WebSphere Enterprise Service Bus, Version 6.2.0 Operating Systems: AIX, HP-UX, i5/OS, Linux, Solaris, Windows


Imports and import bindings

Imports define interactions between Service Component Architecture (SCA) modules and service providers. SCA modules use imports to permit components to access external services (services that are outside the SCA module) using a local representation. Import bindings define the specific way that an external service is accessed.

If SCA modules do not need to access external services they are not required to have imports. Mediation modules usually have one or more imports that are used to pass messages or requests on to their intended targets.

Interfaces and bindings

An SCA module import needs at least one interface, and an SCA module import has a single binding.
  • Import interfaces are abstract definitions that define a set of operations using Web Services Description Language (WSDL), an XML language for describing Web services. An SCA module can have many import interfaces.
  • Import bindings are concrete definitions that specify the physical mechanism that SCA modules use to access an external service.

Supported import bindings

WebSphere® ESB supports the following import bindings:
  • Web Service bindings permit components to invoke Web services. The supported protocols are SOAP/HTTP and SOAP/JMS. A Web services binding that uses SOAP/JMS, supports JMS using the default WebSphere Application Server default messaging provider in a point-to-point configuration. The SOAP/JMS binding does not support: generic JMS, MQ JMS, or the JMS broadcast mode.
  • SCA Bindings connect SCA modules to other SCA modules. SCA bindings are also referred to as default bindings.
  • Java™ Message Service (JMS) 1.1 Bindings permit interoperability with the WebSphere Application Server default messaging provider. JMS can exploit various transport types, including TCP/IP and HTTP or HTTPS. The JMS Message class and its five subtypes (Text, Bytes, Object, Stream, and Map) are automatically supported.
  • WebSphere MQ JMS bindings permit interoperability with WebSphere MQ based JMS providers. The JMS Message class and its five subtypes (Text, Bytes, Object, Stream, and Map) are automatically supported. If you want to use WebSphere MQ as a JMS provider you might have WebSphere MQ JMS bindings.
  • WebSphere MQ Bindings permit interoperability with WebSphere MQ. You can use WebSphere MQ bindings only with remote queue managers via a WebSphere MQ client connection; you cannot use them with local queue managers. You might have WebSphere MQ bindings if you want to communicate with native WebSphere MQ applications.
  • Generic JMS bindings permit interoperability with third-party JMS providers that integrate with the WebSphere Application Server using the JMS Application Server Facility (ASF).
  • WebSphere Adapters bindings permit interaction with Enterprise Information Systems (EIS).
  • HTTP bindings permit you to access applications using the HTTP protocol.

Dynamic invocation of services

Services can be invoked through any supported import binding. A service is normally found at an endpoint specified in the import. This endpoint is called a static endpoint. It is possible to invoke a different service by overriding the static endpoint. Dynamic override of static endpoints lets you invoke a service at another endpoint, through any supported import binding. Dynamic invocation of services also permits you to invoke a service, where the supported import binding does not have a static endpoint.

A specific configuration is used to control how dynamic invocation of services works. The configuration can be defined using a model import binding, or at invocation time.

The invocation target type is identified from the endpoint URL. An sca URL indicates an SCA module. An http or a jms URL indicates a web service. Using http in the URL does not mean that the endpoint is an HTTP service. Similarly, using jms in the URL does not mean that the endpoint is a JMS service.


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Timestamp icon Last updated: 21 June 2010


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