Components of connector for HTTP

Figure 1 illustrates the connector for HTTP, including its protocol handler and listener frameworks.

Note:
The Adapter for HTTP comes with a limited use license of the XML data handler. The adapter, however, does not require the XML data handler to function.

Figure 1. The connector for HTTP


The following components interact to enable data exchanges across the Internet:

Connector for HTTP

During request processing, the connector responds to collaboration service calls by converting business objects to request messages and conveying them to specified destinations. Optionally (for synchronous request processing) the connector converts response messages to response business objects and returns these to the collaboration.

During event processing, the connector processes request messages from clients by converting them into request business objects and passing them on to collaborations for processing. The connector optionally receives response business objects from the collaboration, which are converted to response messages and then returned to clients.

For further information, see HTTP connector

Note:
In this document, any mention of a connector is a reference to the HTTP connector, unless specified otherwise.

Protocol listeners and handlers

The connector includes the following protocol listeners and handler:

Protocol listeners detect events from internal or external clients in HTTP, or HTTPS formats. They notify the connector of events that require processing by a collaboration. Protocol listeners then read the business-object-level and attribute-level ASI, connector properties, and transformation rules embedded in protocol configuration objects to determine the collaboration, data handler, processing mode (synchronous/asynchronous) and transport-specific aspects of the transaction. For a detailed account of protocol listener processing, see Protocol listeners.

Protocol handlers invoke HTTP services in HTTP or HTTPS formats on behalf of a collaboration. The HTTP(S) protocol handler reads TLO ASI and transformation rules embedded in protocol configuration objects to determine how to process the request (synchronously or asynchronously), which data handler to use to convert messages to business objects and vice versa, and to determine the destination (from the Destination attribute of the request business object Protocol Config MO). For synchronous transactions, the protocol handler processes response messages, converting them into response business objects and passing them back to the collaboration.

For further information on protocol handlers, see Protocol handling.

Data handler

You can configure the HTTP adapter to use any data handler. For purposes of illustration, this document often makes references to a text/xml mime type and an XML data handler.

The configured data handler converts business objects to messages and vice versa. For further information see the documentation for the data handler you are using with the HTTP adapter.

Object discovery agents

If you are using a data handler for which there is an object discovery agent (ODA), you can use that ODA to generate business objects. For example, if your requirements include XML encoding and if you configure the adapter with the XML data handler, you can use the XML ODA to create and modify business objects.

Deploying the connector

There are two ways to deploy the HTTP connector:

Note:
The HTTP connector does not include a gateway or front-end for managing incoming or outgoing messages from or to external clients. You must configure and deploy your own gateway. The connector must be deployed within the enterprise only, not in the DMZ or outside of the firewall.

Copyright IBM Corp. 1997, 2004