what’s under the hood of a 1C PaaS solution for organizing work in the cloud

We have two routes for users who need a different way to access 1C.

• The upper half of the diagram describes the route of DevOps engineers, 1C developers and operators, for example, through RDP. They are provided with a dedicated network and access to the configurator to make changes, maintain and update the infobase. The connection is organized through a private network – this is a more secure way. DevOps engineers here can also connect external applications (banks, websites, cash registers, etc.).
• The bottom half of the diagram describes the connection via the Internet or a web server. This route is needed, for example, for analysts or accounting. That is, for users who work with data (read only).

Both routes involve accessing the load balancer before connecting to the 1C cluster.

Inside the cloud there is a group of containers. On one, our configured image with the 1C Apache module rises. It provides clients with access to the web version of 1C (web-server). At the same time, engineers can work directly with the 1C configurator on the application server through a dedicated cross-project network.

Next, the module communicates with the application server. By the time you start working on the application server, the infobase must be registered. Here you can download the necessary configuration 1C. In our case, the infobase is stored in DBaaS (PostgreSQL 10 to 14 versions).

The Application Server is also linked to the License Servers that are deployed on our dedicated servers.

Now only PostgreSQL connection is implemented, but over time, all the DBMS that DBaaS works with will be added.

What are the benefits of a cloud database:

• The databases run on servers with powerful Intel® Xeon® Gold processors with a 3.6 GHz CPU.
• Fast scaling available.
• Fault tolerance and replication.
• Turnkey solution.

There is one architectural subtlety with data replication. 1C cannot switch to a slave node when master is lost in PostgreSQL. Therefore, we have implemented a mechanism in which the master does not move to the replica, but is restored automatically. So 1C will reconnect to the same server with which it lost the connection, and the downtime will be reduced.

If there are no stop factors, the user can restart the 1C server and the connection will be restored, even if the master has moved – this is an easier way.

Cluster components are connected using the Selectel global router. This service is a collection of physically redundant routers located in different pools and combined into one IP/MPLS routing domain. The solution closes several aspects of the operation of the finished 1C cloud at once:

• Availability. This is a private network that is isolated from other clients.
• Optimization. It is easy to scale resources depending on the load. If the resources of dedicated servers are not enough, you can expand into the cloud – a global router will connect the two parts of the infrastructure into one system.
• Safety. The global router is associated with firewalls.

How licenses are rented

Now a beta test has been launched in the product, so users receive 1C licenses along with the service. Since activation takes place on the provider’s side, deployment can be carried out by any administrator. Minimum involvement and fast time-to-market.

Ready cloud 1C also allows customers to come with their valid licenses. In this case, clients are allocated an isolated pool for active licenses, while rental licenses are located on another server.

Alternative solutions: 1C Fresh and Timing

Now on the market there are several similar solutions from 1C. They also help optimize work with cloud 1C and do not require serious employee training. We are talking about 1C Fresh and 1C Ready Workplace (GRM).

Let’s briefly compare them in the table:

• 1C Fresh well suited for small companies. 24 basic 1C configurations are available to users. With the growth of the company, when more tools and services need to be used for effective work, you rest your head against this ceiling. Since the configurator is not provided, it is impossible to finish the solution for business needs.
• 1C timing offers a choice of much more configurations – 50. At the same time, there is access to the configurator, so the solution can already be adapted to your tasks. 1C GRM is well suited for companies that have grown from 1C Fresh and are not demanding on resources. 1C GRM does not provide flexible resource management.

1C GRM offers an average resource consumption model. In cases where it is necessary that resources are considered not from the number of users, but from the actual technical characteristics and needs of users, 1C GRM cannot offer a flexible scenario.

• 1C in the cloud implements the pay-as-you-go payment model. That is, by the amount of resources (servers). In addition to ready-made ones, it is possible to load self-written and modified configurations and manage resources more efficiently.

If any database needs more computing power, they can be easily added in the Selectel control panel.

What’s wrong with on-prem

In the case of on-prem installations, it is clear that the client will not encounter any restrictions with access to the configurator, but there are risks. He will have to bear all responsibility for the IT infrastructure on his own, and this is a whole list:

• It is difficult to scale IT infrastructure. It is not always possible to get the necessary resources and components (disks, processors) on time, and the question also arises of what to do with them after the active period.
• The process of deploying IT infrastructure and updates takes longer than the provider, so this may affect business goals.
• We need capital expenditures for the purchase of equipment and 1C licenses.
• The issue of security falls entirely on the employees of the company. It is important to store data not only under the protection of reliable software, but also in accordance with the requirements of the law.

Advantages of 1C in the Selectel cloud

Safety

Almost everything falls under the law on data operators: from paper catalogs to banks. That is, the data must be stored not only under a secure lock, but also in accordance with the rules.

Stable Licensing

Software or hardware licenses are often deactivated due to node migration under load. The licenses are hardcoded to the characteristics of the servers, so they cannot be rediscovered. For this reason, we use dedicated servers for licensing with additional replicas to make this component of the system fault-tolerant.

Low entry threshold and delegation

Deployment and updating occurs automatically according to the selected tariff and configuration. The user does not participate in the assembly and configuration of hardware, he does not need to contact Selectel support. Scaling the system is also easy – everything works from

control panels

. The user’s area of ​​responsibility is only the application and data. Everything else, from the network infrastructure to the runtime environment, is handled by the provider.

Lack of capital costs and ease of scaling

Compared to on-prem, this approach will be more profitable, because 1C at its facilities is difficult to adapt to changes in load. The equipment is either idle or unable to cope with the volume of work. In the cloud platform, you can redistribute resources at any time.

Conclusion

A ready-made 1C solution in the cloud frees users from working with the technical side of the system operation. The provider updates components, creates backup copies and helps to scale computing resources depending on the load.

The main thing is that the solution provides users with a fault-tolerant platform. Along with access to the configurator, the user gets complete freedom to use 1C for their projects.