WebSphere® Adapters are part of the WebSphere software platform,
which includes over 300 products. The core of the WebSphere software platform
is WebSphere Application Server, which offers specialized configurations to
meet a broad range of critical business needs, including transaction management,
security, clustering, performance, availability, connectivity, and scalability.
WebSphere Adapters work with several WebSphere products, such as WebSphere
Process Server, WebSphere Enterprise Service Bus, and WebSphere Integration
Developer.
WebSphere Adapters enable inbound and outbound connectivity between
enterprise information systems and J2EE-based applications hosted by either
of the following products:
- WebSphere Process Server
- WebSphere Enterprise Service Bus
WebSphere Process Server and WebSphere Enterprise Service Bus
extend the capabilities of WebSphere Application Server by providing standards-based
integration platforms for building and deploying composite applications in
terms of the components and services they provide, without regard for the
underlying implementation of those components.
WebSphere Process Server
and WebSphere Enterprise Service Bus include capabilities that make it possible
to model, build, deploy, install, configure, run, monitor, and manage integration
applications. WebSphere Integration Developer, which is the development environment
for WebSphere Process Server and WebSphere Enterprise Service Bus, complements
the following WebSphere products:
- WebSphere Business Modeler, version 6.0, used by business analysts and
process designers to chart and simulate process definitions
- WebSphere Business Monitor, version 6.0, used by business analysts to
track and analyze business processes
WebSphere Integration Developer can also be used in conjunction
with the following Rational® products to create a powerful integration development
platform:
- IBM Rational Application Developer, version 6.0
- IBM Rational Software Architect, version 6.0
The following figure shows how the products work together. The
information in this document concentrates on the highlighted areas–the WebSphere
Integration Developer, which you use to configure the WebSphere Adapter, and
the WebSphere Process Server or WebSphere Enterprise Service Bus, to which
the integration components are deployed.
How
WebSphere products work together.
The following list shows how
individuals with different responsibilities in an enterprise might use components
of the WebSphere product family to create and monitor an application:
- A business analyst or process designer uses WebSphere Business Modeler
to chart and simulate process definitions and then exports the definition
to a Web Services Business Process Execution Language (WS-BPEL) file
- The Software architect imports the WS-BPEL file into Rational Software
Architect, where the architect creates an implementation model.
- J2EE or Java™ application programmers implement the business process application
components in the architect's model using Rational Application Developer for
WebSphere Software.
- Integration developers use WebSphere Integration Developer (and WebSphere
adapters) to configure the process with new and existing applications. The
results are deployed to the WebSphere Process Server or WebSphere Enterprise
Service Bus.
- Managers and business analysts use WebSphere Business Monitor to track
and analyze the business processes.
- System administrators use WebSphere MQ, WebSphere Application Server,
and Tivoli Access Manager to manage the infrastructure, provide security,
and optimize performance.