltmx-foundry-console
      port: 8080
  - matches:
    - path:
        type: PathPrefix
        value: /workspace
    backendRefs:
    - name: voltmx-foundry-console
      port: 8080
  - matches:
    - path:
        type: PathPrefix
        value: /admin
    backendRefs:
    - name: voltmx-foundry-integration
      port: 8080
  - matches:
    - path:
        type: PathPrefix
        value: /services
    backendRefs:
    - name: voltmx-foundry-integration
      port: 8080
  - matches:
    - path:
        type: PathPrefix
        value: /apps
    backendRefs:
    - name: voltmx-foundry-integration
      port: 8080
  - matches:
    - path:
        type: PathPrefix
        value: /kpns
    backendRefs:
    - name: voltmx-foundry-engagement
      port: 8080
  - matches:
    - path:
        type: PathPrefix
        value: /apiportal
    backendRefs:
    - name: voltmx-foundry-apiportal
      port: 8080

The metadata section identifies and names the HTTPRoute resource.
The spec section outlines the overall routing configuration for this HTTPRoute.
The parentRefs section associates this HTTPRoute with a specific Gateway and its section (for example, https).
The hostnames section indicates the domain this route is intended for.
The rules section lists the path matches and their corresponding backend references, ensuring proper routing of requests to the correct MX service components.
Within rules, the matches block defines the criteria for routing, such as a PathPrefix (for example, /authService and /mfconsole).
The backendRefs section specifies the target backend service (such as voltmx-foundry-identity, voltmx-foundry-console) and port where matching requests are directed.

Verify the Deployment

After configuring the Access Layer, follow these steps to verify your deployment:

Test DXConnect access.
- If you have a local deployment that does not include the haproxy container, access DXConnect by specifying the container port in the following URL:
```
https://<localhost>:10202/hcl/dxconnect/processHandler/version
```
- If the target environment includes the haproxy container, access DXConnect with the following URL:
```
https://<host-name>/hcl/dxconnect/processHandler/version
```
  Make sure to replace the <host-name> value.
Access the Volt MX Foundry admin console.

When all services and pods are running, access the Volt MX Foundry admin console using the following URL. Update the <host-name> accordingly.
```
https://<host-name>/mfconsole
```

Modifying the upload size restriction

If Ingress is enabled for HCL DX, modify the upload size restriction in your Ingress resource.

Run the following command:

kubectl -n <namespace> edit ingress/custom-routes

Add the following parameter to increase the upload size restriction:
```
nginx.ingress.kubernetes.io/proxy-body-size: <size-restriction>m
```
Make sure to specify your preferred size in the <size-restriction> value. For example, to increase the restriction to 8 MB, add nginx.ingress.kubernetes.io/proxy-body-size: 8m.

After applying the configuration, both HCL Digital Experience and HCL Volt MX Foundry can be accessed using the provided hostname.