Understanding Business Services

Business Services are the data pipeline that the IMPAX Clients on connected stations use to get PACS information. The Business Services reside on the Application Server or Servers. Based on how you configure access to these business services, you can enhance security and performance.

In the Client, you can customize how different groups of stations, which are organized under station containers, access the Business Services. For details, refer to "Configuring access to Business Services" (topic number 9400) in the IMPAX 6.5.1 Client Knowledge Base: Extended.

Virtual directories

Access to the Business Services is configured through a URL that uses an HTTP, HTTPS, SPFTP, or ASPFTP protocol. For details, refer to "Protocols for Business Services and image access" (topic number 9396) in the IMPAX 6.5.1 Client Knowledge Base: Extended.

All Business Services reside in virtual directories on the Application Server. They are split into ten virtual directories:

AgfaHC.Connectivity.Web.Services
AgfaHC.Healthcheck.Escrow
AgfaHC.LanguageRedirect
AgfaHC.Messaging.Server.Web.Services
AgfaHC.Pacs.Web
AgfaHC.Pacs.Web.Services
AgfaHC.Ris.Web.Services
AgfaHC.User.Administration.Web.Services
AgfaHC.User.Security.Web.Services
AgfaHC.User.Web.Services

All services in one virtual directory must point to the same hostname. For example, the following two AgfaHC.Pacs services point to the same Application Server:

https://appserver1/AgfaHC.Pacs.web.services/worklistmetadataservice.ashx
https://appserver1/AgfaHC.Pacs.web.services/pixeldataservice.ashx

Load balancing

By defining access to Business Services through either load balancers or specific Application Servers, you can provide load balancing capabilities to your system.

With a load balancer

If you have a load balancer, you can configure access to the Business Services through that load balancer, which distributes the load for you. For example:

http://loadbalancer1/AgfaHC.Pacs.web.services/worklistmetadataservice.ashx

You can also use multiple load balancers. For example, you can centralize all AgfaHC.User business services in one set of Application Servers, behind one load balancer that all station in the system use. The rest of the business services can be on another set of Application Servers located behind a different load balancer that is used by a specific set of stations.

Without a load balancer

If you are working without a load balancer, you can still gain some of the benefits of load balancing by placing different Business Services on different Application Servers and defining their access accordingly. For example, you can centralize all AgfaHC.User, AgfaHC.User.Administration, and AgfaHC.User.Security Business Services on one Application Server that all stations in the system use. The rest of the services could be on another set of Application Servers that are used by a specific set of stations.

Security and performance

To enforce security, you can customize how different stations access the Business Services. For example, stations outside the hospital can access the IMPAX business services using a specific server and host using the HTTPS protocol, which is more secure. Within the hospital, IMPAX can use less secure protocols, such as HTTP on a different server and host. (To achieve this configuration, you must have all stations inside the hospital organized under a different station container.)