What is SOAPam Server

SOAPam Server is a software product for the HP NonStop Server that allows you to expose your existing Guardian or Pathway servers as industry-standard Web services. These Web services can then be accessed from SOAP clients running on virtually any computing platform. SOAPam Server does this while maintaining the security, reliability and scalability of your HP NonStop Server and applications.

SOAPam Server is a Guardian process that accepts SOAP XML-formatted messages via HTTP over TCP/IP. SOAPam Server converts each SOAP requests into your server's own interprocess message format before forwarding to the server. When your server replies, SOAPam Server converts the interprocess message into a SOAP response which it returns to the calling application. There's no need to change your existing servers so any existing client applications are unaffected.

The SOAPam Control Panel is a browser-based user interface that lets you manage the SOAPam environment.

SOAPam Server also includes the SOAPam Service Definition Wizard, a browser-based application that helps you easily set up your NonStop applications as Web services.

What is a Web Service?

A Web service is a collection of software "methods" that can be invoked (called) through a network by a client application using the SOAP protocol. Methods typically accept one or more parameters, perform some action and return one or more parameters.

An example of a Web service might be a "BankingService" that provides methods such as "getAccountBalance", "debitAccount" and "creditAccount". For example, the "getAccountBalance" method might require an "accountNumber" parameter as input and return a "balance" parameter as output.

SOAPam Server Components

SOAPam Server

The SOAPam Server is an Guardian process that accepts SOAP XML-formatted messages via HTTP over TCP/IP. SOAPam Server converts each SOAP requests into your server's own interprocess message format before forwarding to the server. When your server replies, SOAPam Server converts the interprocess message into a SOAP response which it returns to the calling application. The SOAPam Server supports SSL and TLS to guarantee the security of your transactions.

Although the primary role of the SOAPam Server is messaging, it also provides web access to the other components of SOAPam.

SOAPam Virtual File System (VFS)

The SOAPam Virtual File System is hierarchical file system that is located on your NonStop server. Its primary purpose is to act as a repository for the Service Definition Files (SDF) that describe your web services. The VFS features folder-level access control.

SOAPam Server Control Panel

The SOAPam Control Panel is a browser-based application that lets you manage the SOAPam Server environment. Using the Control Panel, you can set access control permissions, security requirements and user impersonation settings on folders in the Virtual File System, and install and manage the server's digital certificate.

SOAPam Server Developer Tools

The developer tools include the SOAPam Service Definition Wizard and various documentation and troubleshooting tools The Wizard is a browser-based application that helps you easily set up your servers as Web services. You specify a name for your service and its methods, the name of your Guardian or Pathway server and, if available, the DDL definitions that describe the interprocess message formats that your server uses. The wizard stores the information in a Service Definition File (SDF) for you.