Fwd: RE: Ebxml, BizTalk et al

[Alan Kotok <akotok@disa.org>]

TO:  Marketing/Awareness/Education team

Dick Brooks posted the message given below to the technical architecture 
list.  It seems to show the overlaps and differences between BizTalk and 
ebXML quite well.

Alan Kotok
Director, Education and Information Resources
Data Interchange Standards Association
akotok@disa.org
+1 703-518-4174




>Date: Sun, 16 Jul 2000 12:48:25 -0500
>From: Dick Brooks <dick@8760.com>
>Subject: RE: Ebxml, BizTalk et al
>To: Steven Livingstone <s.livingstone@btinternet.com>,
>         ebXML-architecture@lists.oasis-open.org
>Cc: dick@8760.com
>Reply-to: dick@8760.com
>X-Mailer: Microsoft Outlook IMO, Build 9.0.2416 (9.0.2910.0)
>Importance: Normal
>List-Owner: <mailto:ebxml-architecture-help@lists.ebxml.org>
>List-Post: <mailto:ebxml-architecture@lists.ebxml.org>
>List-Subscribe:
>  <mailto:ebxml-architecture-request@lists.ebxml.org?body=subscribe>
>List-Unsubscribe:
>  <mailto:ebxml-architecture-request@lists.ebxml.org?body=unsubscribe>
>List-Archive: <http://lists.ebxml.org/archives/ebxml-architecture>
>List-Help: <http://lists.ebxml.org/doc/email-manage.html>,
>  <mailto:ebxml-architecture-request@lists.ebxml.org?body=help>
>
>Steven,
>
>I attended the ebXML meeting in Boston last week and provided some of the
>BizTalk/ebXML analysis. The following is my analysis of the two:
>
>SIMILARITIES:
>
>- Both are trying to solve the same problem; reliable, secure delivery of
>multimedia payloads.
>
>- Both use MIME to package multimedia payloads in request messages.
>
>- Both use XML to describe header level information in a "header document".
>
>- Both contain routing information, message identification and support for
>QOS functions, including reliability and delivery constraints in their
>header document.
>
>- There are common "tag names" (e.g. to and from ).
>
>DIFFERENCES
>
>- ALL ebXML exchanges (both request and response) use a single packaging
>structure (MIME multipart/related);
>   BizTalk defines two packaging structures for requests, XML only for a
>single payload and MIME multipart/related for
>   multiple payloads, all BizTalk responses are XML only.
>
>- ebXML defines a packaging hierarchy with one mandatory "header container"
>and one optional "payload container". The
>   payload container can contain a simple single body part or a complicated
>nesting multipart/*, this allows the entire payload to be signed/encrypted.
>BizTalk uses a flat packaging structure where each part exists at the same
>level as the header. It is possible for a BizTalk message to be structured
>in exactly the same way as ebXML through the use of a multipart/*, but this
>is an implementation decision.
>
>- BizTalk uses SOAP to encapsulate "header level information" and responses,
>ebXML does not use SOAP.
>
>- ebXML supports both synchronous and asynchronous delivery of response
>messages; BizTalk only allows asynchronous delivery of response messages
>
>- ebXML contains routing information in both request and response messages
>(to party, from party); BizTalk does not contain routing information in a
>response message (but I believe this may change in the next BizTalk spec).
>
>- ebXML supports three processing modes:
>         - one-way/no response
>         - Synchronous Request-Response (a.k.a. RPC)
>         - Fire and Forget/Full Messaging
>   BizTalk supports one-way/no response and Fire and Forget/Full Messaging.
>
>- The ebXML packaging spec references S/MIME (RFC 2633) and PGP/MIME (RFC
>2015) standards for encryption and digital signature and the ebXML header
>spec references XML Dsig for more granular signature requirements than
>provided by RFC 2633 and RFC 2015;
>Encryption and Digital Signature specifications are expected to be addressed
>in a later version of the BizTalk spec.
>
>
>Hope this helps.
>
>Dick Brooks
>http://www.8760.com/
>
>
>
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: Steven Livingstone [mailto:s.livingstone@btinternet.com]
>Sent: Friday, July 14, 2000 6:41 PM
>To: ebXML-architecture@lists.oasis-open.org
>Subject: Ebxml, Biztalk et al
>
>
>List-Subscribe:
>  <mailto:ebxml-architecture-request@lists.ebxml.org?body=subscribe>
>List-Unsubscribe:
>  <mailto:ebxml-architecture-request@lists.ebxml.org?body=unsubscribe>
>List-Archive: <http://lists.ebxml.org/archives/ebxml-architecture>
>List-Help: <http://lists.ebxml.org/doc/email-manage.html>,
>  <mailto:ebxml-architecture-request@lists.ebxml.org?body=help>
>
>I hope this is the correct list for this question.
>
>I am looking for a paper reviewing the similarities and differences, pros
>and cons between Ebxml and similar initiatives, BizTalk in particular.
>
>Any views from this list would also be appreciated !
>
>Thanks,
>Steven
>
>Author and Reviewer,
>Professional XML, ASP XML, Beginners XML,
>Pro Site Server, Pro Site Server Commerce
>Wrox Press, http://www.wrox.com
>
>Steven Livingstone
>Glasgow, Scotland.
>07771 957 280 or +447771957280