WebSphere Business Integration Server Foundation

Frequently asked questions

• What is this packaging of WebSphere® Business Integration (WBI) Sever Foundation and WebSphere Business Integration (WBI) Connect?
• Will this be available to everyone?
• When is this packaging going to be available?
• What are the details of the restrictions in the use of WBI Connect?
• What version/release of WBI Connect is included?
• Does this change WBI Server Foundation in any way?
• Does this change the price of WBI Server Foundation?
• Why is this of any benefit to me as WBI Server Foundation existing customer, or perhaps me as a potential customer?
• What are some example scenarios for WBI Server Foundation and WBI Connect integration?
• Does WBI Connect need to be installed on the same machine as WBI Server Foundation?
• Does WBI Connect need to be used with a WBI Server Foundation application?
• Does I need to install additional WBI Server Foundation components to use WBI Connect?
• What if I need more WBI Connect capability than is provided in the bundle, such as additional CPUs or additional partner connections?
• Do WBI Server Foundation and WBI Connect support all the same platforms and operating environments?
• I am planning to run WBI Server Foundation on AIX, but I want to run WBI Connect on Linux. Is this allowed?
• Do I, as a WBI Server Foundation customer, have to install or use WBI Connect?
• Why is WBI Connect not packaged with other WebSphere Business Integration products such as WebSphere Business Integration Message Broker, or WebSphere Business Integration Server?
• Does this mean that WBI Connect is no longer available on its own?
• I would prefer to use WBI Connect Enterprise instead of the license for WBI Connect Advanced that comes withWBI Server Foundation. Is this possible?
• I previously acquiredWBI Server Foundation. Am I now entitled to WBI Connect?

What is this packaging of WBI Server Foundation and WBI Connect?

In February 2005 IBM enhanced the content and function of WBI Server Foundation by including WBI Connect Advanced Edition as a part of the entitlement of the Server Foundation. A limited use license for WBI Connect Advanced Edition is being included. The license for WBI Connect is limited to allow WBI Server Foundation customers to have B2B functions available if required as a part of the solution stack provided with WebSphere Business Integration Sever Foundation. These functions can be used with a WebSphere Business Integration Sever Foundation solution, or to extend other solutions within the customer as appropriate. However the license only allows the deployment of a single CPU of WBI Connect and a single partner connection, independent of the number of WebSphere Business Integration Sever Foundation licenses acquired or held by the customer (as determined by the IBM customer number of record). Additional license entitlements of WBI Connect will be required to be purchased by the customer to use WBI Connect deployments beyond the included license for a single CPU and a single partner connection.

Will this be available to everyone?

All existing and new customers with WBI Server Foundation will be entitled to use the limited license of WBI Connect as soon as this package is available. This applies to existing WBI Server Foundation customers who have purchased subscription and support for their existing product, in the same way that they get other updates to WBI Server Foundation.

When is this packaging going to be available?

The intent is that this packaging change will be available through a silent media refresh of the WBI Server Foundation media on February 14, 2005.

What are the details of the restrictions in the use of WBI Connect?

Customers of WBI Server Foundation will be getting licenses for WBI Connect Advanced Edition V4.2.2. Independent of the number of licenses of WBI Server Foundation that the customer is acquiring or is entitled to, the license of WBI Connect will be restricted to a single CPU and a single partner connection. WBI Connect defines a single CPU as the CPU count of the machine where the Document Manager component of the product is installed. Connectivity to trading partners through WBI Connect is defined by the partner connection. Customers require licenses for partner connections, equivalent to the number of separate partners they will be defining and connecting to, independent of the number of CPU licenses for WBI Connect. In addition to the license of a single CPU of WBI Connect included with WBI Server Foundation, a single partner connection is included for WBI Server Foundation customers. Additional capacity for WBI Connect, either of CPUs, or of partner connections may be acquired by customers wishing their use of WBI Connect to exceed a single CPU and a single partner connection.

What version/release of WBI Connect is included?

WBI Connect Advanced Edition V4.2.2 is the product edition and release that is being included. At the time of writing this is the latest version of the WBI Connect function that is available in the market. However the version of WBI Connect Advanced Edition which is currently marketed is WBI Connect V4.2.3, which is a bundle including WBI Connect Advanced Edition V4.2.2, but also includes a limited use license for DB2®, which was previously a pre-requisite product. As WBI Server Foundation already includes a limited use license of DB2, just the current functional version of WBI Connect Advanced Edition (V4.2.2) was included in the packaging for WBI Server Foundation.

Does this change WBI Server Foundation in any way?

Other than the addition of the B2B function of WBI Connect there is no other change for WBI Server Foundation, either in the code, function, or in the licensing. The terms and conditions of the product will reflect the new packaging content but the only changes are to reflect the new inclusion of the product and do not impact the use of the remainder of the WBI Server Foundation product at all. Customers not wishing to use WBI Connect need take no action, and there will be no change at all for them. Customers who wish to take advantage of the new function will now be able to download or order the WBI Connect Advanced Edition product code, and start taking advantage of the benefits that this product now offers them.

Does this change the price of WBI Server Foundation?

There is no change in the price of WBI Server Foundation associated with this inclusion of new function and content. The pricing does not change for customers whether they use the new product function or not.

Why is this of any benefit to me as WBI Server Foundation existing customer, or perhaps me as a potential customer?

WBI Connect helps extend the benefits customers get from WBI Server Foundation by efficiently including external business partners. WBI Connect can be used as a single point of control for all external integration with business partners. All partners can be defined and maintained in a single place, with all transactions, both successful and failed able to be tracked and identified easily. This would apply to all external interactions whether driven by WBI Server Foundation processes or other processes, thus extending the potential benefits further than just those processes defined to WBI Server Foundation.

What are some example scenarios for WBI Server Foundation and WBI Connect integration?

There are many ways in which both WBI Server Foundation and WBI Connect could be used together to create a more complete solution for a customer requirement. Below are details for examples involving a Credit Check flow, and an Automated External Customer Order.

• Credit Check Flow
  A WBI Server Foundation scenario would see a process being defined in BPEL and then executed within the WBI Server Foundation environment. A typical business scenario would have this process integrating applications and people wholly within the enterprise. However many processes require some external interaction, either as an initiating event from a customer, or through the course of the process as a query or an order to a supplier. Other potential drivers for external interaction might be to make use of a 'service' or other part of the business which has been outsourced, but which is still seen as an integral step in the process. Examples of this last scenario, or use case would be a call out to a credit-check agency as part of a new account creation process, or as a part of agreeing to a large order. The credit check agency would be available as a web service. The BPEL process within WBI Server Foundation would determine when a call to such a service would be required and would create the WSDL invocation, including the contents of the Web Services message. In this situation WBI Connect sits at the edge of enterprise, and simply passes through the invoked WSDL call going out the credit check agency providing the service. The details of this partner will have been defined within WBI Connect, allowing for the straightforward pass-through over HTTPS of the outbound call and the in-bound response. However in the event of any failure in the transaction, or in a query, WBI Connect, as a standard function, will provide not just an auditable log of all transactions with external partners, but will also allow both parties in the transaction to login to the environment and review those logs, and also view the content of each message allowing for agreement about what transactions and what data was exchanged and when. WBI Connect could be used in this way by a WBI Server Foundation application as well as being used by any other application or environment requiring integration with external partners.

• Automated External Customer Order
  There are a number of different possible scenarios where a WBI Server Foundation application would see a benefit through using WBI Connect. One business scenario, described elsewhere in this FAQ document describes a scenario where as part of a BPEL flow within WBI Server Foundation, a web services call is made to an external credit check agency. However imagine elsewhere in a BPEL flow there is a need to order goods from one of the enterprise's key suppliers. This supplier is regularly used to order goods, and a standardised XML document has been agreed as the way in which both companies will communicate an order. Both companies also use Java™ Message Service (JMS) queuing for reliable messaging, and look to take advantage of the assured delivery mechanism that JMS can provide when exchanging documents between each company. In this scenario, when the BPEL process within WBI Server Foundation establishes a need to send an order to this supplier, the BPEL process determines the content of the message to be sent and can format the message with the appropriate XML Schema. This document can then be sent out to the partner by sending it over the internal JMS queuing network to WBI Connect. This document can then be sent out to the partner by sending it over the internal JMS queuing network to WBI Connect. WBI Connect can then identify from the document contents and header which partner, already defined, it is meant for. The document can then be reviewed by WBI Connect for the validity of the content, and conformance to the correct XML Schema, before sending it out over JMS straight to the supplier. The supplier, in response, will reply with an XML document either accepting or rejecting the order. WBI Connect will be able to identify that this document came from the supplier, validate that the XML document is correctly formed according to the XML Schema, and will then send the response document over JMS back to the appropriate WBI Server Foundation process. All records of the supplier, and the transactions, both in-bound and out-bound, will be held by WBI Connect for review by either party.

Does WBI Connect need to be installed on the same machine as WBI Server Foundation?

The install of WBI Connect is independent of WBI Server Foundation, so it can be installed on the same or different systems. Since the limited license for WBI Connect is for one processor, this would have to be factored in to the deployment decision.
WBI Connect is typically deployed at the edge of the enterprise on separate hardware, and partitioned from the rest of the IT infrastructure by firewalls. This allows WBI Connect to not only be installed on a different machine from WBI Server Foundation but also WBI Connect can run on machines running different operating systems to those running WBI Server Foundation. Furthermore, the deployment of WBI Connect itself can be spread over a number of different machines if required, as the product is made out of different components, and may benefit, depending on the final configuration, from separation of components for scalability and robustness.

Does WBI Connect need to be used with a WBI Server Foundation application?

The licensing of WBI Connect Advanced Edition is independent of the deployment of WBI Server Foundation. The licensing of WBI Connect is equivalent to an independently purchased copy of WBI Connect Advanced Edition 4.2.2 with one connection. The benefits are NOT independent and there are likely to be some facets of a WBI Server Foundation deployment that will benefit from WBI Connect The WBI Server Foundation provided copy of WBI Connect can be used by any of the customer’s environments, either with the limited use license as supplied, or as a part of a larger deployment if additional licenses have been acquired.

Do I need to install additional WBI Server Foundation components to use WBI Connect?

No. Other than the addition of the B2B function of WBI Connect there is no other change for WBI Server Foundation, either in the code, function, or in the licensing.

What if I need more WBI Connect capability than is provided in the bundle, such as additional CPUs or additional partner connections?

While a customer is free to use the license for the single CPU of WBI Connect Advanced Edition and the single partner connection, this license is independent of the number of WBI Server Foundation licenses acquired. Therefore if a customer wishes to deploy WBI Connect on a 4 CPU machine, then an additional 3 CPUs of WBI Connect Advanced edition must be acquired. Similarly, if additional partner connections are required, either for use with just the single CPU of WBI Connect Advanced or if further CPUs have been acquired, the required additional number of partner connections must be purchased by the customer. If the customer was looking for a configuration with 2 CPUs of WBI Connect Advanced, and 12 connections then that customer would need to buy an additional 1 CPU of WBI Connect Advanced Edition and an additional 11 partner connections. Note that the number of partner connections required by a customer is broadly independent to the number of CPUs required, although there is some correlation on the likely workload and throughput required. The partner connections refer to the number of separate partners that a customer wants to define to WBI Connect, and they are not limited to a single CPU or multiple CPUs but rather refer to an absolute total number of partner connections.

Do WBI Server Foundation and WBI Connect support all the same platforms and operating environments?

No.
WBI Server Foundation runs on the following platforms:

• AIX® V5.1 or V5.2

• HP-UX 11iv1

• Linux® on Intel®: Red Flag AS v4.0, Red Hat ELWS v2.1, Red Hat Linux v3; Linux on iSeries®: Red Hat Linux v3, UnitedLinux v1; Linux on pSeries®: Red Hat Linux v3, UnitedLinux v1; Linux on zSeries®: Red Hat Linux v3.1, UnitedLinux v1

• Sun® Solaris® 8 or 9

• Microsoft® Windows® Server 2000 or 2003

• z/OS® 1.2; z/OS.e 1.3

WBI Connect runs on the following platforms:

• AIX V5.2

• RedHat Linux Advanced Server for Intel, Version 2.1

• uSE Linux Enterprise Server for x86, Version 8 with SuSE Linux kernel 2.4

• Sun Solaris 8

• Microsoft Windows Server 2000

See respective announcements for exact details.
There is no restriction to WBI Connect running on a different machine to the machine WBI Server Foundation is running on, and these machines can be running different operating systems. In fact due to WBI Connect being generally deployed at the edge of the enterprise and being separated from the enterprise by potentially multiple firewalls, it is likely that in most configurations WBI Connect will be running on separate machines from other integration software.

I am planning to run WBI Server Foundation on AIX, but I want to run WBI Connect on Linux. Is this allowed?

Yes. There is no restriction to running WBI Connect on a different machine to the machine WBI Server Foundation is running on, and these machines can be running different operating systems. In fact due to WBI Connect being generally deployed at the edge of the enterprise and being separated from the enterprise by potentially multiple firewalls, it is likely that in most configurations WBI Connect will be running on separate machines from other integration software.

Do I, as a WBI Server Foundation customer, have to install or use WBI Connect?

WBI Connect is being included in the WBI Server Foundation as an additional option for the WBI Server Foundation customer. There is no requirement for the WBI Server Foundation customer to install, or even download the WBI Connect code if they do not want, or see a need to use it. If they do use WBI Connect included with the product and they do not want to exceed the license entitlement then there is no additional cost to using WBI Connect. There is no reduction in cost if they do not want to use WBI Connect.

Why is WBI Connect not packaged with other WBI products such as WBI Message Broker, or WBI Server?

As WBI Server Foundation is being widely used by customers to create new processes to integrate different areas of the business, and there are a number of potential scenarios where these processes could include calls out to external partners, it was determined that WBI Server Foundation customers could potentially benefit from WBI Connect. However acquiring a license of WBI Connect within the WBI Server Foundation bundle doesn’t prevent the customer from actually using the WBI Connect product with other WBI products, either without exceeding the entitlement or once additional licenses have been purchased. IBM has not yet made determined whether WBI Connect will also be packaged with other offerings such as WBI Message Broker.

Does this mean that WBI Connect is no longer available on its own?

WBI Connect remains a separately available product. What is available with the WBI Server Foundation package is simply a limited license of WBI Connect. In order to increase the license entitlement with additional CPUs or additional partner connections, the customer is required to purchase additional licenses of the separately available WBI Connect product. Also many customers will continue to see the benefit of building a specific B2B solution through the dedicated purchase of WBI Connect licenses. This may be done in conjunction with purchases of other WBI products, or these products, or other similar products may already be in place.

I would prefer to use WBI Connect Enterprise instead of the license for WBI Connect Advanced that comes with WBI Server Foundation. Is this possible?

If you wish to use other WBI Connect editions (either WBI Connect Enterprise Edition, or WBI Connect – Express) then you will need to separately acquire those products.

I previously acquired WBI Server Foundation. Am I now entitled to WBI Connect?

Any existing customers with WBI Server Foundation who are current with their subscription and support contract are now entitled to the WBI Connect function in the same way that new customers are entitled to use it. All customers are subject to the same restrictions of a single CPU and a single partner connection for WBI Connect Advanced Edition, independent of the number of WBI Server Foundation licenses they have.