Service integration technologies and JAX-RPC handlers

A JAX-RPC handler is a Java™ class that performs a range of handling tasks.For example: logging messages, or transforming their contents, or terminating an incoming request. Handlers monitor messages at ports, and take appropriate action depending upon the sender and content of each message.

The Java API for XML-based remote procedure calls (JAX-RPC) provides you with a standard way of developing interoperable and portable web services. JAX-RPC is part of the Java Platform, Enterprise Edition (Java EE), and JAX-RPC handlers are a standard approach in Java for intercepting and filtering service messages. For more information, see Creating JAX-RPC web service handlers.

Any JAX-RPC handlers you write, including those written for other systems, can be configured for use with a service integration bus inbound or outbound service. This configuration is a four-stage process:

Note: If you create a proxy service configuration, then you must create a JAX-RPC handler list that can set the target endpoint for the proxy service, and attach it to the inbound port. For more information, see JAX-RPC handlers and proxy operation.

Make the handler class available at the port

A JAX-RPC handler interacts with messages as they pass into and out of the service integration bus, therefore you make the handler class available to the server or cluster that hosts the inbound or outbound port for the service that you want to monitor. If you want to monitor an inbound port, make the handler class available to the server on which the endpoint listener for that port is located. If you want to monitor an outbound port, make the handler class available to the server on which the outbound port destination is localized.For more information, see Loading JAX-RPC handler classes.

Create a handler configuration

To make WebSphere® Application Server aware of your JAX-RPC handler, and to make the handler available for inclusion in one or more handler lists, you use the administrative console to create a new JAX-RPC handler configuration. You can configure multiple instances of a handler by creating each instance with a different handler name, and pointing to the same handler class. For more information, see Creating a new JAX-RPC handler configuration.

Add the handler to a handler list

To enable handlers to undertake more complex operations, you chain them together into handler lists. The approach taken in WebSphere Application Server is to apply handler lists (rather than individual handlers) at the ports, where each handler list contains one or more handlers. For more information, see Creating a new JAX-RPC handler list.

Apply the handler list to the port

You associate each handler list with one or more ports, so that the handler list can monitor activity at the port, and take appropriate action depending upon the sender and content of each message that passes through the port:

To monitor or transform messages received for an inbound service, apply a handler list to the associated inbound port.
To monitor or transform messages flowing between an outbound service and an associated external web service, apply a handler list to the associated outbound port.

To apply a handler list, select it for use with an inbound or outbound service as described in Modifying an existing inbound service configuration or Modifying an existing outbound service configuration.