B2B STRATEGIES FOR COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE © DGI ebXML Messaging Vs 2.0 Interoperability Lessons Learned

© DGI UCC ebXML Messaging Interoperability Pilot ebXML Messaging VS 2.0 Interoperability Pilot completed March Pilot Sponsors include: *Global Commerce Initiative *Standards for Automotive Retail *Uniform Code Council Inc.

© DGI Participating Companies with Products/Versions Four Vendors passed: bTrade, inc. - ebXML Connector vs 1.0 Cyclone Commerce Inc. - Cyclone Activator vs 4.2, Cyclone Interchange vs 4.2 Sterling Commerce - STERLING Integrator ™ vs Sybase Inc. - Web Services Integrator (WSI), vs 2.5

B2B STRATEGIES FOR COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE © DGI Messaging Interop Test completed March 2002 Lessons Learned

© DGI ebXML Lessons LESSON LEARNED 1: Testing in a sterile lab environment does not achieve these goals and does not ensure interoperability. LESSON LEARNED 2: The test is structured so that the early tests are simple transfer tests for small data files. This allows the participants to work out problems focusing on path issues - firewalls, proxies - without complicating such issues with more complex problems encountered later.

© DGI Lessons cont. LESSON LEARNED 3: If the individual tests are constructed properly then the final test run on which one receives the seal only uses the most difficult test in place of all the tests. LESSON LEARNED 4: The usual method of testing systems such as these has been a Reference Implementation. While this may assure a measure of conformance to the specification in question, it cannot assure that the systems in question interoperate. Interoperability is not commutative: If A=B and B=C this does not assure that A=C. The only means to ensure this works is Full Matrix Testing.

© DGI Lessons cont. LESSON LEARNED 5: Interoperability is highly dependant upon test conditions and specs. Altering or exceeding the conditions under which the test is performed may significantly alter the interoperability results. LESSON LEARNED 6: All elements and attributes, within each of the given sections, were tested. However, every possible combination of the presence or absence of each parameter could not be tested - because of the exponential nature of the parameter combinational analysis which contributes to very extend test times often from months to years.

© DGI Lessons Cont. LESSON LEARNED 7: Asynchronous replays are also needed in the market place. LESSON LEARNED 8: Certificates are an ongoing problem across the industry. LESSON LEARNED 9: This test focuses on basic Messaging Functionality - ebXML-MS v2.0 specification. Although this test will not include Business Processes, CPPA or Reg-Rep specification testing, certain basic functionality from those specifications must be supported in order to run this test.

© DGI Lessons Continued LESSON LEARNED 10: The three main impediments to interoperability are Firewalls, Proxies and Certificates. LESS0N LEARNED 11:All test participants should install their systems from scratch and clean all certificates from their test system certificate database. Lesson Learned 12: CPA is not necessary for ebXML MS.

© DGI Lessons Continued LESSON LEARNED 13: The following RECOMMENDED settings should apply: 1. HTTP Timeouts set to at least 30 minutes (we are going to send some big files) 2. SyncReply not present for SMTP and present for HTTP and HTTP/S 3. Retries set to 3 4. RetryInterval set as required. TBD 5. TimeToLive must comply with: TimeToLive > currentTime + (Retries * RetryInterval)

© DGI Lessons More LESSON LEARNED 13: The following RECOMMENDED settings should apply: 6. PersistDuration should be very long and must comply with: PersistDuration > Retries * RetryInterval PersistDuration + SendTime > TimeToLive 7. duplicateElimination set to false (default) 8. MessageOrderSemantics set to NotGuaranteed 9. MessageId recommend set to date & time & 10. ConversationId recommend set to date & time & dailyConversationIndex

© DGI Lessons LESSON LEARNED 14: The ability to send and receive large files will be a deciding point for some customers. LESSON LEARNED 15: HTTP/S and sender authentication are required in the products. LESSON LEARNED 16: While the specification states that authentication is performed through digital signatures, XMLdsig does not work well for non-XML structures. A work-around was produced and fed back into the ebXML Message team.

© DGI Lessons LESSON LEARNED 17: The ds:Reference element(s) should always be present in asigned Acknowledgment to provide NRR (Non-Re pudiation of Receipt).Unsigned Data/Unsigned Ack. LESSON LEARNED 18: The market is demanding the capability of multi-payload. LESSON LEARNED 19: Data confidentiality is a must and is achieved through S/MIME encryption of the header information including the Manifest information.

© DGI Lessons LESSON LEARNED 20: When a message is both signed and encrypted, the message with headers must first be signed and then encrypted. The resulting encrypted object will then be placed as the payload of a simple ebXML message as described above. LESSON LEARNED 21: The support of other languages is a must for global acceptance. The last test round did not include this capability.

© DGI Lessons LESSON LEARNED 22: At a minimum the following errors must be supported. 1. SOAP:Fault 2. ValueNotRecognized 3. NotSupported 4. Inconsistent 5. REMOVED: OtherXML 6. REMOVED: DeliveryFailure (multihop only) 7. SecurityFailure 8. REMOVED: Unknown 9. TimeToLiveExpired

© DGI Next ebXML Messaging Interop Test Scheduled June 02 Next Test starts June 2002 under the UCC program. UCC program info: council.org/news/ne_interoperability.htmlhttp:// council.org/news/ne_interoperability.html ebXML Messaging Vs 2.0 will be tested Test scenarios will align with Oasis IIC Lessons Learned are fed back into the ebXML Messaging workgroup For more info, contact Yoko Nakagawa: Phone: