Multi-Channel Setup
Overview
Bloomreach Content's delivery framework (HST) supports multi-language, multi-channel, multi-domain, and multi-webapp configurations by default. HST configuration enables these capabilities without custom development. The framework also supports linking across domains, channels, languages, and sites. When you create links between documents in different sites or languages, HST resolves them automatically. These links can point to resources on different domains.
HST is designed to scale to large numbers of sites, channels, and translations. Some implementations operate with up to 500 channels, including translations. Internal testing has validated performance with up to 1,500 channels without degradation.
Channel Manager
You can use the Channel Manager in Experience Manager to create new channels within the CMS. A channel can represent a subsite, a translated site, a mobile site, or other variants. When you create or modify a channel, the Channel Manager updates the underlying HST configuration.
The child pages in this section describe how to manually perform tasks that the Channel Manager automates. This information is relevant when developing a blueprint. A blueprint contains HST configuration fragments that are copied when a new channel is created. As a developer, you typically create and test these configuration parts manually before including them in a blueprint.
Terminology
- Multi-language: Multiple channels, each serving the same content in a different language.
- Multi-domain: Multiple domains (hosts) configured in HST.
- Multi-channel: Multiple channels serving content from the same web application.
- Multi-webapp: Multiple site web applications.
Depending on requirements, a channel may need custom HST configuration. For example, a French channel can have its own sitemap (with French URLs) and site menu, but share components and templates with the English version.
Tutorials
The following tutorials provide step-by-step instructions for adding new channels and translated channels. In HST, both are considered channels.