This topic provides an overview of the architecture of an IBM WebSphere Adapter.
An IBM WebSphere Adapter enables bidirectional connectivity between Enterprise Information Systems (EISs) and J2EE components supported by WebSphere Process Server.
Requests can be sent to the resource adapter by any J2EE component via the Common Client Interface (CCI) defined by the JCA specification. For inbound, the adapter defines a "listener" interface and those message-driven beans that implement the interface are registered with the adapter by the application-server enabling them to receive any appropriate inbound events from the EIS.
Regardless of the whether data is intended for inbound or outbound delivery, the resource adapter (i.e. foundation classes plus EIS-specific subclasses) acts as a conduit for any J2EE application to communicate with the EIS.
Foundation classes implement a generic set of contracts that the server uses to manage interactions between J2EE applications and a WebSphere Adapter. These system contracts define the service provider interface (SPI). For example, system contracts specify security credential management, connection pooling, and transaction management parameters.
EIS subclasses define the Common Client Interface (CCI) and EIS API contracts. For example, events that are incoming to and outgoing from the adapter are managed by Activation and Connection Specs defined in the EIS subclasses. Included in this definition is a connection factory, which the adapter uses as an exchange between the server and the EIS.
Parent topic: How the adapter works
Related concepts
Outbound events
Inbound events