Unlocking HCL Volt MX Go: Your Infrastructure Guide

As I speak with partners and customers of the HCL Domino community interested in HCL Volt MX Go, a question I get asked is what needs to be installed.  So, let's talk about the pieces that make up a Volt MX Go environment.

From a Domino perspective, consider the Domino REST API (DRAPI) the foundational component needed to make databases and their data available to a Volt MX Go application.  DRAPI is installed on a Domino 12.0.2+ or Domino 14 server and runs like any other Domino server task.  In your environment, you may choose to install DRAPI on an existing Domino server or deploy a new Domino server for DRAPI.  When using a new Domino server, remember to create replicas of the Domino database/s that will be used by the Volt MX Go application/s.  For specific details and step by step instructions on how to install and configure DRAPI refer to my 3 part blog series, Heather J Hottenstein.

Volt MX Go Foundry is a middleware server, providing APIs that allow the front-end application to talk to back-end data.  For Domino there is a built in Domino Adapter, that tightly integrates Foundry and Domino.  The Foundry Domino Adapter interfaces with DRAPI to access Domino data.

This diagram shows on the left-hand side a Volt MX Go application making a request.  The request is directed to the Foundry server.  Using the REST API Adapter, specifically the Domino Adapter, Foundry communicates with DRAPI to interact with the Domino database and its data.

For a test environment you can run Volt MX Go Foundry and Domino on the same server. However, in a production setting separate servers are recommended. Volt MX Go Foundry can be installed on standalone Windows or Linux servers. Additionally, you can run Volt MX Go Foundry as a container.

Volt MX Go Foundry does have a prerequisite of a database server, that is used for storing Foundry's configuration and data. Maria DB, SQL, MySQL and Oracle are supported, and may be locally installed on the same server as Go Foundry or a separate system. For supported versions of OS and databases, refer to the documentation, System requirements - HCL Volt MX Go Documentation

In my next blog post I will delve into the details of installing and configuring Volt MX Go Foundry. But ultimately, the Domino REST API and Volt MX Go Foundry with its supporting database are the components that make up the infrastructure of Volt MX Go.

If you are just wanting to do self-education or your own POC, you can use HCL SoFy, where you can spin up your own Volt MX Go instance in under 10 minutes. The instance can be kept alive for up to 30 days, giving you lots of time to explore. To get a quick overview on how to use SoFy Volt MX Go, check out this video, HCL Digital Solutions. This Volt MX Go environment allows you to download a Notes ID that you can use on your Notes client to access the Domino server. And, you can copy a blank copy of your Domino application to this server, providing you with the ability to test out building a Volt MX Go application with your databases without needing to install anything.

As always, reach out with any questions you may have – heather.hottenstein@hcl-software.com.