IMS SOAP gateway deployment utility

• US 20070055678A1
• Filed: 09/02/2005
• Published: 03/08/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 09/02/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: X Corp. (f/k/a Twitter, Inc.) (X Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Ho, Shyh-Mei, Srinivasan, Srividhya, Fung, Haley
• Granted Patent: US 7,668,836 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/972 Access to data in other repository systems, e.g. legacy data or dynamic Web page generation

Abstract

Various embodiments of a computer-implemented method, system and article of manufacture enable an application to be accessed as a web service. In response to a command, a web service is deployed to a gateway server, and a connection bundle and a correlator file are provided such that they are accessible to the gateway server. The web service was generated based on a web service description language file that is based on an input-output message description of the application, and is accessible to a client using a SOAP message. The gateway server sends a request message to the application based on the SOAP message in accordance with the web service, and receives a reply message from the application. The connection bundle comprises connection information to interface with the application. The correlator file comprises a name of an interface module associated with the application and the name of the connection bundle.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method of enabling an application in a legacy system to be accessed as a web service, comprising:

in response to a command from a user,

deploying, to a gateway server, a web service that was generated based on a web service description language (WSDL) file that is based on an input-output message description of said application, wherein said web service is accessible to a client using a Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP) message, said gateway server to send a request message to said application based on said SOAP message in accordance with said web service, and said gateway server to receive a reply message from said application and return a SOAP response to said client based on said reply message in accordance with said web service;

providing a connection bundle comprising connection information to interface with said application, such that said connection bundle is accessible to said gateway server; and

providing a correlator file comprising a name of an interface module associated with said application, also comprising said name of said connection bundle, such that said correlator file is accessible to said gateway server.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said interface module is to invoke a converter to convert said request message from a mark-up language to an application language, and to invoke another converter to convert an application reply in the application language to said reply message in said mark-up language.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein said deploying said web service comprises:

invoking a generation utility to generate one or more code modules based on said WSDL file, and also generating a deployment file;

compiling said one or more code modules to provide one or more compiled modules;

storing said one or more compiled modules in a predetermined location accessible to said gateway server to provide said web service; and

invoking an administration utility to configure said web service on said gateway server based on said deployment file.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein said deploying further comprises:

generating one or more instructions to perform said invoking said generation utility, said compiling, said storing, and said invoking said administration utility; and

executing said one or more instructions.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

invoking a WSDL generation utility to generate said WSDL file based on said input-output message description.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein said WSDL generation utility also generates said correlator file.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

invoking a utility to generate client code based on said WSDL file.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein said legacy system is an Information Management System (IMS) and said application is an IMS application.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving one or more connection properties to access said legacy system; and

storing said one or more connection properties in said connection bundle.

10. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving one or more correlator properties; and

storing said one or more correlator properties in said correlator file.

11. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

in response to another command, modifying said correlator file.

12. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

in response to another command, modifying said connection bundle.

13. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

executing a plurality of deployment-utility commands of a batch file, said plurality of deployment-utility commands comprising one or more of the following deployment-utility commands in any combination;

a deployment-utility command to create another correlator file,

a deployment-utility command to create another connection bundle, and

a deployment-utility command to deploy, to said gateway server, another web service that was generated based on another WSDL file that is based on another input-output message description of another application, wherein said another web service is accessible to said client using another SOAP message, said another web service being used to communicate with said another application.

14. An article of manufacture comprising a computer usable medium embodying one or more instructions executable by a computer for performing a method of enabling an application in a legacy system to be accessed as a web service, said method comprising:

in response to a command,

deploying, to a gateway server, a web service that was generated based on a web service description language (WSDL) file that is based on an input-output message description of said application, wherein said web service is accessible to a client using a Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP) message, said gateway server to send a request message to said application based on said SOAP message in accordance with said web service, and said gateway server to receive a reply message from said application and return a SOAP response to said client based on said reply message in accordance with said web service;

providing a connection bundle comprising connection information to interface with said application, such that said connection bundle is accessible to said gateway server; and

providing a correlator file comprising a name of an interface module associated with said application, also comprising said name of said connection bundle, such that said correlator file is accessible to said gateway server.

15. The article of manufacture of claim 14 wherein said interface module is to invoke a converter to convert said request message from a mark-up language to an application language, and to invoke another converter to convert an application reply in said application language to said reply message in said mark-up language.

16. The article of manufacture of claim 14 wherein said wherein said deploying said web service comprises:

invoking a generation utility to generate one or more code modules based on said WSDL file, and also generating a deployment file;

compiling said one or more code modules to provide one or more compiled modules;

storing said one or more compiled modules in a predetermined location accessible to said gateway server to provide said web service; and

invoking an administration utility to configure said web service on said gateway server based on said deployment file.

17. The article of manufacture of claim 16 wherein said deploying further comprises:

generating one or more instructions to perform said invoking said generation utility, said compiling, said storing, and said invoking said administration utility; and

executing said one or more instructions.

18. The article of manufacture of claim 14 wherein said method further comprises:

invoking a WSDL generation utility to generate said WSDL file based on said input-output message description.

19. The article of manufacture of claim 18 wherein said WSDL generation utility also generates said correlator file.

20. The article of manufacture of claim 14 wherein said method further comprises:

invoking a WSDL generation utility to generate said WSDL file, said interface module, one or more markup-language converters and said correlator file based on said input-output message description, said interface module being associated with said one or more mark-up language converters, said converters to transform said request and reply messages between a mark-up language and a programming language of said application; and

configuring said interface module and said converters to communicate with said application.

21. The article of manufacture of claim 14 wherein said method further comprises:

invoking a utility to generate client code based on said WSDL file.

22. The article of manufacture of claim 14 wherein said input-output message description is a COBOL copybook.

23. The article of manufacture of claim 14 wherein said legacy system is an Information Management System (IMS) and said application is an IMS application.

24. The article of manufacture of claim 14 wherein said method further comprises:

receiving one or more connection properties to access a system comprising said application; and

storing said one or more connection properties in said connection bundle.

25. The article of manufacture of claim 14 wherein said method further comprises:

generating an options file having one or more option parameters comprising a name of said input-output message description, wherein said WSDL file and said correlator file are generated based on said options file and said input-output message description.

26. The article of manufacture of claim 14 wherein said method further comprises:

in response to another command, modifying said correlator file.

27. The article of manufacture of claim 14 wherein said method further comprises:

in response to another command, modifying said connection bundle.

28. A system to enable an application to be accessed as a web service at a gateway server, comprising:

a deployment utility to deploy a web service deployed to said gateway server in response to a command, said web service being generated based on a web service description language (WSDL) file that is based on an input-output message description of said application, wherein said web service is accessible to a client using a Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP) message, said gateway server to send a request message to said application based on said SOAP message in accordance with said web service, and said gateway server to receive a reply message from said application and return a SOAP response to said client based on said reply message in accordance with said web service,

a connection bundle comprising connection information to interface with said application, said connection bundle being made accessible to said gateway server in response to said command; and

a correlator file comprising a name of an interface module associated with said application, also comprising said name of said connection bundle, said correlator file being made accessible to said gateway server in response to said command.

29. The system of claim 28 further comprising:

one or more instructions to invoke a generation utility to generate one or more code modules based on said WSDL file, and also to generate a deployment file;

one or more compiled modules compiled from said one or more code modules;

said one or more compiled modules being stored at a location accessible to said gateway server to provide said web service; and

one or more instructions to invoke an administration utility to configure said web service on said gateway server based on said deployment file.

30. The system of claim 28 further comprising:

a batch file comprising one or more deployment-utility commands, said one or more deployment utility commands comprising at least one, in any combination, of said command to deploy said web service, a deployment-utility command to modify said correlator file, and a deployment-utility command to modify said connection bundle.