Focal Point^® can be set up in simple environment in which the application is deployed to an application server. This simple environment setup is best for organizations with a limited number of users or that are using Focal Point^® for evaluation.

In this example, Focal Point^® is deployed to an application server. The application server is configured to work with the database server and the license server. Users can access Focal Point^® from a web client.

Focal Point^® can be set up on a clustered environment to enable failover and load balancing.

In this example, the environment includes several web clients, a load balancer, several nodes of Focal Point^®, a database server, and a license server.

In a cluster setup, a user can enter URLs to log on to the nodes. With the load balancer, the nodes are hidden behind a common URL prefix, such as:

Instead of accessing the nodes directly, users access the load balancer, which routes the request to one of the nodes. After a session is set up on a node, all of the subsequent requests in that session are routed to the same node.

For information about the requirements for setting up a clustered environment, see Setting up clusters for Focal Point^®.