NonStop SOAP for Java User's Manual

Introduction to NonStop SOAP for Java
NonStop SOAP for Java User’s Manual—523860-001
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Brief Introduction to Web Services
Brief Introduction to Web Services
A Web service is a collection of functions that are packaged as a single-entity and
published to the network for use by other programs.
A Web service has the following features:
•
It is accessible through a SOAP (Simple Object Access Protocol) interface
•
It’s interface is described in a WSDL (Web Services Definition Language)
document
SOAP is an extensible XML messaging protocol that forms the foundation of Web
services. SOAP provides a simple and consistent mechanism that allows one
application to send an XML message to another application.
A SOAP message is a one-way transmission from a SOAP sender to a SOAP receiver,
and any application can participate in an exchange as either sender or receiver. SOAP
messages may be combined to support many communications behaviors, including
request/response, solicit response, one-way asynchronous messaging, or event
notification. SOAP is a high-level protocol that defines only the message structure and
a few rules for message processing. It is completely independent of the underlying
transport protocol, so SOAP messages can be exchanged over HTTP (Hypertext
Transfer Protocol), JMS (Java Message Service), or mail transport protocols.
WSDL
WSDL is an XML document that contains a set of definitions that describes a Web
service. WSDL provides all the information needed to access and use a Web service.
A WSDL document describes what the Web service does, how it communicates, and
where it resides. You use the WSDL document at development-time to create your
service interfaces.
Creating a NonStop Web Service for Java
You can describe, deploy, and invoke new and legacy software components on a
NonStop server as a Web service. For example, you can expose a component such as
a Java class or Enterprise Java Bean (stateless, stateful, or an entity bean described
later). The steps to create and execute a NonStop Web service in Java are:
1. Describe. To describe a component as a Web service requires that a WSDL
document is created so that clients of the Web service know what structure to use
when creating the SOAP message and where to deliver the message. The
NonStop SOAP for Java infrastructure facilitates the creation of WSDL documents
using the Administration tools. To generate WSDL, see Using the Administration
Tools on page 5-1.
Note. Currently, the HTTP protocol is the most frequently used transport for SOAP messages
and the only transport protocol supported by NonStop SOAP for Java.