Members Approve ebXML Messaging Services 3.0 as OASIS Standard

Business Wire, Oct 16, 2007

Axway Software, Fujitsu, NEC, Sun Microsystems, U.S. Centers for Disease Control, and Others Collaborate on New Version of Global Standard for Exchanging Business Messages over the Internet

BOSTON -- OASIS, the international open standards consortium, today announced that its members have approved ebXML Messaging Services (ebMS) version 3.0: Part 1, Core Features as an OASIS Standard, a status that signifies the highest level of ratification. ebMS 3.0 defines a Web services-based method for the reliable, secure exchange of business information. It is the latest addition to the ebXML family of specifications that was launched as a global initiative by OASIS and the United Nations Centre for Trade Facilitation and Electronic Business (UN/CEFACT) and has been adopted worldwide.

"This specification is the first major revision of ebMS since version 2.0 was approved as an OASIS Standard in April 2002 - and subsequently as an ISO Standard in March 2004," said Patrick Gannon, president and CEO of OASIS. "It ensures ebXML's continuing relevancy and achieves compatibility with Web services specifications developed after ebMS 2.0, including SOAP 1.2, as well as the WS-Security, WS-Reliability, and WS-ReliableMessaging OASIS Standards."

"It has become critical for all partners - in particular small and medium size enterprises - of a supply chain to be able to handle differences in message flow capacity, intermittent connectivity, lack of static IP addresses, and firewall restrictions. ebMS 3.0 was designed to address all these requirements," explained Ian Jones of British Telecommunications plc, chair of the OASIS ebMS Technical Committee. "We've succeeded in extending the existing enveloping technique that permits messages to contain payloads of any format type - not just XML, to a more flexible Web service framework. This versatility ensures legacy electronic business systems that use traditional syntaxes, such as EDI, ASC X12, or HL7, can leverage the advantages of the ebMS infrastructure along with systems based on emerging technologies."

ebMS is designed to be used either with or without any of the other ebXML standards, including ebXML Business Process Specification Schema (BPSS) 2.0.4 and a forthcoming version of ebXML Collaboration Protocol Profile and Agreement (CPP/A). By design, ebMS 3.0 also fully supports composition with other SOAP-based Web services specifications.

ebMS was developed under the Royalty-Free on Limited Terms Mode of the OASIS Intellectual Property Rights Policy. Axway, Fujitsu Computer Systems, and NEC all verified successful use of ebMS 3.0, in accordance with eligibility requirements for all OASIS Standards.

The OASIS ebMS Technical Committee continues work on Part 2 of ebMS 3.0 that will provide functional extensions to the ebMS 3.0 Core. Participation in the Technical Committee remains open to all companies, non-profit groups, governments, academic institutions, and individuals. Archives of the work are accessible to both members and non-members, and OASIS offers a mechanism for public comment. OASIS hosts an XML.org Focus Area for ebXML, http://ebxml.xml.org, which serves as the official community gathering place and information resource for the standards.

Support for ebMS

Automotive Industry Action Group (AIAG)

"AIAG supports ebMS 3.0 because it enables trading partners to pull for incoming messages, which is very beneficial for smaller companies that do not have static Internet IP addresses or do not want to keep their systems turned on all the time. The automotive industry has invested in ebXML and in Web services capabilities; ebMS 3.0 should facilitate interoperable data exchange using both transport mechanisms," said Pat Snack, General Motors Executive Loan, AIAG.

Axway

"Many global communities use ebXML to reliably transport electronic business messages over the Internet. The ebXML version 3.0 standards process has mainly focused on improving the messaging standard by adding new features found in recent WS-* standards and allowing smaller customers to engage in ebXML business-quality messaging without needing a 24-by-7 Web server. We feel these enhancements will increase its adoption and are pleased to have participated in the endeavor," said Dave Bennett, CTO at Axway.

Fujitsu

"This new version of ebMS will address a broader array of users including SMEs with limited connectivity and little IT management resources. The adoption of Web services standards for security and reliability will facilitate implementations over existing platforms. We believe ebMS 3.0 will become an effective and versatile B2B complement to enterprise systems and SOA deployments," said Yasushi Ishida, Exective Architect of Software Unit, Fujitsu Limited.

Health Level Seven (HL7)

"We have completed committee level balloting on a new release of the HL7 ebXML Transport Specification (normative track) which is based on ebMS 3.0 and expect to proceed to membership ballot in Jan 2008. ebMS 3.0 provides an excellent platform for all forms of health information content exchange including documents, SOA and messages with the diversity of stakeholders in the health care community," said Paul Knapp of Continovation Services Inc., HL7 Implementable Technology Specifications SIG Co-Chair.