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AEM Forms is an application deployed into AEM as an AEM package. The package is known as AEM Forms add-on package. The AEM Forms add-on package contains both services (API providers), which are deployed into the AEM OSGi container, and servlets or JSPs (providing both front-end and REST API functionality) managed by the AEM Sling framework. The following diagram depicts this set-up:
The architecture for AEM Forms includes the following components:
Core AEM services: Basic services that AEM provides to a deployed application. These services include a JCR-compliant content repository, an OSGI service container, a workflow engine, a trust store, a key store, and so on. These services are available to AEM Forms application but are not provided by AEM Forms packages. These services are an integral part of the overall AEM stack and various AEM Forms components use these services.
Forms services: Provide forms-related functionality, such as create, assemble, distribute, and archive PDF documents, add digital signatures to limit access to documents, and decode barcoded forms. These services are publicly available for consumption by custom code co-deployed in AEM.
Web layer: JSPs or servlets, built over common and forms services, which provide the following functionalities:
AEM Forms on OSGi: An AEM Forms on OSGi environment is standard AEM Author or AEM Publish with AEM Forms package deployed on it. You can run AEM Forms on OSGi in a single server environment, Farm, and clustered setups. Cluster setup is available only for AEM Author instances.
AEM Forms on JEE: AEM Forms on JEE is AEM Forms server running on JEE stack. It has AEM Author with AEM Forms add-on packages and additional AEM Forms JEE capabilities co-deployed on a single JEE stack running on an application server. You can run AEM Forms on JEE in single-server and clustered setups. AEM Forms on JEE is required only to run document security, process management, and for LiveCycle customers upgrading to AEM Forms. Here are a few additional scenarios to use AEM Forms on JEE:
AEM Forms on JEE also includes provides following supporting services to the AEM components:
AEM Forms authoring user interface does not support creating Document of Record (DOR), PDF Forms, and HTML5 Forms. Such assets are designed using the stand-alone Forms Designer application and uploaded individually to AEM Forms Manager. Alternatively, for AEM Forms on JEE, forms can be designed as application (in AEM Forms Workbench) assets and deployed into AEM Forms on JEE server.
AEM Forms on OSGi and AEM Forms on JEE both have workflow capabilities. You can rapidly build and deploy basic workflows for various tasks on the AEM forms on OSGi, without having to install the full-fledged Process Management capability of AEM Forms on JEE. There is some difference in the features of Form-centric workflow on AEM Forms on OSGi and Process Management capability of AEM Forms on JEE. The development and management of Form-centric workflows on AEM Forms on OSGi uses the familiar AEM Workflow and AEM Inbox capabilities.
The following image displays various AEM Form server configurations and their components that are used in a typical AEM Forms deployment:
Author: An author instance is an AEM Forms server running in the standard Author run mode. It can be AEM Forms on JEE or AEM Forms on OSGi environment. It is intended for internal users, forms and interactive communication designers, and developers. It enables the following functionalities:
Publish: A publish instance is an AEM Forms server running in the standard Publish run mode. Publish instances are intended for end users of form-based applications, for example, users accessing a public website and submitting forms. It enables the following functionalities:
Processing: An instance of AEM Forms running in Author run mode with no users assigned to the forms-manager group. You can deploy AEM Forms on JEE or AEM Forms on OSGi as a processing instance. The users are not assigned to ensure that form authoring and management activities are not performed on the Processing instance and occur only on the Author instance. A Processing instance enables the following functionalities:
Processing of raw form data arriving from a Publish instance: This is achieved primarily on a Processing instance via AEM workflows which trigger when the data arrives. The workflows can use the Form Data Model step provided out-of-the-box to archive the data or document to a suitable data store.
Secure storage of form data: Processing provides a behind-the-firewall repository for raw form data which is isolated from users. Neither form designers on the Author instance nor end users on the Publish instance can access this repository.
Adobe recommends to use a third-party data store to save final processed data instead of using AEM repository.
Storage and post-processing of correspondence data arriving from a Publish instance: AEM workflows perform the optional post-processing of the corresponding letter definitions. These workflows can save the final processed data into a suitable external data stores.
HTML Workspace hosting: A processing instance hosts the frontend for HTML Workspace. HTML workspace provides the UI for associated task/group assignment for review and approval processes.
A Processing instance is configured to run in the Author run mode because:
The AEM Forms on JEE topologies recommended below are mainly for customers upgrading from LiveCycle or a previous version of AEM Forms on JEE. Adobe recommends using AEM Forms on OSGi for fresh installations. A fresh installation of AEM Forms on JEE only recommended for using Document Security and Process Management capabilities.
AEM Forms customers planning to use only document services or document security capabilities can have a topology similar to the one displayed below. This topology recommends using a single instance of AEM Forms. You can also create a cluster or farm of AEM Forms servers, if necessary. This topology is recommended when most users programmatically access capabilities of AEM Forms server and intervention through the user interface is minimum. The topology is helpful in batch processing operations of document services. For example, using output service to create hundreds of non-editable PDF documents on daily basis.
Although, AEM Forms lets you set up and run all the functionalities from a single server, yet, you should do capacity planning, load balancing, and set up dedicated servers for specific capabilities in a production environment. For example, for an environment using the PDF Generator service to convert thousands of pages a day and add digital signatures to limit access to documents, set up separate AEM Forms servers for the PDF Generator service and digital signature capabilities. It helps provide optimum performance and scale the servers independent of each other.
AEM Forms customers planning to use AEM Forms process management features, for example, HTML Workspace can have a topology similar to the one displayed below. The AEM Forms on JEE server can be in a single server or cluster configuration.
If you are upgrading from LiveCycle ES4, this topology closely mirrors with what you already have in LiveCycle except for the addition of AEM Author built-in to AEM Forms on JEE. Moreover, there is no change in the clustering requirements for customers performing an upgrade. If you were using AEM Forms in a clustered environment, you can continue with same in AEM 6.5 Forms. For a fresh installation of AEM Forms of JEE for using HTML Workspace, running AEM author instance built-in to the JEE environment is an additional requirement.
Form data store is a third-party data store used for storing final processed data of forms and interactive communications. This is an optional element in the topology. You can also choose to set up a processing instance and use its repository as the final system-of-record system, if necessary.
The topology is recommended to the customers planning to use AEM Forms on JEE server for process management capabilities (HTML Workspace) without using any post-processing, adaptive forms, HTML5 forms, and interactive communication capabilities.
AEM Forms customers planning to use AEM Forms data capture capabilities, for example, adaptive forms, HTML5 Forms, PDF Forms, can have a topology similar to the one displayed below. This topology is also recommended for using interactive communication capabilities of AEM Forms.
You can make the following changes/customizations to the above-suggested topology:
AEM Forms customers planning to use AEM Forms data capture capabilities, for example, adaptive forms, HTML5 Forms, PDF Forms, can have a topology similar to the one displayed below. This topology is also recommended for using interactive communications and Forms-Centric Workflows on OSGi capability, for example, for using AEM Inbox and AEM Forms App for business process workflows.
AEM Forms customers planning to use Watched Folders for batch processing can have a topology similar to the one displayed below. The topology displays a clustered environment but you decide to use a single instance or a farm of AEM Forms servers depending on the load. The third-party data source is your own system-of-record. It acts as an input source for Watched Folders. The topology also displays output in the form of a printed file. You can also store the output content to a file-system, send via email, and use other custom methods to consume output.
AEM Forms customers planning to use only document services capability can have a topology similar to the one displayed below. This topology recommends using a cluster of AEM Forms on OSGi servers. This topology is recommended when most users programmatically (Using APIs) access capabilities of AEM Forms server and intervention through the user interface is minimum. The topology is quite helpful in multiple software client scenarios. For example, multiple clients using PDF Generator service to create PDF documents on demand.
Although AEM Forms lets you set up and run all the functionalities from a single server, you should do capacity planning, load balancing, and set up dedicated servers for specific capabilities in a production environment. For example, for an environment using the PDF Generator service to convert thousands of pages a day and multiple adaptive forms to capture data, set up separate AEM Forms servers for the PDF Generator service and adaptive forms capabilities. It helps provide optimum performance and scale the servers independent of each other.