SIEBEL ARCHITECTURE

Siebel software provides comprehensive CRM capabilities to customers with a robust, fault-tolerant and
highly available architecture. The Siebel multi-tier architecture has built-in redundancy and fail-over
capabilities in each layer of the application environment. The different layers of the Siebel architecture
include:

• Siebel Web Clients

• Web Servers and Siebel Web Server Extension (SWSE)

• Siebel Enterprise Server

• Siebel Servers

Siebel Server Components

Application Object Managers (AOM) (a.k.a Object Managers)

• Siebel Gateway Name Server

• Siebel Database and Siebel File System

Figure 2 Overview of Siebel Architecture

Siebel Web Clients
Siebel supports a number of Client types including Siebel Web Client, Mobile Web Client, Wireless
Client, and Handheld Client. Customers use these client software offerings to access the CRM
functionality via a web connection to the Siebel backend servers.

Web Servers
Siebel software provides an interface that can be accessed using a web browser. To host a Siebel
solution, customers deploy a cluster of web servers to accept user requests. The web servers are load
balanced to provide for high availability and are responsible for routing user requests in appropriate
forms to the Siebel Servers for processing.

Siebel Web Server Extension

Siebel provides a plug-in, Siebel Web Server Extension (SWSE), for third-party web servers. It identifies
requests for Siebel information from web clients and flags these requests for routing to a Siebel Server.
When a Siebel Server returns with the requested information, SWSE helps complete the composition of
the web page forwarding to the Web Client.

In addition to its web-specific functionality, SWSE includes the Siebel load-balancing module. This
module provides round-robin load balancing for Application Object Managers (AOM) running on Siebel
Servers. Customers can choose to use this module for load balancing or to deploy a third-party load
balancer between the Web Servers and the Siebel Servers.

Siebel Enterprise Server

The Siebel Enterprise Server is a logical grouping of Siebel Servers that connect to one Siebel Database.
The Siebel Servers are configured, managed and monitored as a single logical unit. Consequently, the
Siebel administrator can start, stop, monitor, or set server parameters for all Siebel Servers within the
Siebel Enterprise Server.

Siebel Servers
A group of Seibel Servers forms a Siebel Enterprise Server. Each of them functions as an application
server and is composed of server components, such as Synchronization Manager and Application Object
Manager (AOM). Each server component performs a defined function and runs in one of three modes:
interactive, background and batch modes.

Application Object Manager

Application Object Manager (AOM) is one of the core server components. The AOM server components
are application- or service-specific and they serve user requests in interactive mode. An Application
Object Manager provides the session environment in which its associated application runs.

AOM consists of three layers: business object layer, data manager and Siebel Web Engine. The business
object layer starts an application-user-session and processes any required business logic before sending
a data request to the data manager. The data manager is the layer that interacts with the back end
database server by way of SQL queries. The business object layer further processes the result of SQL
queries before it forwards the result to the Siebel Web Engine, which helps create the web pages for
users. Subsequently, the Siebel Web Engine forwards the web infrastructure pages to Siebel Web Server
Extension on the Web Server for finalization before sending to the end users.

Siebel Gateway Name Server

The Siebel Gateway Name Server is the dynamic address registry for Siebel Servers and components. A
Siebel Server registers its network address in the non-persistent address registry of the Gateway Name
Server at startup and clears the information at shutdown. Siebel Enterprise Server components query
the Gateway Name Server address registry for Siebel Server availability and address information. The
Gateway Name Server is crucial for the proper functioning of Siebel Enterprise Server.

Siebel Database
Siebel CRM uses a third-party relational database management system (RDBMS) to store Siebel tables,
indices, and seed data. The data managers in the AOM Server components use ODBC database
connections for all communications. The Siebel administrator can manage and tune these connections
for optimal performance and can configure them for connection sharing.

Siebel File System

The Siebel File System is a server with a shared directory accessible through the network by the Siebel
Servers running the File System Manager (FSM) component. Web clients can upload and download files
to the Siebel File System through the FSM component.
CONNECTING TO A SIEBEL SERVER
Siebel Client-Server Architecture
The User has opened the browser window and has entered the URL and clicked “Go” button of browser
window like http:// siebelappln /apptype_lang/start.swe.

http: Is the protocol that is being used to transfer the data over web from one computer to another.

*siebelappln*: is the host name of the Web Server on which your Siebel Component resides.

*apptype*: Represents the module that is being used i.e. Sales, call center, marketing etc.

*lang*: Represents the language of the implemented application which can be enu, fin etc.

*start.swe*: It might be used or might not be used but represents a command recognized by siebel
component called ‘SWSE’ which stands for Siebel Web Server Extensions.

Once the User clicks Go, the request goes to the Web Server where an important component called
Siebel Web server Extensions (SWSE) is running on it.
The purpose of this SWSE is to identify and recognize the URLs with siebel request and route it to proper
siebel component. SWSE checks the eapps.cfg file which lies in the virtual directory. Eapps.cfg contains
the path to the object manager. SWSE contacts the Siebel Gateway Name Server to obtain the
information about the Siebel Servers and Siebel Enterprise server.

The Gateway Server acts as a single entry point for accessing an enterprise server. It also provides load
balancing and scalability by directing the request to the least loaded Siebel server. It has two
components, Name Server and Connection Broker running on it. The function of Name server is to
dynamically register Siebel server and component availability. At start up, a Siebel Server within the
Siebel Enterprise Server stores its network address in the Gateway Name Servers non persistent address
registry. SGNS stores all the component definition and connectivity information in the file called as
siebns.dat file. Siebns.dat file contains the information about siebel servers such as: Operational
Parameters, Connectivity information, Definitions & assignments of component groups and
components.

The function of Connection broker is to direct the client request to the least loaded server running the
desired component. Once the SWSE gets information about Siebel Server it forwards the request to the
Siebel Server on Round Robin basis due its load balancing feature.

Siebel Server is the system on which Siebel Server Components are installed and it functions as
Application server. Each server component performs a defined function. Server components or groups
of components determine what applications and services a Siebel Server supports. The Siebel Server
runs as a system service under Windows and a process under UNIX. This system service or process
monitors and controls the state of all server components on that Siebel Server. Each Siebel Server is one
instantiation of the Siebel Server system service or process within the current Siebel Enterprise Server.

Siebel Enterprise Server is not a physical server it is just a logical entity. In simple terms SES is a logical
grouping on several Siebel servers such as Siebel Server sharing one database. The Siebel Servers in a
Siebel Enterprise Server are configured, managed, and monitored as a single logical group which helps
the Siebel Administrator to start, stop, monitor, or set server parameters for all Siebel Servers within the
Siebel Enterprise Server. Once the request is received by Siebel server it is passed to a component called
Application Object Manager (AOM)

Application Object Manager (AOM) is one of the most important types of server components. They
process user requests and are application or service-specific. For example A Sales Application will have
Sales AOM and Call center application will have a Call Center AOM. This Application Object Manager
provides the session environment in which this application runs. When an AOM receives a user request
to start an application, it does the following:

The business object layer starts an application user session, processes any required business logic, and
sends a data request to the Data Manager. Data Manager is another component which is a part of AOM.
Its primary function is to receive user request, create corresponding SQL and Forward it to database
Server. It also receives results from Database server and forwards it to Siebel Business Object Layer for
additional processing.
Siebel Business Object Layer forwards the results to Siebel Web Engine (SWE), another component
residing in AOM. SWE constructs the User Interface (UI) and populates it with data given by the Object
Manager and forwards the web pages to the SWSE Component which resides on Web Server. Web
Server then sends back the results to the User who had initially requested it through the URl in the
browser window.