WebSphere Adapter for SAP

Introduction to WebSphere Adapters

[TBD–These are just notes] WebSphere Adapters are part of the WebSphere family of products. WebSphere Adapters make it possible for applications to communicate with resources on the information system of an enterprise. The J2EE component can then request services from the EIS, or the EIS can request services from the J2EE component. You use the WebSphere Integration Developer during design time to configure the WebSphere Adapter. Specifically, you use the enterprise service discovery wizard of the WebSphere Integration Developer to introspect the EIS to discover services. The enterprise service discovery creates standard data objects and services for inbound and outbound exchange. During run time, you deploy the module to WebSphere Process Server or WebSphere Enterprise Service Bus.

WebSphere Adapters are based on the J2EE Connector architecture, a standard that specifies how to integrate a J2EE component with the EIS. WebSphere Adapters are sometimes referred to as resource adapters (because they are packaged as resource adapter archive (RAR) files).

A WebSphere Adapter acts as an intermediary between a J2EE component and the EIS, so that the J2EE component does not need to understand the low-level API or data structures of the EIS.

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

In a typical development environment, a business analyst or process designer simulates a set of process definitions, a software architect models those definitions, and a Java programmer implements them. The WebSphere family of products includes

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:
  1. 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
  2. The Software architect imports the WS-BPEL file into Rational Software Architect, where the architect creates an implementation model.
  3. J2EE or Java™ application programmers implement the business process application components in the architect's model using Rational Application Developer for WebSphere Software.
  4. 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.
  5. Managers and business analysts use WebSphere Business Monitor to track and analyze the business processes.
  6. System administrators use WebSphere MQ, WebSphere Application Server, and Tivoli Access Manager to manage the infrastructure, provide security, and optimize performance.

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Last updated: Thu 12 Oct 2006 03:34:41

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