Web services gateway - prerequisites and constraints

WebSphere Application Server Network Deployment is not a stand-alone product for running enterprise applications. If you want to deploy the gateway you also need to install the base WebSphere Application Server product. Although it is not installed by default, a copy of the base WebSphere Application Server product is packaged with WebSphere Application Server Network Deployment.

The gateway is not fully integrated into the WebSphere Application Server Network Deployment tooling:

• When you install WebSphere Application Server, or an upgrade or fix pack, the installation program does not install the gateway. The installation program copies the gateway files into directories within your appserver directory structure, then you install the gateway into your appserver as a separate task.

• You cannot use the full power of the deployment manager tooling to automatically install or update a set of gateways across all appservers in a cell.

• You cannot install the gateway into an appserver that is part of a WebSphere Application Server Network Deployment cluster.

For more information about these restrictions, see Completing the installation.

If you want to enable gateway-level security, do so before you install the gateway.

Two methods of scaling the gateway are provided. However, you cannot use the locked configuration deployment method with the deprecated Apache SOAP channel.

This version of the Web services gateway is also subject to the following constraints:

• WSDL definitions for target services must use XML Schema V2001. For more information, see Troubleshooting the Web services gateway.

• Install the gateway application (wsgw.ear) before you install channel and filter applications. To reinstall the gateway application, uninstall all channels and filters first, then reinstall them after the gateway application.

• If the WSDL for your service contains <soap:header> elements within the <wsdl:definition> element, then the gateway passes the SOAP headers through. This behavior is correct . However, you also see the following effects:

  • The SOAP headers are not included in the WSDL that the gateway generates.

  • If you set the "must understand" flag on the SOAP message, then you get an error message.

• The Apache SOAP channel is deprecated and wholly superseded by the SOAP over HTTP channel.

• If you are using the Apache SOAP channel, then the SOAP message format must be RPC style. To handle Document style SOAP messages, use the SOAP over HTTP channel, which supports both RPC style and Document style SOAP messages.

You might also find it useful to enable trace for all gateway components:

1. Set the WebSphere Application Server trace string to com.ibm.wsgw.*=all=enabled

2. Write trace, stdout and stderr for the appserver to a well-known location.

For more information, see Enabling trace.

---

Web services gateway - Completing the installation
Installing the gateway into an appserver that is part of a deployment manager cell
Installing the gateway into a stand-alone appserver
Testing the Web services gateway installation
Troubleshooting the Web services gateway
    

 

---