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The Middleware as Platform for IT Application Services

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Japanese version

This is English summary of the full report to NEDO (New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization) written in Japanese.


Development of Middleware as Platform for IT Application Services

Summary

In this project, the OpenSOAP middleware, which is based on the SOAP standard, was developed for supporting the web service development. The various expanded functions as followings were added into the OpenSOAP middleware.

(1) The design of specification decision architecture on the middleware architecture based on SOAP

In this study, architecture design of the middleware (the OpenSOAP package) developed in this project is made with the purpose in order to easily realize the business Web service. Concretely through the investigations of W3C SOAP specification, XML specification and the other relation specification, and trough the investigations on existing relation middleware product, and also through the research on the trend of the market, the followings ware carried out: (1)outlines design of the whole structure (architecture) of middleware developed by this project, (2)outlines design such as the design of the function to be realized by the middleware, (3)outside design of libraries and programs developed in sub theme group which is in charge of the OpenSOAP core region. And, it was also in charge of the following works: (1) fitting of the detail specification of development charge part for the each sub theme group, (2) development schedule adjustment of the whole project, (3) the work as a necessity for the open of development middleware package.

(2) The OpenSOAP implementation for the various platforms

One middleware was designed and implemented as a library function group, which carry out SOAP packaging that moves in both of the Unix system and Windows system. This library function group is named as OpenSOAP API, and is carried out according to C language. OpenSOAP API is classified according to the function as followings: (1) SOAP message treatment, (2) SOAP client communication, (3) SOAP service communication. Especially for (1), the implementation for internationalization and multi-lingual was carried out. The sample code was made, and the action was confirmed on Windows 2000 for Windows system, and on Linux, NetBSD, Solaris8 for Unix system. By implementing in C language, the utilization in other programming language such as C++ became possible. And, for Java language, OpenSOAP client and service were made implemental by the native code. Also, for Java language, the asynchronous transmission, which was one of the expansions, was implemented in the client. In addition, security module, which was the expanded function in OpenSOAP, was integrated.

(3) The implementation of the general security function

The market of electronic commerce (B2B, B2C), between enterprise and enterprise, or between consumers and enterprise, expands at high speed. Based on such actual circumstances, the correspondence is required to OpenSOAP for application in the electronic commerce field. In the meantime, since the electronic commerce is done through Internet, it is possible that various injustices enter in. Therefore, it becomes necessary to offer the environment which can remove such injustice for the safe application to the electronic commerce field. Though it is made that the implementation of the security technology for removing such problem is an indispensable condition for the electronic commerce, in SOAP specification of which the standardization is advanced by W3C, the regulation on the security does not exist. Therefore, the implementation on the security technology was newly carried out in this OpenSOAP development, and the environment, which made OpenSOAP to be safety in B2B, B2C and application, was improved. Items implemented in this development are encryption/decoding, electronic signoff/signature certification and certification station relation function.

(4) The implementation of bridging interface with other distributed object technology

OpenSOAP transmit the message formatted in the XML by using the HTTP, which makes it to be easily for using the various services. As the result, according to the SOAP specification, the method is offered to cooperate with various software, and the development becomes possible which covers multiple languages and multiple enterprises by utilizing the legacy component.

In the legacy dispersion component architecture, DCOM and CORBA are famous. In order to inherit and shift these legacy dispersion component architecture to OpenSOAP, the bridging interface which connect with DCOM, CORBA is necessary.

By developing the bridging interface between OpenSOAP and DCOM, CORBA, it becomes possible for inheriting the exiting assets and using the legacy system.

In this development, in order to connect with DCOM, CORBA, the composition was proposed, which realized the bridging between OpenSOAP and DCOM, CORBA by the cooperation of OpenSOAP service and DCOM, CORBA service. In the cooperation, OpenSOAP service becomes the client side of DCOM, CORBA. When a request message send from the client side of OpenSOAP reaches the OpenSOAP service (the bridging interface) through the OpenSOAP server, the bridging interface carries out the cooperation with DCOM, CORBA, and it makes the service of DCOM, CORBA to be usable.

(5) The implementation of the SOAP message management skill

In order to enable the message communication between multiple clients and multiple services, high-functional OpenSOAP server who controlled the message in this implementation was developed.

As a treatment of the message, OpenSOAP server had the synchronous processing function for the RPC which is mainly standard in other SOAP implementation. Also as a service needing time in the processing, the asynchronous processing was implemented which returned the response in point of time when the client connected for the service. And, the synchronous transfer treatment for exchanging the SOAP message with the inside and outside of fire wall is implemented and has the function which can designate the method of the message transfer by transfer routing and largest transfer unit number appointment. And this function was also expanded to be usable for the asynchronous processing. It is proud that the OpenSOAP server architecture has the functions as asynchronous processing and synchronous transfer treatment and asynchronous transfer treat, because in the exiting SOAP implementation these functions are not supported, although it is made to be an indispensable function in Web service and electron business.

In addition, in order to support the user side management system, the transaction management function for supporting commit and rollback of the message, which requires in the electronic commerce has also been implemented. And maintainability and safety have been ensured by having log control function, which records the flow of the message dealt with in the server and saving function of the untreated message for the unjust end of the server. Also, the result of security control function in this project is quickly used efficiently and also has signature function, which proves the message treatment in the server.

The OpenSOAP server can be executed on Linux, Solaris 8, NetBSD, Windows 2000, and the tool group for conveniently carrying out start and close and restart of the server is also offered.

(6) Specification decision and implementation on the mobility of the agent type software

In the device with mobility such as JVM installation portable terminal and PDA, the latest trend of the portable terminal and the development environment was investigated, for the purpose of proposing utility form as an OpenSOAP community by making to correspond to network application such as the Web service using the platform of OpenSOAP. Based on this investigation, specification decision of mobile type SOAP client and sample application which matched present state was done.

Based on the research result, the i-ƒ¿ppli platform, which offers the largest market size and the best development environment in present stare, was choose as a development field. And for applying the OpenSOAP to the i-ƒ¿ppli platform, the detailed specification was decided, and the implementation was carried out.

Also, the following were carried out for the purpose of the intelligent self-regulation of the network service by the agent type software: the automatic answering of the SOAP message and the development of the application, which implemented the autonomous judgment function and evaluation. By applying the framework of the OpenSOAP project in mobile platform, the form of the advanced and immediate service was proposed and was verified.

(7) The development of the SOAP interface for the integration system

The system construction which applied OpenSOAP was done, by taking up the robot as one of the integration system. Concretely, considering an single function module robot with the element function, such as sensing system (camera module), actuation system (wheel module), it is aimed to construct the system, which can make it possible to handle the substance in the remoteness, by connecting these single function module robot through the nervous system. Here, we emphasized the logical connection based on the communication in the carrier work, and considered to realize it with OpenSOAP architecture. The work is realized by the following 3 steps: A) arrangement of the module to the environment, B) parameter identification of relative position and attitude between modules, C) workmanship instruction using the interface. Here, for B), in order to quickly carry out the parameter identification, the database prepare for the wheel module, and the database calling according to the actual arrangement are necessary. And for C), it is also necessary to appropriately transmit the indication from human to each module. These intercommunications will be carried out by using OpenSOAP. Through implementing the superscription design on the real machine, the work moving a chair from one room to another room was realized by utilizing multiple camera modules and one wheel module. According to the result, the effectiveness of the proposal technique was shown.

(8) The evaluation by the application to the business process solution

The principal objective was put in for evaluating the usefulness and problem, when applying the OpenSOAP middleware by adjusting frame of Web service for evaluation B2B. As a model for the evaluation, by making the prototype as the simple model on the assumption of integration utilization of the iron and steel EC service which disperses in on Internet on intranet, various examination item for practical use by the business level were verified and were evaluated. And the system development process, including the utilization of UDDI as a mechanism, was mentioned.

(9) The evaluation by RAD of the small-scale Web service

With the improvement of the evaluation for the Internet infrastructure, the network amusement market shows the key of the extension. Though it becomes a scale, which cannot disregard the market size, it forces the investment in proportion to the increase in scales to the server such as the investment in the other. Since OpenSOAP is an environment of the open source, it seems to be a system with small risk as a small-scale pilot case. That OpenSOAP shows the possibility for such amusement market seems to have large meaning in the popularization of this system. By such considering situation, the packaging of the network game using OpenSOAP was tried in this development. Though the execution speed is the large problem when SOAP is used, the system, in which the transfer message and thought routine are transferred by lumping together, was constructed without stress.

(10) The evaluation by the application to the large computer system

OpenSOAP is applied for large computing service using the supercomputer in the Hokkaido Univ. mainframe computer center, and it is verified that the practical web service based on OpenSOAP is realizable. Concretely, 2 kinds of Web services are constructed. One is the library service, which makes it possible to use the library in super computer SR8000 made in library service base on OpenSOAP. The other is the program service, which makes it possible to carry out the program made by oneself on the super computer. For the library service, web service, which made it possible to use the physical random number generation library in SR8000, was constructed. And for program service, web service, which made the program made by C language and FORTRAN feasible in the super computer was constructed. As a composition controlled by the OpenSOAP server, these web services enabled the execution based on the asynchronous transmission treatment in order to reduce the cost of the network in utilizing the large computing service. According to the experimental results, it was shown that the practical and effective large computing service is realizable by using OpenSOAP.


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