You can refer the Windchill Runtime Architecture topics in the Windchill Help Center. It also has a nice graphic. Excerpts from the above link:
TheWindchillserver components include the following:
- TheWindchillclient
- TheWindchillapplication server (consisting of the server manager and one or more method servers)
- An HTTP web server ( default Apache)
- A Java EE servlet container (Tomcat)
- A relational database server (Oracle or SQL)
- An LDAP server (Windchill Directory Server)
- Windchill Index Searchpowered by Solr (optional)
- A reverse proxy server (optional)
- An authentication server such as SiteMinder (optional)
The server manager has two main tasks:
- Start up and monitor the method servers
- Manage cache propagation between method servers and throughout a cluster (if you have set up a clustered environment).
To bringWindchillonline, you start the server manager. The server manager starts and registers the method servers it is to monitor.
The method servers are the core of theWindchillapplication. They manage the interactions between objects and enforces behavior and business rules.
Your Windchill server configuration can include one or more method servers.
The LDAP (Lightweight Directory Access Protocol) directory server maintains user and group information forWindchillas well as internal system groups. The directory server also contains Info*Engine configuration information.
You can go throught the sub-topics in the link provided above.
Hope that helps.
Regards
~Syed