Use the application platform across SOA obstacles
Author: Andy Lin and Som Sengupta
According to Gartner estimation, by 2008, more than 60% of companies will use the service-oriented architecture (SOA) as the dominant principle when creating a key task application. If it is implemented correctly, SOA is expected to increase development speed and shorten integrated time. This article focuses on some of the challenges in the SOA implementation and demonstrates the feasibility of implementing SOA using Application Platform. We use Bea WebLogic Platform 8.1 to explain how to use it to handle various SOA implementations, including development and integration cost, security, transaction, service control and management. We have further provided an example (DemoApp) to clear some architectural modes that help correctly implement SOA.
SOA and its implementation challenge SOA is a service set constructing structure that can communicate with each other around the network. These services are loosely coupled to each other, which are clearly defined and independent of the platform interface, and can be reused. It is easy to integrate SOA and existing systems while proper assisting companies improve their ability to adapt to changing business requirements and market conditions. Easy integration and better flexibility bring more return on investment.
In order to properly implement SOA, first we must understand it. The following sections describe the technical aspects of SOA and focused on some of the challenges in the implementation of the SOA process.
SOA technology: Define services: Execute software component groups for business processes. Loose coupling: A variation in a service does not require a change in service. Reusable: Soa helps cover the technical complexity of the service by focusing on business processes and using independent of the platform. QoS requirements: Due to the loose coupling of the service, the QoS requirements should be considered when the SOA is implemented. Enterprise Service Bus: It is a method of implementing SOA. It is a software infrastructure that uses standard interfaces and messaging for application integration. SOA and Web Services: Help implement SOA well-implemented Web service standards, although they are not dependent on each other.
Implement SOA Challenge This section focuses on the establishment of some of the challenges in SOA. The following sections provide more detailed analysis to these challenges and provide strategies that effectively solve these problems based on WebLogic Platform use.
Q Developed and integrated cost T redesign your existing system costs too high. Q Safety T Implementing security in a closed system is always easier than an open architecture. q Transaction Q Service Control and Management Standard T Randard around the Web Services is still being formed.
The application platform Gartner defines an integrated application platform that includes an enterprise application server, an integration proxy and portal server. Application Platform share a single intermediate infrastructure, a single system management, a single development tool set, a single web service framework, and a shared metadata warehouse.
Application Platform provides a framework for the following tasks: Q Using the OS Manage Hardware Q Maintaining the Transparent Communication Channel Q of Applications and Arrange Communication Channels (Buffer Pool) Q provides transparent connection to other EIS systems to ensure depth security Q transaction support Q Business Process Engine Q Message Agent Q Data Representation Layer Q General Development Environment Q Service Management Console
A typical J2EE application platform consists of the following components: QJVM: Management Environment for code execution q Application Server: Provide infrastructure for distributed calculations Support Q Integration: Business Process and Message Agent Q Portal: Used for data representation and user interaction frame
BEA WebLogic Platform 8.1 is an integrated platform that makes web applications, web services, enterprise Java Beans, workflow, messaging applications, business portals, trade partner applications, and more information. It consists of the following components: QWebLogic JROCKIT 8.1 QWeblogic Server 8.1 QWeblogic Integration 8.1 QWeblogic Portal 8.1 QWEBLOGIC WORKSHOP 8.1 Using the application platform to implement SOA feasibility-oriented architecture ensures that each service can only be available for other services after the following features : Q Asynchronous interactive q Service Loose coupled Q coarse granular communication
An application platform uses a simple step to collect infrastructure support to achieve this. The following steps can make SOA around the application component possible: q Create a custom control Q to create a new or reused existing conversion control, connect it to custom controls Q with an asynchronous web service package custom control
Using the steps mentioned above, the principle is as follows: Q Custom control can be understood by modifying business criteria. Other components connected to the Web Services custom control should not be affected by this change. Conversion controls associated with custom controls are used for this purpose. QWEB services follows an open communication standard. At the same time, custom controls can overcome semantic obstacles by using asynchronous paradigm and self-description SOAP messaging. Q If you use a Web service package to join a proxy service, custom controls can extend their range to completely isolated and independent systems.
Solve the development and integration challenges in SOA New application development requires a unified, simplified platform to reduce costs and obstacles. Redesign your existing system architecture requires an open and scalable platform that supports integration with original investment and complementary applications through standard-based interfaces.
Gartner Consulting has conducted a study of BEA "Application Platform Suites: An Architectural Cost Analysis", which analyzes the enterprise application implemented on integrated and non-integrated platforms and found that the integrated platform can significantly shorten the time. And reduce IT costs, especially it help: q shortened Time 22% q Save 25% of the entire application lifecycle 25% cost q Reuse software components and services
Safety Challenges in SOA In the application architecture, SOA will bring the following security challenges: Q security policy build and distribution mechanism should be independent of any particular application infrastructure technology. q Message-based security context is required. Q Safety Information Exchange should be in a universal logic level, that is, independent of internal security technology. Q In a loosely coupled environment, each service should be inherently safe. The old type of network security (using a firewall) is not enough. q Message-based screening is more important for web services based calls.
WebLogic Platform 8.1 Safety Support Based on the WebLogic Security Framework (Security Framework) Platform Security: Q Support Message Signs Q allows the message-based status (Identity Assertion) q Reduce the development Q to adapt to business security policies within the application within the application Change, without amending application code Q and the existing security product integration Q and the BEA application security product suite to interoperate Q across different application paths The following example points out the entire SOA-based deployment. Key security Point (see Figure 1): Q Single login Q across the web application For each user's personalized view Q and SAML identity declarators integrated Q Message-based security context propagation Q for any user access based role-based profile q The centralized and policy-based access control of any deployed application, the policy-based access control Solve the transaction challenge in SOA, a large business transaction should be removed into a series of operating time shorter transactions: q requires the appropriate compensation action to roll back The role of atomic affairs q Per Service may be short enough to relate to a long-term operation of other services, and should only involve only transaction support for local resources WebLogic Platform 8.1 for this service. WebLogic Platform 8.1: Q A set of custom controls associated with a single workflow or sub-workflow can use the two asynchronous connection workflows using two asynchronous connection workflows using different atomic transactions q The failure that occurs can be transmitted by callback, so appropriate compensation measures Q Web service dialogue help maintenance transaction-related
A WebLogic Integration application has been established to demonstrate loose coupling transactions across two workflow instances (see Figure 2). These two workflows communicate through asynchronous web services. The interaction steps are as follows: Q Perform nodes use as custom control Wrapper and allows atomic transactions to be available. Q Workflow1 includes an atomic transaction. In this transaction, it performs business operations through custom controls and launches Workflow2 through a web service dialog. q When the atomic transaction rolls back, the exception processor "HandleAtomicException" is triggered. Q Workflow2 contains atomic transactions. If it fails, it will notify Workflow1 via a session web service callback. Q Workflow1 receives a web service callback. The web service infrastructure session support helps create a transaction association between Workflow1 and Workflow2. Q If the message received through the web service is pointed out that the atomic transaction in Workflow2 fails, a compensation measure will be taken through an exception processor "undo perform". Q Web Service Reliability Support is used to ensure the availability of key transactions interaction.
For the URL of the DemoApp source code, see Appendix. This example is tested in a WebLogic Integration Domain on WebLogic Platform 8.1 (Service Pack 2).
Solve the requirements of service control and management challenges in SOA, the requirements of management and monitoring services are explained, including the following: q Unified Policy Configuration Q Distributed SLA Execute Q QoS and Reliable Message Transfer Q Service Supply Q Service Routing And failure recovery
Service Monitoring Demand BEA has been working with many third-party companies to support service management and monitoring on WebLogic Platform. For example, the control provided by Blue Titan and Conflunt has been bundled with WebLogic Platform 8.1 (starting from Service Pack 2). Blue Titan is a strategic partner of BEA. Blue Titan and BEA provide a joint solution to provide companies with all elements needed to establish, deploy, and control the increasing distributed web service applications. By using confluent for BEA, services developed in BEA WebLogic Workshop 8.1 can be automatically monitored, managed, and protected during development without writing any additional code. Confluent FOR BEA Q Conflunt Management Platform T Conflunt Monitor T Confluent Agent and Gateway Q Control T Provides a fine-grained monitoring. In addition to the Monitoring of Confluent For BEA, providing developers with a meter level monitoring Blue Titan for Bea Q Blue Titan Network Director T Blue Titan Manager: Provides all Policy creation, persistence, and status management features T Blue Titan Engine : Propagation Policy Updates and Queue Log Information T Blue Titan Control Point: Performing and implementing policies implementing SOA correct architecture patterns on the application platform can help facilitate the implementation of SOA on the application platform. In this section, we provide some examples to explain the loosely coupled interaction between the various platforms (BEA) components. The data conversion layer between NetUI and custom controls brings flexibility in design. Any change in the page stream and the input field can be encapsulated by data conversion. Details of data conversion and communication mechanisms are encapsulated into custom controls in reusable ways. Different types of page streams can be associated with custom controls by accommodating an updated mode that represents user interaction data. The web service of the calling process control can be used as an intermediary for input verification, routing and content filtering. This helps connect multiple flow flows and NetUi-based front ends. The changes in the implementation of the business process or their downtime can be hidden to the user of the business process.
NetUi to Database Via DB / AI Control calls the AI control Web service can be used as an intermediary for input verification, routing, and content filtering. This helps connect multiple backend systems with NETUI-based front ends. The changes in the implementation of the backend enterprise or their downtime can be hidden for users of enterprise systems. In the end, this architecture mode provides backend companies to reusable loose coupling services. Using a web service as an intermediary, you can connect the enterprise system after the firewall.
Future Trends In this article, we introduced some challenges related to SOA implementation, and in detail how an application platform (such as WebLogic Platform 8.1) helps effectively handle these challenges. Despite the standards around SOA and Web services, we expect some of them to have an important impact on the next-generation application platform: Q BPEL specification is introducing open standards for business process interactive protocols. Q WS-Policy specifies an abstraction of a logical level to cross-enterprise rules and strategy management. Q XAML is introducing a standard that represents the user interface requirements by logical construction. This will help achieve interoperability across different user interfaces.
