Transcript WS-I Overview

Promoting Web services interoperability across
platforms, applications and programming languages
October, 2002
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The Context

Businesses need to innovate at an ever
increasing pace
 Success requires broad interoperability
– Within an enterprise
– Between business partners
– Across a heterogeneous set of platforms,
applications and programming languages

Internet technologies are assumed,
interoperability is required
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The Context

The shift to Web services is underway
– An Internet-native distributed computing
model based on XML standards has emerged
– Early implementations are solving problems
today and generating new requirements
– The Web services standards stack is
increasing in size and complexity to meet
these requirements

The fundamental characteristic of Web
services is interoperability
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The Challenge
“[the] architecture of Web services is not fully crystallized.
Without guidance, standards may fragment”
Gartner Group, March 12, 2001
“Inevitably, companies involved with Web services will define
them in their own way. The term Web services will be a
messy catchall phrase.”
Intelligent Enterprise, June 29, 2001
“standards…allow Web services to overcome the barriers of
different programming languages, operating systems, and
vendor platforms so multiple applications can interact.”
eWeek, August 13, 2001
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The Opportunity
?
Interoperability will accelerate Web services adoption
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What is Needed?

Guidance
– A common definition for Web services
– Implementation guidance and support for Web
services adoption

Interoperability
– Across platforms, applications, and languages
– Consistent, reliable interoperability between Web
services technologies from multiple vendors
– A standards integrator to help Web services
advance in a structured, coherent manner
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Goals

Achieve Web services interoperability
– Across platforms, applications and languages

Encourage Web services adoption
– Among customers, industries and end users

Accelerate Web services deployment
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Achieve Interoperability

Promote a common, clear definition for
Web services
 Integrate specifications from various
standards bodies
 Provide a visible representation of
conformance through use of WS-I logo
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Encourage Adoption

Build industry consensus to reduce early
adopter risks
 Provide a forum for end users to
communicate requirements
 Act as a customer advocate to raise
awareness of business requirements
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Accelerate Deployment

Offer implementation guidance and best
practices
 Deliver tools and sample applications
 Provide a forum for Web services
developers to collaborate and share
expertise
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WS-I Organization

Board
– Management and administration body
– Ensure the organization and its working groups
adhere to their defined scope

Working groups
– Develop materials and other deliverables to aid
Web services interoperability

Membership
– Vote to approve adoption and distribution of
any materials developed by the working groups
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Initial Working Groups

Scenarios and Sample Applications
– Anthony Roby, Accenture
– Sinisa Zimek, SAP

Web Services Basic Profile
– Keith Ballinger, Microsoft

Testing Tools and Materials
– Jacques Durand, Fujitsu
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WS-I.org Deliverables

Implementation scenarios
– Solution scenarios based on customer requirements

Profiles
– Named groups of specifications at given version levels
with conventions about how they work together

Test suites and supporting materials
– Conformance testing tools
– Supporting documentation and white papers

Sample code and applications
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Simplified Working Group Flow
Scenarios
and Sample Use Cases
Applications
Web Services Basic
Profile
Testing
Tools and
Materials
Testing
Tools
Usage
Scenarios
Sample
Applications
Profiles
Other Test
Materials
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Profiles
Profile




Provide guidance on general
purpose Web services functionality
Address interoperability at a level
above specification-by-specification
Supporting specifications and
standards will be considered from
multiple industry sources
Profile development will reflect
market needs and requirements
Links to
Specs
Conventions
and Best
Practices
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Use Cases and Usage Scenarios

Capture requirements
– Use cases capture business requirements
– Usage scenarios capture technical requirements needed
for Web services to meet these business requirements

Drive profile creation
– Prompt revision to an existing profile
– Become the requirements statement for a new profile

Drive sample application creation
– Sample applications represent a solution to a use case
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Test Activity

Test tools and materials
– Designed to test Web service implementations for errors
and to ensure conformance with the profiles
– Final materials available to all Web service developers

Sample applications
–
–
–
–
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Implementation of one or more use cases
Built in multiple languages to run on many platforms
Validate correct functioning of test tools
Demonstrate profile-based interoperability
Source code for the implementations will be available
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Test Activity

Test resources
– A Web services monitoring tool (Sniffer) will collect
messages to and from Web services
– A logging tool (Logger) will record the messages
– An analysis tool (Analyzer) will examine traces for
conformance with WS-I profiles and issue a report
– Output of analysis tools will be used as the basis for
WS-I conformance claims
– Tools can be used by any Web services developer
– Source code will be available
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WS-I in the Marketplace

Tool developers will advertise that their
products support development and
deployment of conformant services

Middleware vendors will advertise that
their products support conformant service
hosting

Customers will look for WS-I conformance
on products
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WS-I Conformance

Logos are a label for customers to look for
 Logos can be used for implementations
that have successfully passed testing
 Web services providers will be selfcertifying
 Enforcement is market driven
– Expected review by competitors and trade
media
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WS-I Schedule
February 6 – Launch of WS-I
April 17 – First WS-I Community Meeting
July 24 – Second WS-I Community Meeting
July 24 – Rev 0.1 of deliverables
November 5 – Third WS-I Community Meeting
4Q ‘02 –Basic profile released
(Interim dates will be set by working groups)
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Call to Action

Join
– Join a community of more than 135 industry leaders and
visionaries with a shared vision for Web services
interoperability
– Foster commitment across the community

Participate
– Encourage customer participation and buy-in
– Commit to an aggressive schedule for delivering
resources to aid Web services implementations

Conform
– Ensure implementations conform with WS-I profiles
– Promote conformance to customers and partners
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