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Diving Into Web Services and SOA on IBM i

Here’s what you need to know to get started.

Maybe you’re reading this article because you’ve heard the buzz regarding Web services and service oriented architecture (SOA) and are wondering what the fuss is all about. Or maybe you’ve decided to try out Web services on IBM i but aren’t sure how to take the plunge. Or maybe you’ve tried Web services and now you need to expand on your implementation to solve a business problem but aren’t sure if something out there can meet your needs.

In this article, we’ll try to answer your questions by summarizing the various Web services and SOA technologies available that run natively on i. But first, let’s examine the benefits of Web services and SOA on IBM i.

The Case for Web Services and SOA on IBM i

In the June 2008 article “Integrated Web Services for IBM i” (www.ibmsystemsmag.com/i5/june08/trends/20795p1.aspx) in this magazine, we stated the case for Web services and SOA. Let’s review the main points:

• A Web service is a self-contained software component with a well-defined interface that describes a set of operations accessible over the Internet. XML technology provides a platform- and programming-language-independent means by which a Web service’s interface can be defined. Web services can be implemented using any programming language and can be run on any platform, as long as two components are provided to indicate how the Web service can be accessed: a standardized XML interface description called Web services descriptive language (WSDL), and a standardized XML-based protocol called SOAP.
• SOA is a business-centric IT architectural approach that supports integrating your business as linked, repeatable business tasks or services. If you think of each service as a musical note, SOA allows for the flexible composition of melodies.
• The SOA approach delivers a host of benefits, including reduced time to market, improved business alignment for growth, reduced cost and reduced business risk.

In a nutshell, Web services and SOA are ultimately about creating the means to innovate more rapidly. It’s having the flexibility to introduce new products and services, enter or create new markets and revamp business processes—as soon as you envision them.

So why Web services and SOA on i? The IBM i value proposition has always been its simplicity, the integrated nature of the operating system and its reliability. Thus, when it comes to enabling Web services on i, it makes sense to return to these main points: simplicity, integration and reliability.

Simplicity and reliability of IBM i lets users tend to the business, not the computer system. Easy-to-use, powerful features keep customers from being overwhelmed with managing system details, such as performance, storage, users, security, etc.

The integrated nature of i enables customers to run their systems without worrying about obtaining a database, an HTTP server, a Web-services server or other components.

Web services and SOA are ultimately about creating the means to innovate more rapidly.

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