3 Managing Network Service Interfaces

This chapter describes how you can configure and manage network resources as network service interfaces. You do this by using the Oracle Communications Services Gatekeeper Network Service Supplier Portal, one of the partner relationship management (PRM) portal applications.

About Network Resources and Service Interfaces

In Network Service Supplier Portal, you configure network service interfaces using the network resources you want to provide to network operators. You expose these interfaces for the use of partner managers in Partner and API Management Portal.

Partner managers use these interfaces when they create APIs in Partner and API Management Portal. Partners use the APIs to create applications in Partner Portal. When the APIs are active and in use in partner applications, the interfaces provide the services of the network resources exposed by the network operator.

About the Network Service Interface Data

Before you begin configuring a network service interface in Network Service Supplier Portal, collect the following data about the network resource:

  • Basic information, consisting of:

    • Name: a name to identify the service interface

    • Version: a version number to identify the service interface

      If you are updating an existing network service interface, specify the newer version number.

    • Description: a description to identify the service interface

  • If you are updating an interface, provide the date and time when the older version should be deprecated.

  • Access information, consisting of URLs for the following:

    • The network service interface

    • The WADL/WSDL file associated with this interface

    • Documentation for this interface

  • Throughput capacity provided by this interface, in terms of maximum transactions per second (TPS)

  • Security information to access the network interfaces, consisting of:

    • Your choice of authentication and authorization, if any.

      Services Gatekeeper enables you to set up the network service interface with no security, text-based security, and OAuth.

Save an offline copy of this information for the interface.

About Interface Statuses

A network service interface can have on of the following statuses:

  • ACTIVE

    When you create and save a network service interface in Network Service Supplier Portal, Services Gatekeeper sets the state of the interface to ACTIVE.

    Partner managers can subscribe to network service interfaces that are in an ACTIVE state.

  • DEPRECATED

    A deprecated network service interface represents an older version of a current interface. When you update an existing interface, the updated version becomes the active version and the previous version becomes deprecated. You can also deprecate an existing interface in Network Service Supplier Portal, by selecting the icon adjoining the trash can icon within the interface icon. Services Gatekeeper asks you to specify the date and time when the interface should be deprecated.

    Tip:

    Maintain backward compatibility when you update an active interface.

    The data for a deprecated interface cannot be modified and deprecated interfaces are not available to new APIs.

    The service associated with a deprecated interface is available to APIs that subscribed to the interface and only for a designated period. After that period, the network service supplier can remove the deprecated interface.

Life Cycle Stages of a Network Service Interface

Each network service interface goes through the following stages:

  1. As a network service supplier, you create an interface and submit it in Network Service Supplier Portal.

  2. Services Gatekeeper displays a notification on the MESSAGES page of the associated Partner and API Management Portal.

    Partner managers with access to the Partner and API Management Portal can use this interface to create an API.

  3. When the interface is active, you can do one of the following:

    • Update the interface, thereby deprecating the earlier version and creating an active interface version to be used in APIs created from this point onward.

    • Remove the interface.

      To remove an interface from active use, you delete the interface in Network Service Supplier Portal. If:

      • Any API is using the interface currently, Services Gatekeeper does not permit the removal of the interface.

        A warning is seen in Network Service Supplier Portal.

      • No API is using the interface currently, Services Gatekeeper removes the interface from the associated Partner and API Management Portal.

        A notification is seen in Partner and API Management Portal.