Understanding SOAP
Published on 18. July 2000
Book
Paperback/Softback
528 pages
978-0-672-31922-8 (ISBN)
Description
Understanding SOAP begins with a discussion of distributed object computing, reviewing the current technologies. It then discusses the realities that make distributed object computing so difficult. Given these realities, the book provides a case study of a current technology to show why it is so difficult to distribute objects and why a protocol, such as SOAP, is such an important topic. An in-depth example gives you a working scenario of what is involved with distributed object computing and SOAP. Finally, the book discusses the future of SOAP, to include language binding and system integration. This book provides you with an accelerated approach to understanding how XML applies to distributed systems, specifically using the SOAP protocol.
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
Indianapolis
United States
Publishing group
Pearson Education (US)
Target group
College/higher education
Dimensions
Height: 232 mm
Width: 188 mm
Thickness: 30 mm
Weight
865 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-672-31922-8 (9780672319228)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Persons
Kenn Scribner and Mark Stiver have considerable experience with distributed systems. Most recently they spent two years developing a commercial product that implemented a SOAP-like XML interface.
Kennard Scribner is a senior systems programmer with the world?s largest supplier of information services for the legal industry. In addition, he is the founder and President of The EnduraSoft Corporation, a software company specializing in the creation of custom components. Kenn is the author of Sams Teach Yourself ATL Programming in 21 Days, and co-author of MFC Programming Unleashed.
Mark C. Stiver is a Senior Software Engineer and the Technical Lead for a product development group at a major data warehouse company. He has over ten years of experience working on a wide variety of commercial, industrial, and military software development projects. Most recently, Mark completed a two-year effort developing an n-tier, distributed product using XML as the base protocol to integrate Windows desktop, Windows NT Server, and UNIX applications.
Kennard Scribner is a senior systems programmer with the world?s largest supplier of information services for the legal industry. In addition, he is the founder and President of The EnduraSoft Corporation, a software company specializing in the creation of custom components. Kenn is the author of Sams Teach Yourself ATL Programming in 21 Days, and co-author of MFC Programming Unleashed.
Mark C. Stiver is a Senior Software Engineer and the Technical Lead for a product development group at a major data warehouse company. He has over ten years of experience working on a wide variety of commercial, industrial, and military software development projects. Most recently, Mark completed a two-year effort developing an n-tier, distributed product using XML as the base protocol to integrate Windows desktop, Windows NT Server, and UNIX applications.
Content
Introduction.
1. Essential SOAP: A Comparison of SOAP to Existing Distributed Object Technologies.
The Argument for SOAP.
Heavyweight Versus Lightweight Protocols. Advantages and Disadvantages of SOAP. SOAP Myths and Legends.
Comparing Distributed Object Technologies.
Design Considerations. CORBA. DCOM and DCE RPC. Java RMI. SOAP.
Summary.
2. SOAP and XML: The Foundation of SOAP.
XML's Appeal.
Proprietary Formats. Spatial and Referential Schemes. Structured Data Scheme.
Essential XML.
Documents, Elements, and Attributes. Entity References and Character Data (CDATA). Parsers: The DOM and SAX. Choosing a Parser.
URIs and XML Namespaces.
URLs and URNs. XML Namespaces.
XML Schema.
Understanding XML Schemas. An XML Schema Example. SOAP and Schemas.
Style Sheets and Transformations.
The XSLT Vocabulary and Templates.
XLink, XPointer, and XPath.
XLink. XPointer. XPath.
Summary.
3. Distributed Objects and XML: The Road to SOAP.
Using XML in Distributed Systems.
An Ad Hoc XML Approach. A Generic Approach. Complex Serialization. Realizing SOAP.
The Need for Standardization.
XML-RPC. XMOP. ebXML. SOAP.
The SOAP Specification v1.1.
Frequently Used Terminology. An Overview of the SOAP v1.1 Specification.
Summary.
4. SOAP and Data: Protocol Transports.
SOAP and HTTP.
Request and Response Model. HTTP Methods, Headers, and Bodies. Monitoring SOAP Traffic. Bi-Directional HTTP.
SOAP and Other Protocols.
FTP. SMTP and Message Queues.
Layering Protocols for SOAP. Summary.
5. SOAP and Data: The XML Payload.
Serializing Information.
Directed Data Flow. Serialization and SOAP.
A Closer Look at the SOAP Envelope.
The SOAP-ENV:encodingStyle Attribute. Envelope Namespace Declarations. Additional Envelope Attributes. Envelope Versioning. Envelope Sub-Elements.
A Closer Look at the SOAP Header.
Header Element Location. Header Sub-Elements. The Header Element and Its SOAP-ENV:mustUnderstand Attribute. The Header Element and its SOAP-ENV:root Attribute.
A Closer Look at the SOAP Body.
The Call Body Element. The Response Body Element. The Fault Body Element.
Encoding Method Parameters. Summary.
6. SOAP and Data: Data Types.
Encoding Data Types in XML.
Encoding Data Types in SOAP. NDR Pointer Types.
Basic SOAP Data Types.
Simple Data Types. Byte Arrays. Strings: The Multi-Reference Simple Type. Enumerations.
Compound SOAP Data Types.
Structures. Generic Compound Types. Arrays.
Default Values. Polymorphic Accessors. Summary.
7. SOAP and Communications: Invoking Remote Methods.
Remote Procedure Call (RPC).
Remote Endpoints. Wire Representation of Data. Interface Design for Networks. Passing References. Passing Data Structures and Graphs. Exception Handling.
Object Remote Procedure Call (ORPC).
Object References. State Management and Garbage Collection.
SOAP and ORPC.
The SOAP Object Reference. Wire Representation. SOAP Interface Design. Passing References and Interfaces. State Management and Garbage Collection.
Implementing State Management.
Cookies. The SOAP Header.
Understanding Object Activation. Summary.
8. SOAP: BizTalk and the SOAP Toolkit.
BizTalk.org. The BizTalk Server.
The BizTalk Server Architecture. The BizTalk Server Tools.
The BizTalk Framework.
The BizTalk Framework: XML Tag Specifications. The BizTalk Framework: Document Design Guide. Comparing the BizTalk Framework to SOAP.
The SOAP Toolkit for Visual Studio 6.
Service Description Language (SDL). Remote Object Proxy Engine (ROPE). Listeners. SOAP Toolkit Benefits and Limitations.
Summary.
9. The Future of SOAP.
Protocol Acceptance.
Building SOAP's Future Acceptance with an Open Standardization. Architecting SOAP's Future Through Additional Research and. Development. Extensions and Derivations. Sufficient Development Tools and Documentation. Product Development.
Current Issues SOAP Does Not Address.
Security. Object Activation and Garbage Collection.
Objects and Object Discovery. Direct Interface to SOAP Translation.
Automated Schema Generation. Automated Serializer Generation.
Summary.
10. Implementing SOAP: The COM Language Binding.
Existing Language Bindings.
DevelopMentor's Perl SOAP Language Binding. DevelopMentor's Java SOAP Language Binding. Microsoft's Visual Basic SOAP Language Binding.
The COM Language Binding.
The COM Language Binding Architecture. The Essentials of Interception and Delegation. Determining Method Parameter Type.
Reusable SOAP C++ Objects.
The SOAP Base Class: CSOAPElement. Primary Derived SOAP Classes. Secondary Derived SOAP Classes. C++ HTTP Packet Support. Using the SOAP Object Model.
Reusable SOAP COM Objects.
The SOAP Catalog. The Type Library Encoder.
The SOAP Configuration Utility. SOAP from the Client-The SOAP Object Surrogate.
The Mechanics of Interception. The Mechanics of Delegation. Creating SOAP-Enabled Objects. Using the SOAP Object Surrogate. Interpreting the COM Method Call Stack. Transmitting the Serialized Method Information. Interpreting (and Using) the Results Obtained from the Remote Object. Possible Improvements.
SOAP from the Server-The Object Activator.
SOAPExtension-an ISAPI Extension DLL. The DeSerializer. The Activator. Configuring the Activation Framework. Possible Improvements.
Summary.
Appendixes.
A. The SOAP 1.1 Specification.
B. Resources.
C. A Look into Late-Breaking Technoligies That Support SOAP.
Index.
1. Essential SOAP: A Comparison of SOAP to Existing Distributed Object Technologies.
The Argument for SOAP.
Heavyweight Versus Lightweight Protocols. Advantages and Disadvantages of SOAP. SOAP Myths and Legends.
Comparing Distributed Object Technologies.
Design Considerations. CORBA. DCOM and DCE RPC. Java RMI. SOAP.
Summary.
2. SOAP and XML: The Foundation of SOAP.
XML's Appeal.
Proprietary Formats. Spatial and Referential Schemes. Structured Data Scheme.
Essential XML.
Documents, Elements, and Attributes. Entity References and Character Data (CDATA). Parsers: The DOM and SAX. Choosing a Parser.
URIs and XML Namespaces.
URLs and URNs. XML Namespaces.
XML Schema.
Understanding XML Schemas. An XML Schema Example. SOAP and Schemas.
Style Sheets and Transformations.
The XSLT Vocabulary and Templates.
XLink, XPointer, and XPath.
XLink. XPointer. XPath.
Summary.
3. Distributed Objects and XML: The Road to SOAP.
Using XML in Distributed Systems.
An Ad Hoc XML Approach. A Generic Approach. Complex Serialization. Realizing SOAP.
The Need for Standardization.
XML-RPC. XMOP. ebXML. SOAP.
The SOAP Specification v1.1.
Frequently Used Terminology. An Overview of the SOAP v1.1 Specification.
Summary.
4. SOAP and Data: Protocol Transports.
SOAP and HTTP.
Request and Response Model. HTTP Methods, Headers, and Bodies. Monitoring SOAP Traffic. Bi-Directional HTTP.
SOAP and Other Protocols.
FTP. SMTP and Message Queues.
Layering Protocols for SOAP. Summary.
5. SOAP and Data: The XML Payload.
Serializing Information.
Directed Data Flow. Serialization and SOAP.
A Closer Look at the SOAP Envelope.
The SOAP-ENV:encodingStyle Attribute. Envelope Namespace Declarations. Additional Envelope Attributes. Envelope Versioning. Envelope Sub-Elements.
A Closer Look at the SOAP Header.
Header Element Location. Header Sub-Elements. The Header Element and Its SOAP-ENV:mustUnderstand Attribute. The Header Element and its SOAP-ENV:root Attribute.
A Closer Look at the SOAP Body.
The Call Body Element. The Response Body Element. The Fault Body Element.
Encoding Method Parameters. Summary.
6. SOAP and Data: Data Types.
Encoding Data Types in XML.
Encoding Data Types in SOAP. NDR Pointer Types.
Basic SOAP Data Types.
Simple Data Types. Byte Arrays. Strings: The Multi-Reference Simple Type. Enumerations.
Compound SOAP Data Types.
Structures. Generic Compound Types. Arrays.
Default Values. Polymorphic Accessors. Summary.
7. SOAP and Communications: Invoking Remote Methods.
Remote Procedure Call (RPC).
Remote Endpoints. Wire Representation of Data. Interface Design for Networks. Passing References. Passing Data Structures and Graphs. Exception Handling.
Object Remote Procedure Call (ORPC).
Object References. State Management and Garbage Collection.
SOAP and ORPC.
The SOAP Object Reference. Wire Representation. SOAP Interface Design. Passing References and Interfaces. State Management and Garbage Collection.
Implementing State Management.
Cookies. The SOAP Header.
Understanding Object Activation. Summary.
8. SOAP: BizTalk and the SOAP Toolkit.
BizTalk.org. The BizTalk Server.
The BizTalk Server Architecture. The BizTalk Server Tools.
The BizTalk Framework.
The BizTalk Framework: XML Tag Specifications. The BizTalk Framework: Document Design Guide. Comparing the BizTalk Framework to SOAP.
The SOAP Toolkit for Visual Studio 6.
Service Description Language (SDL). Remote Object Proxy Engine (ROPE). Listeners. SOAP Toolkit Benefits and Limitations.
Summary.
9. The Future of SOAP.
Protocol Acceptance.
Building SOAP's Future Acceptance with an Open Standardization. Architecting SOAP's Future Through Additional Research and. Development. Extensions and Derivations. Sufficient Development Tools and Documentation. Product Development.
Current Issues SOAP Does Not Address.
Security. Object Activation and Garbage Collection.
Objects and Object Discovery. Direct Interface to SOAP Translation.
Automated Schema Generation. Automated Serializer Generation.
Summary.
10. Implementing SOAP: The COM Language Binding.
Existing Language Bindings.
DevelopMentor's Perl SOAP Language Binding. DevelopMentor's Java SOAP Language Binding. Microsoft's Visual Basic SOAP Language Binding.
The COM Language Binding.
The COM Language Binding Architecture. The Essentials of Interception and Delegation. Determining Method Parameter Type.
Reusable SOAP C++ Objects.
The SOAP Base Class: CSOAPElement. Primary Derived SOAP Classes. Secondary Derived SOAP Classes. C++ HTTP Packet Support. Using the SOAP Object Model.
Reusable SOAP COM Objects.
The SOAP Catalog. The Type Library Encoder.
The SOAP Configuration Utility. SOAP from the Client-The SOAP Object Surrogate.
The Mechanics of Interception. The Mechanics of Delegation. Creating SOAP-Enabled Objects. Using the SOAP Object Surrogate. Interpreting the COM Method Call Stack. Transmitting the Serialized Method Information. Interpreting (and Using) the Results Obtained from the Remote Object. Possible Improvements.
SOAP from the Server-The Object Activator.
SOAPExtension-an ISAPI Extension DLL. The DeSerializer. The Activator. Configuring the Activation Framework. Possible Improvements.
Summary.
Appendixes.
A. The SOAP 1.1 Specification.
B. Resources.
C. A Look into Late-Breaking Technoligies That Support SOAP.
Index.