Web Services Addressing 1.0 is now a W3C Recommendation
W3C standardizes a proven method for addressing Web services messages
http://www.w3.org/ -- 9 May 2006 -- The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) announced today that Web Services Addressing 1.0 - consisting of the Core specification and the SOAP Binding - is a W3C Recommendation. Industry now has a reliable, proven interoperable standard to address Web services messages.
"Web Services Addressing 1.0 provides a mechanism to developers on how to address objects for Web services applications," explained Philippe Le Hégaret, W3C Architecture Domain Leader. "It extends the capabilities of Web services by enabling asynchronous message exchanges, and allowing more than two services to interact."
Web Services Addressing 1.0 Defines New Standard Way to Address Web Services Objects
Web Services Addressing 1.0 provides a transport-neutral mechanism for addressing objects in Web services applications built on top of URIs. This new method is called an endpoint reference, or EPR. EPRs are designed to solve the issues posed by specific scenarios:
- Dynamic generation and customization of service endpoint descriptions, such as those created for a session id or customer id
- Referencing and description of specific service instances that are created as the result of stateful interactions
- Flexible and dynamic exchange of endpoint information in tightly coupled environments where communicating parties share a set of common assumptions about specific policies or protocols that are used during the interaction.
In addition to the addressing function of EPRs, they can serve a role similar to that of a cookie for Web services interactions. Another special feature of EPRs is referred to as a metadata bag. The metadata bag allows for additional information - whether it be a policy statement, a WSDL description, or Semantic Web data - to be included with the EPR.
EPRs serve as a key component of Web services specifications developed in a variety of different standards and industry organizations. The W3C work ensures that these diverse groups have a universal starting point with regards to addressing Web services messages.
SOAP Binding for WS Addressing Makes New, More Powerful Applications Easier to Implement, More Secure
Along with the core specification, the W3C Web Services Addressing Working Group issued an accompanying Recommendation, "Web Services Addressing 1.0 - SOAP Binding". The SOAP binding provides instructions to developers interested in implementing Web Services Addressing with either the W3C standard SOAP 1.2 or the earlier SOAP 1.1 version. It specifies security considerations to use Web Services Addressing safely.
Web Services Addressing 1.0 Facilitates Asynchronous Interactions
Web Services Addressing introduces a way to specify the destination address reply messages and faults in SOAP messages, taking advantage of SOAP's versatility in being carried by arbitrary underlying protocols and being applicable to a wide variety of interaction patterns. This capability facilitates in particular scenarios with long-running requests.
Web Services Addressing Carries Significant Industry Participation and Endorsement
The participants in the Web Services Addressing Working Group include BEA Systems, BT, CA, Ericsson, Fujitsu Limited, Hitachi Ltd, HP, IBM, IONA Technologies Inc., JBoss Inc., Microsoft Corporation, Nortel Networks, Oracle Corporation, Ricoh Company Ltd., SAP AG, Sonic Software, Sonoa Systems Inc., Sun Microsystems Inc., Systinet Inc., TIBCO Software Inc., webMethods Inc, and WSO2. Many of these participants have implemented or are planning to implement Web Services Addressing 1.0 in their products, as identified in the testimonials.
About the World Wide Web Consortium [W3C]
The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) is an international consortium where Member organizations, a full-time staff, and the public work together to develop Web standards. W3C primarily pursues its mission through the creation of Web standards and guidelines designed to ensure long-term growth for the Web. Over 400 organizations are Members of the Consortium. W3C is jointly run by the MIT Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (MIT CSAIL) in the USA, the European Research Consortium for Informatics and Mathematics (ERCIM) headquartered in France, Keio University in Japan, and has additional Offices worldwide. For more information see http://www.w3.org/
- Contact Americas, Australia --
- Janet Daly, <janet@w3.org>, +1.617.253.5884 or +1.617.253.2613
- Contact Europe, Africa and Middle East --
- Marie-Claire Forgue, <mcf@w3.org>, +33.492.38.75.94 or +33.676.86.33.41
- Contact Asia --
- Yasuyuki Hirakawa <chibao@w3.org>, +81.466.49.1170
Testimonials for WS-Addressing 1.0 Recommendation
In English: CA | Fujitsu Limited | Hitachi, Ltd. | Microsoft Corporation | webMethods
日本語: 日立製作所
CA
By enabling asynchronous messaging and better coordination of data exchanges, WS-Addressing frees Web services from the classic HTTP request/response and brings a new level of flexibility to corporate SOA environments. CA will continue to contribute to these advancements in SOA standards to help our customers better leverage all available information resources across and beyond the enterprise.
-- Glenn Crossman, vice president of Identity and Access Management product management, CAFujitsu
Fujitsu, as a leading provider of Internet-based enterprise systems and a strong supporter of open standards in the field, welcomes the completion of the W3C Recommendation WS-Addressing. Fujitsu has been involved in the development of this specification which will provide a long-awaited common and interoperable solution in using and representing endpoint address data for Web services. This is an important step toward achieving the interoperability of Web-enabled business applications. Fujitsu expects widespread adoption of the standard and will support it in coming releases of its enterprise products.
-- Yoshiyuki Tanakura, Corporate Senior Vice President, Fujitsu LimitedHitachi
Hitachi is pleased that the W3C's new Recommendation "WS-Addressing" has standardized general methods of addressing Web services endpoints. Many business processes and practical applications require transport-independent addressing mechanisms. WS-Addressing permits for the first time a normative approach, which is a significant milestone that encourages the widespread use of Web services. The flexibility provided by this standard allows these Web service mechanisms to be used in a far wider scope of system images.
-- Takao Nakamura, Executive General Manager, Software Division, Hitachi, Ltd.Microsoft Corporation
Microsoft Corp. is pleased to see WS-Addressing 1.0 become a W3C Recommendation. As co-authors and implementers of the original WS-Addressing submission in 2004, Microsoft has long viewed having a standard method of addressing messages as a fundamental extension to SOAP. Many other specifications, such as WS-Trust, WS-ReliableMessaging, and WS-Coordination, leverage this facility to provide secure, reliable, transacted Web services that interoperate across platforms. Microsoft will continue its support of WS-Addressing by implementing the W3C Recommendation in the next versions of its Web services-enabled products, including the forthcoming Windows Communication Foundation 1.0.
-- Andrew Layman, Director of Connected Systems Integration, Microsoft CorporationwebMethods
As a key contributor to the normalization of WS-Addressing and a long-term member of the W3C, webMethods is very pleased to see WS-Addressing become a W3C Recommendation. Our endorsement is reflective of our longstanding support for open standards for Web services and their incorporation into our products. We expect that WS-Addressing will be embraced as an important infrastructural specification as it provides a uniform mechanism for addressing Web services over synchronous and/or asynchronous transports.
-- Prasad Yendluri, Principal Architect, webMethods, Inc.日立製作所
日立製作所は、この度 W3C 勧告として成立した WS-Addressing によって Web サービスエンドポイントを参照するための手段が標準化されたことを歓迎します。多くの業務プロセスや実用アプリケーションでは、通信層に依存しないエンドポイント参照機構が必要です。本仕様によって、初めてそのための標準的なアプローチが確立されたことは、Web サービスの実用化に向けた重要なマイルストーンです。WS-Addressing がもたらす柔軟性によって、より広いシステム形態で Webサービスが利用できるようになると考えます。
-- 株式会社 日立製作所 ソフトウェア事業部 事業部長 中村孝男