Asynchronous Commands

An asynchronous command is actually a collection of two or more synchronous commands. This type of command is useful when more than a few seconds will elapse before results can be collected and returned. A typical use case will begin with a Smart Grid Gateway request to start a job on the head end system. The initial request will contain enough data to initiate the process, such as a meter identifier or a date range. The response usually contains an identifier for the process started on the head end system. At some later time, a request will be initiated by the head end system. The request will contain the same process identifier so it can be linked to the original request. Some head end systems use this secondary request to indicate the status of the process. Other head end systems send the results of the process in the secondary request. Typically, the response message for either type of secondary request is a functional acknowledgement.