W H I T E PA P E R

Helping You Leverage On-Demand Service

Helping You Leverage On-Demand Service

Overview
Flexera Software, is the leading provider of electronic software delivery and management (ESDM) solutions for software producers and intelligent device manufacturers worldwide. Flexera Softwares FlexNet Producer Suite on-demand service has a proven record of helping technology companies reduce customer support and operational expenses, accelerate delivery for revenue recognition purposes, and create closer, more profitable relationships with their customers. Flexera Softwares core offering, FlexNet Producer Suite ondemand service, is a web-based delivery and support solution that enables technology companies to easily deliver, track and manage the software, licenses and other digital content they distribute to their customers around the world. The on-demand service can be rapidly implemented and seamlessly integrated with any software companys website, satisfying the increasing demand for electronic delivery of applications and updates to optimize the software fulfillment and management process. Flexera Softwares on-demand service powers business-tobusiness technology providers, including: EMC, Sybase, Borland, Autodesk and RSA. Flexera Software recognizes that a secure data center architecture is the foundation of our on-demand service and of paramount importance to technology companies and their customers, and for our own operations. The Flexera Software Data Center represents an investment of millions of dollars and more than 10 years of dedicated development to meet the demanding and continually evolving needs of the enterprise. Each of the following features of the Flexera Software data center architecture design is continually being refined: Data Center Facilities physical security, cooling and power are provided by SAVVIS Communications Corporation. Network Architecture our high-capacity best-of-breed network is connected to multiple Internet providers for fast, worldwide connectivity System Architecture powerful hardware for top performance and reliability from Sun, Dell, Citrix, IBM, and Juniper Networks Disaster Recovery enterprise tape backup, offsite archive and a recovery data center mitigate devastating risks Customer Support 24/7/365 customer support is provided to respond to customer needs The following provides detailed information on each of these elements of the Flexera Software data center architecture.

Data Center Facilities

The FlexNet Producer Suite on-demand data center facilities reflect Flexera Softwares commitment to the strongest possible foundation for long-term sustained growth. This best of breed strategy ensures that our facilities offer: Robust power infrastructure with the highest level of reliability State-of-the-art heating / ventilation / air conditioning system Cutting-edge fire detection and suppression systems Structural integrity that meets or exceeds seismic design requirements of local building codes for lateral design forces Physical security: On-site security 24/7/365, biometric systems, CCTV digital camera coverage Flexera Software is committed to using the best resources available for every aspect of its data center facilities. For this reason, we chose SAVVIS to provide the physical environment for Flexera Softwares primary datacenter, located in Silicon Valley. SAVVIS was selected because of its strong commitment to physical security and overall operational experience. This co-location center is housed in a custom-designed building with raised floors, advanced cooling systems, and seismicallybraced racks. This facility offers the widest range of physical security features, including advanced smoke detection and fire suppression systems, motion sensors, 24/7/365 secured access,
Flexera Software: FlexNet Producer Suite White Paper Series

Helping You Leverage On-Demand Service

video camera surveillance and security breach alarms. It also maintains a sophisticated multi-layer power generation system in the event of a long-term power outage. Flexera Softwares recovery data center, located in Sacramento, California, is constructed to support Flexera Software on-demand service in the event of a disaster at the primary Silicon Valley data center. The primary purpose of this site is to guarantee that critical services can be restored in the event of a sustained outage caused by a disaster.

System Architecture

Flexera Softwares careful attention to the network architecture design for performance, scalability, and availability also applies to the system architecture design. Flexera Software uses best-inclass systems from manufacturers such as Dell, Sun, and IBM. The FlexNet Producer Suite on-demand web, application, and database server systems are configured for redundancy and hotswap replacement of components. These server class machines have multiple power supplies, multiple network interface cards, hardware mirroring of boot drives, and RAID configurations for database server storage. The on-demand web server farms consist of multiple web and application servers and allow for systems redundancy, load balancing and easy scalability. Flexera Software selected the IBM Informix database products, and matched those products to specific requirements within the architecture. For example: two transaction database servers run Informix, performing real-time replication of all transactions; two separate ESD (electronic software delivery) database servers also run Informix. Both perform real-time replication of all software images. Should a catastrophic failure of a web server render it unusable, the Citrix Netscaler load balancing appliances will remove the webserver from the farm and will prevent new customer sessions from being sent to that server.

Network Architecture

Flexera Softwares high performance network infrastructure provides fast, secure and reliable delivery of your products around the globe. All network equipment (routers, switches, firewalls and load balancing devices) have been implemented in a redundant configuration. Each implementation has a failover connection to a secondary device of equivalent performance. This architecture ensures continuous availability from port, power, or full device failure. Internet-facing network connections utilize the BGP routing protocol over redundant border routers to guarantee availability and the best path to Flexera Software customers. Flexera Software employs the following top two Internet service providers: AboveNet The AboveNet fiber optic network provides metro access, long haul services, and IP transit (Tier I IP provider) to the major business centers in the U.S. and London. AboveNets portfolio of managed services solutions enable enterprise customers to rise above legacy networks to create truly customized door-to-door optic networks. AboveNet enables realtime information exchange wherever and whenever its needed. SAVVIS Communications Corporation The SAVVIS network consists of a global backbone, a high performance network architecture with industry-leading public and private interconnect arrangements. The SAVVIS backbone links strategically-located SAVVIS Internet data center LANS with fiber paths from multiple vendors, ranging in speed from OC-3c(155Mbps) to O-12c (622Mbps). This mesh configuration eliminates single pointto-point fiberlink failures, ensures redundancy, and allows uninterrupted flow of data across the network. Flexera Softwares ISP connections are split between two border routers so that the failure of one still provides connectivity through the other and the connected ISPs (see diagram). After passing through one of the two border routers, traffic moves to the core switching architecture, which provides the DMZ and connection to Flexera Softwares redundant firewall architecture. From there, traffic continues through the core switching architecture onto redundant load balancers. All traffic for specific services (HTTP, HTTPS and FTP), on Flexera Softwares server farm is load balanced. Each server in the farm has physically separate Ethernet adapters to the core switching architecture for redundancy in case of a network interface card or core switch failure.

Monitoring and Support

Flexera Software is committed to the highest levels of availability and performance. Flexera Softwares highly-skilled support engineers monitor bandwidth, availability, and capacity of servers. FlexNet Producer Suite On Demands performance routinely exceeds 99.9% monthly system uptime.

Systems Management

Whenever Flexera Software adds resources to the existing servers, the Citrix Netscaler administratively removes a server from receiving new connections and waits for all customer sessions to complete. When the session is complete, FlexNet Producer Suite on-demand managers perform any needed upgrades, bring the server back up for testing and introduce it back into the farm without interfering with service availability.

Disaster Recovery

Flexera Software takes precautions to anticipate and to prevent a catastrophic problem from completely disrupting data center operations. Should a natural disaster or other catastrophe render the on-demand service primary data center inaccessible, Flexera Software will activate the recovery plans for the Sacramento recovery data center. In addition to this secondary data center, Flexera Software protects critical information resources through regular tape backups and the vaulting of duplicates at a secure off-site tape storage facility.

Flexera Software: FlexNet Producer Suite White Paper Series

Helping You Leverage On-Demand Service

Internet
AboveNet SAVVIS

Current Internet Service Providers Flexera Software continually monitors and evaluates service SBC providers and emerging network technologies in order to retain the best level of service. AboveNet: Network spans more than 2,000 points of presence in North America, Europe, and the Pacific Central US Rim. Private Network Access Points that Bypass Public Exchange Hosting Facility Intelligent Route Management Technology SAVVIS: Backbone with high performance network architecture Public and private inter-connect arrangements

BGP
West Coast Secure Hosting Facility

SAVVIS
Web Server Applications Server Server Farm

SBC

Flexera Softwares Data Center Architecture

Flexera Software uses industry-leading backup software from Veritas and tape libraries from StorageTek. This data protection solution for UNIX and NT environments provides fast, reliable data-center strength backup and recovery. It also automates the management of offsite media. It handles the ejection of duplicate backup tape media to be sent to the vault and the injection of expired media to be brought back from the vault for reuse. Duplicate backup tape storage is at a secure, offsite vault facility located outside of Silicon Valley. Tape transportation and vaulting are provided by a leading, nationally-known service provider to assure the security and privacy of the data being transported and stored.

Customer Support

Continuous access to information assets and software delivery and management services with limited downtime or service interruptions is a critical business requirement for technology companies. Flexera Software makes every effort to provide technology companies and their customers with the best datacenter architecture possible, to ensure their business needs are met today and in the future. For far less than the cost to build and maintain a basic in-house ESDM system, technology companies, and their customers and partners, can benefit from the advantages of the Flexera Software ondemand scalable architecture, robust digital delivery, release management capabilities, automated export compliance, and other continually enhanced functionality, to deliver and manage critical services and intellectual property.

Flexera Software provides 24/7/365 support to its customers. During normal customer service business hours, experienced personnel are immediately available to assist customers who call the on-demand service support center. During non-business hours, callback service is available from on-call support experts to assist customers.

About Flexera Software

A Foundation for the Future

Flexera Software architects designed an infrastructure to support the rigorous standards and growing demands of technology companies ESDM service needs. Flexera Software offers a system that scales for enterprise digital delivery, entitlement management and customer volumes, and that offers the highest levels of availability, physical security, and performance.

Flexera Software is the leading provider of strategic solutions for Application Usage Management; solutions delivering continuous compliance, optimized usage and maximized value to application producers and their customers. Flexera Software is trusted by more than 80,000 customers that depend on our comprehensive solutions- from installation and licensing, entitlement and compliance management to application readiness and enterprise license optimization - to strategically manage application usage and achieve breakthrough results realized only through the systems-level approach we provide. For more information, please go to: www.flexerasoftware.com

Flexera Software: FlexNet Producer Suite White Paper Series

Flexera Software LLC 1000 East Woodfield Road, Suite 400 Schaumburg, IL 60173 USA

Schaumburg (Global Headquarters): +1 800-809-5659

United Kingdom (Europe, Middle East Headquarters): +44 870-871-1111 +44 870-873-6300

Japan (Asia, Pacific Headquarters): +81 3-4360-8291

For more office locations visit: www.flexerasoftware.com

Copyright 2011 Flexera Software LLC. All other brand and product names mentioned herein may be the trademarks and registered trademarks of their respective owners. FNS_WP_DataCtrArch_Oct11