Example—End-to-End Test for AS2 Messaging

Chapter 2
Example: End-to-End Test for AS2 Messaging

This chapter provides a detailed example that shows how to set up ECXpert inbound and outbound hosts for AS2 messaging and steps through a procedure to send and receive an AS2 message. If you need more information to configure the trading relationship using ECXpert, refer to the ECXpert documentation set at docs.sun.com.

If you plan to follow the procedure in this chapter to test your AS2 setup, AS2 must be installed on two ECXpert machines—one to act as the outbound host or sender, the other to act as the inbound host or receiver. Chapter 1, "Getting Started with AS2 Messaging: Installation and Configuration" gives the instructions for setting up the AS2 plug-in.

Example Overview

This example uses two members called partyA and partyB, which reside on the outbound host and the inbound host respectively. The purpose of the test is to ensure that you can send a plain messages end to end.

Setting up the Outbound Host

This section shows how to set up a partnership so that the outbound host can send AS2 messages. It contains procedures for the following tasks:

Creating memberships for the sender and receiver

Creating a partnership between the sender and receiver

Creating a service list to route messages from partyA to partyB using the AS2 protocol

Perform these procedures using the ECXpert installation on the machine you are using for the sender.

To create memberships

Open the Support interface to ECXpert, and select Membership.

Select Add and specify the fields in Table 2-1, as shown in Figure 2-1:

Table 2-1 Field Values for Creating a Membership
Field	Value
Member ID	partyA
Select	Member is active Member is trusted
Password	If you do not specify a password, you must select the Member is trusted box.

Figure 2-1 Add a Member Screen
Screen capture of the Add a member activity.

Select Next twice, bypassing the Contact Information page. These fields are not important for this test.

Specify information for the Trading Address as shown in the following table and Figure 2-2.

Table 2-2 Field Values for PartyA Address
Field	Value
Address Type	EDI
Qualifier	AS2
Address	PartyA

Figure 2-2 Trading Address Screen
Screen capture of the Add New Trading Address activity.

Click Change to modify the member with the new trading address. This results in the address being added to the Existing Trading Address list, as shown in Figure 2-3.

Figure 2-3 Trading Address Added Screen
Screen capture of the Trading address added indicator.

Repeat Step 1 through Step 5 to add the Receiver member, with the following differences:

In Membership Information, specify partyB for the Member ID.

In Trading Addresses, specify the following:

Table 2-3 Field Values for ParyB Address
Field	Value
Address Type	EDI
Qualifier	AS2
Address	PartyB

To create a service list

From the Support interface, select Services.

Select Add and specify the following field values, as shown in Figure 2-4:

Table 2-4 Field Values for Creating a Service List
Field	Value
Service List Details
Service List Name	TestAS2
Service List Datatype	XML
Sending Member ID	partyA
Receiving Member ID	partyB
Priority	Medium Priority
Exit Service List	<NONE>
Services in List	OutPrep
	gateway

Figure 2-4 Service List Screen
Screen capture of the Service list details.

Click Add to add the Service List.

To create a partnership

From the Support interface, select Partnership.

Select Add and specify the following field values:

Table 2-5 Field Values for Creating a Partnership
Field	Value
Partnership Details
Sending Member	partyA
Receiving Member	partyB
Partnership Type	Application to Application
Map Name	<Leave blank>
Document Type	XML
Partnership Description	<Leave blank>
Do not purge	5
Billing Code	<Leave blank>
Enable Trading	On
Incoming SMTP	None None Not Signed or Encrypted (plain)

Figure 2-5 Add Partnership Screen
Screen capture of the Add partnership activity.

Select Next and specify field values for Protocols. In Table 2-6, the first line in each Value cell gives a specific field value for the example. A general definition of the field is also given.

Table 2-6 Fields Values for Outgoing Protocols
Field	Value
Outgoing Protocol	HTTP for AS2 The name for the Communications Agent is set in the ecx.ini file in the appropriate user-defined-x section at the User Visible Name field.
Pre-Communications Service	as2-pre-comm NOTE: You must specify as2-pre-comm or the communication session will fail.
Delivery Timing	Immediate NOTE: You must specify Immediate for this field or the communication session will fail.
Endpoint URL	http://<inbound host>:<inbound port>/AS2/inbound This is the destination to which the AS2 Outbound Server sends the HTTP POST.
Security	P You have the following options for this field: P for plain messaging S for signed messaging E for encrypted messaging B for signed and encrypted messaging
MDN	N You have the following options for this field: N specifies no MDN acknowledgements MP specifies plain (unsigned) MDNs MS specifies signed MDNs
Synchronous Response	Y Type Y to use the synchronous MDN return model. Type N to use the asynchronous MDN return model.
Compress Message	N Type Y to request compression. Type N for no compression.
MIME Subtype Override (Optional)	XML

Figure 2-6 shows the outgoing protocol specifications for this example.

If you need to use security or reliability, you must create certificates as described in Chapter 3, "Creating Certificates for AS2 Messaging".

Figure 2-6 Outgoing Protocol Screen
Screen capture of Outbound protocol specification activity.

Setting up the Inbound Host

This section shows how to set up a partnership so that the inbound host can receive AS2 messages. Much of it is identical to the last section for setting up the Outbound host. Differences are noted.

Perform these procedures using the ECXpert installation on the machine you are using for the receiver.

To create memberships

Follow the same procedure and use exactly the same field information as shown in "To create memberships".

To create a service list

From the Support interface, select Services.

Select Add and specify the field values given in Table 2-7.

Table 2-7 Field Values for Creating a Service List
Field	Value
Service List Details
Service List Name	AS2Test
Service List Datatype	XML
Sending Member ID	partyA
Receiving Member ID	partyB
Priority	Medium Priority
Exit Service List	<NONE>
Services in List	OutPrep
	gateway

Click Add to add the Service List.

To create a partnership follow the same procedure and use exactly the same field information as shown in "To create a partnership" for Step 1 and Step 2.

To create a partnership

Select Next and specify the following for Protocols for the example, as shown in Figure 2-7:

Table 2-8 Field Values for Creating a Partnership
Field	Value
Outgoing Protocol	FTP
Pre-Communications Service	<NONE>
Delivery Timing	Immediate
Host Name	ftpHost
Port	<Leave blank>
User name	The name of the ECXpert user
Account	<Leave blank>
Password	The password for the ECXpert user
Outbound Transfer Mode	BINARY
Outbound Dir	/tmp Create a temporary output directory and provide path here.
Output Pattern	outBoundMsg.xml This is the name of the output file.
Inbound Dir	<Leave blank>
Inbound Pattern	<Leave blank>
Inbound File Type	<Leave blank>

Figure 2-7 Receiver’s Protocol Screen
Screen capture of the Receiver's protocol information.

Click Change.

Modifying the ecx.ini Configuration File

You must modify the ecx.ini file to identify the sender and receiver to ECXpert.

To modify the ecx.ini file

Open the ecx.ini using a text editor.

Locate the AS2 Server section and modify the following fields:

submit_sender = partyA

submit_receiver = partyB

submit_file_type = XML

Leave submit_password blank.

Save and exit the ecx.ini file.

Shut down and restart the AS2 Server. See "Starting and Stopping the Servers" for instructions.

Sending a Document and Checking Results

Use the submission utility to submit a document from the outbound host, partyA.

To submit a document

Open the ECXpert submission utility and specify the field values in Table 2-9:

Table 2-9 Field Values for Submitting a Document
Field	Value
Sending Member	partyA
Receiving Member	partyB
File Name	/tmp/outBoundMsg.xml (or whatever you called the output file and your temporary directory)
File Type	XML