Axway Messaging connector

Axway Gateway and Axway Messaging

Operational overview

Axway Messaging connector

Linking Axway Gateway to Axway Messaging: Overview

Axway Gateway and Axway Messaging

This section introduces Axway Messaging (formerly XMS) and the Axway Messaging connector in Gateway.

Gateway and the components that support Messaging were originally designed to work in different environments.

• Gateway operates in a file transfer environment, handling file exchanges via multiple standardized protocols across local networks, extranets and the Internet.
• Messaging is Message-Oriented Middleware. The Messaging components (servers, clients and administrative tools) provide an environment in which applications can exchange messages without directly communicating with each other.

The Axway Messaging connector provides you with the means to link these two environments, enabling you to:

• Transmit Messaging formatted application messages across your network (or across the Internet)
• Redirect any file received at the Gateway to a Messaging client in the form of an Axway Messaging message

 

Operational overview

From Gateway to Messaging

When Gateway is operating in server/receiver mode or client/receiver mode, it can transform and route any incoming file to one or more Messaging servers.

To do this, Gateway processes the file and the associated technical (transfer) parameters and uses the information to generate a Messaging format envelope. Gateway then redirects the enveloped file to a Messaging Server message queue.

From Messaging to Gateway

For Messaging formatted messages deposited to an Axway Messaging message queue, one or more Messaging servers can direct the messages to Gateway through the connector for routing via one of the protocols supported by Gateway.

To do this, Gateway:

• Acts as an application that consumes a message deposited to the Axway Messaging message queue
• Extracts and writes the message content to disk, and extracts the information necessary for the message transfer
• Forwards the reformatted message to the target application via a Gateway Transfer Request

Axway Messaging connector

Connectors

An Axway Messaging connector is a group of technical components that enables Gateway and Messaging to exchange data. You define connectors using either the GUI or the command line interface. Each connector operates in a single direction either from the Gateway to a Messaging server queue or vice versa. For each Messaging server it is typical (but not mandatory) to create three connectors, one each for:

• Messages from the Messaging server to Gateway
• Messages from Gateway to the Messaging server message queue
• Messages from Gateway to the Messaging server error message queue

Property Lists

In the Axway Messaging environment, each message contains the following parts:

• Body: contains the information that the sending application sends to the receiving application
• Header: contains attributes that provide details about the message. Sending applications specify the values of these predefined attributes. Among the details in the header are the following:
  • Names of the sending and receiving applications
  • Names of the sending and receiving servers
• Header extension: contains properties that provide additional details about the message. Properties extend a header with application-defined properties. Sending applications define both the names and the values of properties. Because properties are optional, header extensions can be empty

A Gateway Property List contains a description of the header extension part of the Axway Messaging message. For each field of the header extension the Property List contains a name and data type.

For files received at the Gateway, and routed to a Messaging queue, Gateway uses the Property List to provide information about the current transfer to the application that is the destination of the Axway Messaging message.

For files transferred from a Messaging server queue, and handled by the Gateway for routing via a standardized protocol, the Property List provides the technical parameters that enable Gateway to reroute the message contents.

Define Property Lists using either the GUI or the command line interface.

XMS-type Decision Rules

Once you have created an Axway Messaging connector, Gateway provides a special category of Decision Rules that can link an Axway Messaging message reception event to a file transfer via the Gateway.

Define XMS-type Decision Rules using either the GUI or the command line interface.

XMS Models

After creating a Property List, you can create an XMS-type Model that uses attributes defined in the list. XMS Models can be one of two types:

• From Gateway
• To Gateway

To use the XMS Model, create a Decision Rule and specify the appropriate XMS-type Model in the rule.

Linking Axway Gateway to Axway Messaging: Overview

To link Gateway to Axway Messaging:

1. In the configuration menu, activate the Axway Messaging connector.
2. Create a Property List
3. Create an XMS Model of the type To or From Gateway
4. Create an IN or OUT type connector
5. Create a Decision Rule: XMS-type for IN connectors and XFER_CHANGE_STATE for OUT connectors
6. Create a Rule Table: XMS-type for IN connectors and XFER_CHANGE_STATE for OUT connectors
7. Set the p_libxmsrapi environment variable to fullpath in the xmsrapi library. On UNIX it is called libxmsrapi.so and on Windows xmsrapi.dll

Related topics

Linking Axway Gateway to Axway Messaging

Linking Axway Gateway to Axway Messaging (command line)

Working with Property Lists