Channels - Entry points to the Web services gateway
Channels form entry points to the Web services gateway and carry requests and responses between Web services and the Web services gateway.
A request to the Web services gateway arrives through a channel, is translated into a WSIF message, then passed through any filters that are registered for the requested service, and finally sent on to the service implementation. Responses follow the same path in reverse.
Before you can use a channel, install the channel application in WebSphere Application Server then deploy the channel to the Web services gateway. A deployed channel is not used until you deploy a Web service that uses the channel.
Two versions of each type of channel are supplied with the gateway. This is so that, for each channel type, you can set up separate channels for inbound and outbound requests. This provides a simple mechanism for giving different access rights to users from outside your organization from the rights you give to users within your organization:
- To ensure that users outside your organization can only access those internal
services that you choose to publish externally, you deploy those services
on the inbound channel.
- To give users inside your organization access to the full range of internal and external services, you deploy those services on the outbound channel.
Working with channels