|
|
|
The
SOA reference architecture is a way of looking at the set of services that go
into building an SOA. These
capabilities can be implemented on a build-as-you-go basis allowing
capabilities and project level solutions to be easily added as new
requirements are addressed over time.
Looking at the colors in the graphic, you can see that they’re
organized along the same lifecycle we’ve discussed. On the left in green is model and assemble,
in the middle in blue ins deploy, and on the right in darker blue is
manage. The backbone of the reference
architecture is the enterprise service bus which facilitates communication
between services. The reference
architecture is a great tool for laying out roadmaps for pursuing SOA.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Additional
detail:
|
|
The SOA Reference
Architecture outlines the key capabilities that are required for
comprehensive, enterprise wide SOA solutions.
These capabilities can be implemented on a build-as-you-go basis
allowing capabilities and project level solutions to be easily added as new
requirements are addressed over time.
|
|
Tools are an
essential component of any comprehensive integration architecture. The SOA Architecture includes both Development
Services which are used to implement custom artifacts that leverage the
infrastructure capabilities, and Business Innovation & Optimization
Services which are used to monitor and manage the runtime implementations
at both the IT and business process levels.
|
|
At the core of the
SOA Reference Architecture is the Enterprise Service Bus. This
delivers all of the inter-connectivity capabilities required to leverage the
services implemented across the entire architecture. Transport services, event services, and
mediation services are all provided through the ESB.
|
|
The SOA Reference
Architecture also contains a set of services that are oriented toward the
integration of people, processes, and information:
|
|
Interaction
Services provide the capabilities required to deliver IT functions and
data to end users, meeting the end-user's specific usage preferences.
|
|
Process Services
provide the control services required to manage the flow and interactions of
multiple services in ways that implement business processes.
|
|
Information
Services provide the capabilities required to federate, replicate, and
transform data sources that may be implemented in a variety of ways.
|
|
Many of the services
in an SOA are provided through existing applications; others are provided in
newly implemented components; and others are provided through external
connections to third party systems.
|
|
Existing enterprise
applications and enterprise data are accessible from the ESB through a set of
Access Services that provide the bridging capabilities between legacy
applications, pre-packaged applications, enterprise data stores and the ESB.
|
|
The SOA Reference
Architecture also contains a set of Partner Services that provide the
document, protocol, and partner management capabilities required for business
processes that involve inter-actions with outside partners and suppliers.
|
|
Business
Application Services provide runtime services required for new
application components to be included in the integrated system.
|
|
Underlying all these
capabilities of the SOA Reference Architecture is a set of Infrastructure
Services which are used to optimize throughput, availability and
performance.
|
|
IT Services
Management Services include capabilities that relate to scale and performance, for
example edge services, clustering services, and virtualization capabilities
allow efficient use of computing resources based on load patterns.
|
|
The SOA Reference
Architecture is a complete and comprehensive architecture that covers all the
integration needs of an enterprise. Its services are well integrated and are
delivered in a modular way, allowing SOA implementations to start at a small
project level. As each additional project is addressed, new functions can be
easily added, incrementally enhancing the scope of integration across the
enterprise.
|
|
Background:
|
|
The IBM SOA
Foundation delivers the capabilities you need to adopt SOA through a
comprehensive architecture. These capabilities can be implemented on a
build-as-you-go basis, and yet, because of the architecture and its service
orientation, capabilities and project level solutions can be easily added as
new requirements are addressed over time.
|
|
The SOA Reference
Architecture shows the key capabilities that are required for comprehensive,
enterprise wide SOA solutions.
|
|
Development
Services are an essential component of any comprehensive integration
architecture. The SOA Architecture includes development tools, used to
implement custom artifacts that leverage the infrastructure capabilities, and
business performance management tools, used to monitor and manage the runtime
implementations at both the IT and business process levels. Development tools
allow people to efficiently complete specific tasks and create specific
output based on their skills, their expertise, and their role within the
enterprise. Business Analysts who analyze business process requirements need
modeling tools that allow business processes to be charted and simulated.
Software Architects need tool perspectives that allow them to model data,
functional flows, system interactions, etc. Integration Specialists require
capabilities that allow them to configure specific inter-connections in the
integration solution. Programmers need tools that allow them to develop new
business logic with little concern for the underlying platform. Yet, while it
is important for each person to have a specific set of tool functions based
on their role in the enterprise, the tooling environment must provide a
framework that promotes joint development, asset management and deep
collaboration among all these people. A common repository and functions
common across all the developer perspectives (e.g. version control functions,
project management functions, etc) are provided in the SOA Reference
Architecture through a unified development platform.
|
|
The Business
Innovation & Optimization Services incorporate monitoring
capabilities that aggregate operational and process metrics in order to
efficiently manage systems and processes. Managing these systems requires a
set of capabilities that span the needs of IT operations professionals and
business analysts who manage the business operations of the enterprise. These
capabilities are delivered through a set of comprehensive services that
collect and present both IT and process-level data, allowing business
dashboards, administrative dashboards, and other IT level displays to be used
to manage system resources and business processes. Through these displays and
services, it is possible for LOB and IT personnel to collaborate to
determine, for example, what business process paths may not be performing at
maximum efficiency, the impact of system problems on specific processes, or
the relationship of system performance to business process performance. This
collaboration allows IT personnel and assets to be tied more directly to the
business success of the enterprise than they traditionally have been.
|
|
One key feature of
the SOA Reference Architecture is the linkage between the Development and the
Business Innovation & Optimization Services. The ability to
deliver runtime data and statistics into the development environment allows
analyses to be completed that drive iterative process re-engineering through
a continuous business process improvement cycle.
|
|
At the core of the
SOA Reference Architecture is the Enterprise Service Bus. This
architectural construct delivers all the inter-connectivity capabilities
required to leverage and use services implemented across the entire
architecture. Transport services, event services, and mediation services are
all provided through the ESB. Transport services provide the fundamental
connection layer; event services allow the system to respond to specific
stimuli that are part of a business process; and mediation services allow
loose-coupling between interacting services in the system. The ESB is a key
factor in enabling the service orientation of the SOA Reference Architecture
to be leveraged in implementing service oriented solutions and can be
implemented today to meet the quality of service requirements of any
integration solution.
|
|
The SOA Reference
Architecture also contains a set of services that are oriented toward the
integration of people, processes, and information. These services control the
flow of interactions and data among people and automated application services
in ways appropriate to the realization of a business process:
|
|
- Interaction
Services provide the capabilities required to deliver IT functions and
data to end users, meeting the end-user's specific usage preferences.
|
|
- Process
Services provide the control services required to manage the flow and
interactions of multiple services in ways that implement business processes.
|
|
- Information
Services provide the capabilities required to federate, replicate, and
transform data sources that may be implemented in a variety of ways.
|
|
Automated
application services, implementations of business logic in automated systems,
are a critical part of any integration architecture or solution. Many of
these services are provided through existing applications; others are
provided in newly implemented components; and others are provided through
external connections to third party systems. Existing enterprise applications
and enterprise data are accessible from the ESB through a set of access
services. These Access Services provide the bridging capabilities
between legacy applications, pre-packaged applications, enterprise data
stores (including relational, hierarchical and nontraditional, unstructured
sources such as XML and Text), etc and the ESB. Using a consistent approach,
these access services expose the data and functions of the existing
enterprise applications, allowing them to be fully re-used and incorporated
into functional flows that represent business processes. Existing enterprise
applications and data leverage the Business Application and Data Services of
their operating environments such as CICS, IMS, DB2, etc. As these
applications and data implementations evolve to become more flexible
participants in business processes, enhanced capabilities of their underlying
operating environments, for example support of emerging standards, can be
fully utilized.
|
|
The SOA Reference
Architecture also contains a set of Business Application Services that
provide runtime services required for new application components to be
included in the integrated system. These application components provide new
business logic required to adapt existing business processes to meet changing
competitive and customer demands of the enterprise. Design and implementation
of new business logic components for integration enables them to be fully
re-useable, allowing them to participate in new and updated business
processes over time. The Business Application Services include functions
important to the traditional programmer for building maintainable, flexible,
and re-useable business logic components.
|
|
In many enterprise
scenarios, business processes involve inter-actions with outside partners and
suppliers. Integrating the systems of the partners and suppliers with those
of the enterprise improves efficiency of the overall value chain. Partner
Services provide the document, protocol, and partner management services
required for efficient implementation of business-to-business processes and
inter-actions.
|
|
Underlying all these
capabilities of the SOA Reference Architecture is a set of Infrastructure
Services which provide security, directory, IT system management, and
virtualization functions. The security and directory services include
functions involving authentication and authorizations required for
implementing, for example, single sign-on capabilities across a distributed
and heterogeneous system.
|
|
IT Services
Management Services include functions that relate to scale and
performance, for example edge services and clustering services, and the
virtualization capabilities allow efficient use of computing resources based
on load patterns, etc. The ability to leverage grids and grid computing are
also included in infrastructural services.
|
|
While many of the
Infrastructure and IT Service Management services perform functions tied
directly to hardware or system implementations, others provide functions that
interact directly with integration services provided in other elements of the
architecture through the ESB. These interactions typically involve services
related to security, directory, and I/T operational systems management.
|
|
The SOA Reference
Architecture is a complete and comprehensive architecture that covers all the
integration needs of an enterprise. Its services are well integrated and are
delivered in a modular way, allowing SOA implementations to start at a small
project level. As each additional project is addressed, new functions can be
easily added, incrementally enhancing the scope of integration across the
enterprise. In addition to supporting
SOA strategies and solutions, the architecture itself is designed using
principles of service orientation and function isolation.
|
|
|
