Staging Server background information

The staging server is a test environment very similar to the production environment, in which users can test changes without impact to the production server. The staging server is useful for both technical and business users. For example, technical users can test changes to JSP pages, EJBs and commands and business users can test new products, prices and product descriptions. Verifying these changes in a test environment ensures that the changes do not cause incorrect or unexpected situations in the production environment. Once tested successfully, the changes can be moved to the production server.

The staging server consists of three parts:

  1. The WebSphere Commerce Server Application Server environment. This includes the hardware and software on the staging system.
  2. A delta data capturing function, which determines what database changes occurred on the staging server. The delta data capturing function also determines which changes should propagate to the production system.
  3. Data moving utility commands, which allow you to easily copy data between the staging and production environments.

Three common staging server setup scenarios follow:

Feedback