June 08, 2007 | Comments: (0)
Open source middleware company WSO2 will announce general availability Monday of its WSO2 Enterprise Service Bus (ESB) for Web services.
Based on the new Apache Synapse 1.0 Web service management and integration broker, the ESB features both Web services and XML capabilities. The ESB provides a platform for routing messages with sub-millisecond overhead. It can scale to manage thousands of simultaneous connections.
The ESB extends the Apache Synapse XML router and mediation engine with an integrated registry and a graphical interface enabling administrators to manage Web service interactions. Services can be virtualized, enabling users to route and manage services without changing application code, WSO2 said.
A Web-based interface is featured. WSO2 offers service and support options for the ESB.
Synapse, according to Apache, is a Web services intermediary and SOA framework.
Posted by Paul Krill on June 8, 2007 01:06 PM
May 02, 2007 | Comments: (0)
Progress extends Sonic ESB 7.5 with BPEL server, SOA management
Progress Software this week released Sonic ESB 7.5, an update to the innovative enterprise service bus that adds a BPEL process orchestration server and integrates with Progress Actional, the company's SOA monitoring and management solution. The ESB also now integrates with Progress DataXtend Semantic Integrator (SI), a data validation and transformation engine that can be deployed as a service into the bus.
Last but not least, the rev includes a number of performance tweaks. Progress reps didn't say as much, but if you had to choose a theme for all of the enhancements, it would appear to be improved support for larger, more complex environments.
Calling DataXtend SI "maybe the most interesting single piece of technology in this story," Sonic product marketing guy Ken Schwarz said the technology offers a way to eliminate the "accidental architecture" (aka spaghetti) of multiple point-to-point transformations.
According to Schwarz, DataXtend SI lets you create a common data model, which is basically the union of all the data models in your SOA. Using the Eclipse-based Sonic Workbench, you define the mappings between your endpoints and the model, and the tool generates the Java code for validation and transformation. Finally, the DataXtend service plugs into the bus, and you invoke it as a step in an Itinerary (Sonic's mechanism for content-based message routing) or in a BPEL process.
The new Sonic BPEL Server, which brings WS-BPEL 2.0 compliant service orchestration to the platform, essentially shows the old Sonic Orchestration Server the door. Sonic product manager Jaime Meritt said that "O Server" would continue to be supported, but BPEL Server would be the focus of development efforts going forward.
Here again, the BPEL support is integrated into Workbench, where developers can assemble processes by dragging and dropping controls from a palette of BPEL actions. Schwarz said the company scrupulously avoided adding any language extensions. "We have a lot of secret sauce," he added, "but it's all hidden behind the WSDL interface... because the ability to import other people's BPEL and the ability to transport BPEL is important."
As with Itineraries for content-based routing, Workbench allows you to debug BPEL processes that span multiple messaging brokers across a distributed environment. As Meritt showed in a WebEx demo, you can set break points in the BPEL process, or in the intelligent route, and step through local and remote processes and service states.
On the Actional integration, Meritt had this to say: "We package the interceptors with the ESB and with BPEL for talking with Actional, so it's all integrated out of the box, with zero configuration essentially." Actional can monitor the BPEL Server, the ESB message brokers, and all service endpoints, providing a graphical view of service connections and activity and helping to pinpoint bottlenecks.
Finally, Schwarz and Meritt said the 7.5 release also features these performance boosts (versus version 7.0.1) and other improvements:
* A new embedded HTTP server that speeds broker to broker communications by 2x to 10x
* Faster XML processing capabilities that speed Itinerary throughput (Web service invocation, XPath-based routing, and XSLT operations) by 3x to 10x
* Improved directory service replication for high availability, allowing for fast and transactionally secure replication between multiple directory services
* Redundant network paths between cluster participants
* Finer-grained role-based access control for configuration and management, and improved auditing
* Successful interoperability testing with Microsoft's Windows Communication Foundation and its implementations of WS-ReliableMessaging, WS-Security, WS-Policy, and WS-Addressing
Posted by Doug Dineley on May 2, 2007 02:00 PM
March 06, 2007 | Comments: (0)
Preview: Cape Clear beta promises more scalable SOA
Cape Clear is revving up to roll out Cape Clear Studio 7, the latest incarnation of the company's development platform for building Web services atop its ESB. I've been playing with the beta, and it strikes me that all of the enhancements are aimed at improving usability and enhancing development in larger IT camps.
For instance, although Studio remains a Windows-only application, it has been ported to Eclipse 3.2 (Calisto) and now installs off a single, wizard-driven executable that simplifies deployment. The new edition also takes good advantage of concepts like project builders and pluggable project facets -- encapsulated functionality specs that simplify project development and management.
BPEL composition benefits from easier viewing facilities, like zoom (a glaring absence in earlier runs), and enhanced wizardry for abstracting development. I also liked the improved partner link support, now more fully integrating third party services without requiring workarounds. Further, WSDL files are treated more dynamically, with external references replacing files previously hard-stored within projects. It all adds up to improved development flexibility.
Cape Clear has a strong commitment to educating customers on best practices for SOA migration -- through strong tutorials and integrated help samples, for example -- that consequently makes them a good starting point for smaller shops. The familiar Eclipse cheat sheets have even been filled out to offer developers step-by-step, point-and-click roadmaps for constructing and deploying Java-based Web services.
Other enhancements to the studio include simplified conversion of existing Java projects and stricter WS-I validation in the Web services test facility. Cape Clear is keeping mum on many additional goodies slated for the Cape Clear 7 platform release later this month. And, to be sure, there are still a number of important bugs to be worked out. I'm looking forward to the GA release. Keep an eye on the InfoWorld Test Center pages for our exclusive on Cape Clear 7 in coming weeks.
Cape Clear Studio 7.0 Beta
Availaility: GA due March 2007
Pricing: To be determined
Verdict: Strong team-based enhancements and enterprise-grade components like clustering, orchestration, and BAM promise to make Cape Clear a stronger consideration for larger SOA rollouts. Improved usability and development wizardry in Cape Clear Studio show the company is making good strides. Our final verdict must be reserved until the GA release in March.
Posted by James Borck on March 6, 2007 05:49 PM