RE: Sun / IBM joint submission on using UDDI to locate ebXML Registries

[Vadim Draluk <vadim.draluk@bea.com>]

Anne,

I wouldn't consider UDDI a global registry necessarily, since it has 
mechanisms to support distributed registry hierarchies.

I do agree though with it not being a repository, so that it can use ebXML 
repositories to store actual documents. But, if I understand it correctly, 
the Sun/IBM proposal supports pointers to ebXML registries rather than 
directly to repositories. Which means that all the duplicate functionality 
(classification, grouping, and, yes, relationships, since you can use 
tModels to support relationships as well) is still in place.

The two initiatives can only benefit from a clearer separation of their 
scopes. So far, despite some statements to the contrary, they seem to be in 
direct competition, which IMHO makes it an uphill battle for ebXML reg/rep, 
if for no other reasons then just because of timing.

Hopefully the Vienna meeting will help resolve positioning issues, which 
Sun and IBM are very well positioned to address. See you there.

Vadim

At 06:37 PM 4/24/01 -0700, Anne Thomas Manes wrote:
>The UDDI Operators council operates a global, centralized business registry.
>The idea is that every business in the world will register its business and
>its services in this one registry. This global registry is designed to do
>exactly what we need as a registry of ebXML registries.
>
>The UDDI registry is not a repository. It does not contain actual
>specifications. Instead it points to other locations (e.g., an ebXML
>repository) to find the actual specifications. The UDDI registry has a very
>simple hierarchical data model (four entities) and it doesn't allow for
>extensive relationships. It best purpose is to help you find the folks that
>you might be interested in doing business with.
>
>Once you find your potential partners, you want a lot more data and much
>richer search capabilities to find the specific partners and specific
>services that you will use. At that point, you're likely to want to use
>something like ebXML reg/rep.
>
>In a previous post, Vadim thought that very few folks would be willing to
>use both UDDI and ebXML reg/rep, but I disagree. I would be surprised if a
>business refused to do business with other partners just because they
>refused to use ebXML. Some partners will use ebXML, some partners will use
>BizTalk, some partners will use e-speak, some partners will use
>MyOwnXMLMessaging scheme.
>
>The advantage of XML messaging is that you can converse with other folks
>even if they don't adopt your particular brand of XML infrastructure. UDDI
>crosses all of these bridges. So I believe that (most) everyone will use
>UDDI as a starting point. Meanwhile, ebXML offers so much more then UDDI,
>that I expect that a reasonable portion of the world out there will realize
>how powerful it is and start using it.
>
>Anne Thomas Manes
>Sun Microsystems
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: Gersdorf, Jens [mailto:Jens.Gersdorf@compaq.com]
>Sent: Tuesday, April 24, 2001 2:00 AM
>To: 'ebxml-regrep@lists.ebxml.org'
>Subject: RE: Sun / IBM joint submission on using UDDI to locate ebXML
>Registries
>
>
>Hi!
>
>I'm rather new to the ebXML effort but tried to read all the specs you have
>published. But your discussion about the realationship of UDDI and ebxml
>Registries leaves more questions open to me than solving them. The main
>question I have is the following:
>
>Where is the benefit from locating an ebXML Registrie via UDDI? I mean, they
>are both some kind of database or dictionary, why should I use one to find
>another? At which level should this be stopped? I can imagine of using
>another database to locate UDDI registries where I can find ebXML
>Registries, and this can be continued as many levels as you want - or not?
>
>Until know I thought of UDDI as a competitor to ebXML-Registries, in the way
>that you can find directly via UDDI the interfaces to services of companies.
>Isn't the trial to locate ebXML-registries via UDDI the desperate trial to
>reconcile two competing technologies?
>
>Kind regards
>
>Jens Gersdorf
>
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