Web services gateway - frequently asked questions

This topic provides answers to a set of frequently asked questions about the Web services gateway.

What are Web services?

Web services are modular applications that interact with one another across the Internet. Web services are based on shared, open and emerging technology standards and protocols (such as SOAP, UDDI, and WSDL) and can communicate, interact, and integrate with other applications, no matter how they are implemented.

What is the IBM Web services gateway?

The gateway is a middleware component that bridges the gap between Internet and intranet environments during Web service invocations. You use the gateway to manage:

How does the Web services gateway work?

The gateway builds upon the Web Services Description Language (WSDL) and the Web Services Invocation Framework (WSIF) for deployment and invocation.

You deploy a Web service to the gateway by deploying a WSDL file that describes how the gateway accesses the service. You deploy the WSDL file to a UDDI registry or to a Web address. You can send requests through the gateway to a Java class, an enterprise bean, a SOAP server or a SOAP over JMS server (including another gateway).

A request to the Web services gateway arrives through a channel, is translated into an internal form, then passes through any filters that are registered for the requested service, and finally sent on to the service implementation. Responses follow the same path in reverse.

What problems are solved by the Web services gateway?

The gateway solves the following problems:

Who should use the Web services gateway?

Any enterprise that chooses to share its resources selectively with its business partners and customers. IT managers and developers, who deploy resources, can also benefit from this technology.

What is the difference between the Apache SOAP channel and the SOAP over HTTP channel?[Version 5.0.2 and later]

The Apache SOAP channel and the SOAP over HTTP channel both support SOAP applications that are SOAP 1.1 compatible (for example Apache SOAP 2.3 and Axis SOAP 1.0). Therefore if you have an application that uses a production-supported Axis 1.0 SOAP stack that is generating SOAP 1.1, then this application can use either channel. However the Apache SOAP channel is deprecated and wholly superseded by the SOAP over HTTP channel.

If you use the Apache SOAP channel, then the SOAP message format must be RPC style. The SOAP over HTTP channel has all the functionality of the Apache SOAP channel, and also supports:


Related tasks
Enabling Web services through the Web services gateway



Searchable topic ID:   cwsg_faq
Last updated: Jun 21, 2007 4:55:42 PM CDT    WebSphere Application Server Network Deployment, Version 5.0.2
http://publib.boulder.ibm.com/infocenter/wasinfo/index.jsp?topic=/com.ibm.websphere.nd.doc/info/ae/ae/cwsg_faq.html

Library | Support | Terms of Use | Feedback