Network Deployment (Distributed operating systems), v8.0 > Applications > Service integration > Messaging engines
Messaging engine communication
We can configure different transport options for communication between messaging engines and with WebSphere MQ networks.
The transport channel service provides common networking services, protocols, and I/O operations for the WAS. A channel is a basic functional unit that can be linked with other channels into transport chains. A number of transport chains are defined as part of the application server configuration, and it is also possible to create new transport chains. In this way, the requirements of particular environments are supported.
The transport channel service provides functions for configuring, administering, and initializing chains and their constituent channels. For the purposes of administration, chains are divided into outbound chains and inbound chains. The former are chains used for actively establishing connections, whereas the latter are chains that passively wait for connections to be established.
The inter-operation between service integration and the transport channel service is achieved by implementing two channels:
- The JFAP channel, which supports intercommunication within service integration
- The MQFAP channel, which supports WebSphere MQ communication
By using the administrative facilities of the transport channel service, you can assemble these channels into transport chains that support the following protocols:
- JFAP over TCP
- This is the basic bus protocol; a connection-oriented protocol that uses a standard TCP/IP connection. It includes support for two-phase transactional (remote XA) flows, so that a messaging producer or consumer, running on a client system, can participate in a global transaction managed on that client system.
- JFAP over SSL
- This is a secure sockets layer (SSL) version of the basic protocol. The protocol starts with the SSL handshake, and if successful continues with the normal data packets, carried using the SSL record format (and encrypted if the SSL handshake established that encryption was required).
- JFAP tunneled through HTTP
- An HTTP tunnelled version of the basic protocol to enable passing through firewalls.
- JFAP tunneled through HTTPS
- An HTTPS version of the basic protocol. The protocol starts with an HTTP request, which allows it to be routed by HTTP proxies, and then switches into the SSL variant when the route has been established.
- MQFAP over TCP
- The basic protocol used for communication with WebSphere MQ.
- MQFAP over SSL
- A secure sockets layer (SSL) version of the basic protocol used for communication with WebSphere MQ.
You select transports that include SSL or HTTPS, to ensure the security of messages in transit between their producers and consumers. Remember though, that the encryption and decryption of messages by SSL has a high performance and resource cost.
Inbound transport options
Applications with a dependency on messaging engine availability
Security for messaging engines
Add buses
Configure bus properties
Configure transport chains