IBM

The IBM Conceptual Web Services stack is part of their Web Services Conceptual Architecture (WSCA) 1.0 (http://www-
4.ibm.com/software/solutions/Webservices/pdf/WSCA.pdf). It is presented in a slightly different way than that of the first
two stacks, by starting with Web Services tools and then showing what each layer is used for.


The IBM Web Services stack does not show WSCL and ebXML, included in the WebServices.Org stack. It associates the
Network layer with IBM MQSeries (now called WebSphere MQ) messaging systems and the Internet Inter-ORB Protocol
(IIOP) - a protocol CORBA uses to transmit data, information, and messages between applications. They do not appear in
either that of WebServices.Org or The Stencil Group. IBM considers WSDL as a description of the service endpoints where
individual business operations can be accessed. WSFL uses WSDL for the description of service interfaces and their protocol
bindings. WSFL also relies on WSEL (Web Services Endpoint Language), an endpoint description language to
describe non-operational characteristics of service endpoints, such as quality-of-service properties.
Together, WSDL, WSEL, and WSFL provide the core of the Web Services computing stack. IBM perceives UDDI in two
categories: static and direct. Static UDDI refers to the Service Directory established after applying WSFL to Service Flow,
while direct UDDI pertains to the Service Publication of directory items. Similar to the WebServices.Org stack, the IBM
stack applies QoS, management, and security to all layers.
As of May 2001, IBM announced software and tools that enable businesses to create, publish, securely deploy, host, and
manage Web Services applications, using the IBM Web Services stack as the framework. They include WebSphere
Application Server Version 4.0, WebSphere Studio Technology Preview for Web Services, WebSphere Business Integrator,
DB2 Version 7.2, Tivoli Web Services Manager (to monitor performance of all aspects of the Web Services environment),
and Lotus software suite (to enable Web collaboration, knowledge management, and distance learning). WebSphere was
originally the collective name of IBM's J2EE application server family. It has since been stretched to include most of their
middleware and application development offerings, such as MQSeries Workflow (now known as WebSphere Process
Manager). IBM currently offers a Web Services ToolKit (WSTK) to help in designing and executing Web Service applications,
and enabling them to find one another and collaborate in business transactions without programming requirements
or human intervention.

Tools	layers
TPA (Trading Partner Agreement)	Service Negotiation
WSFL	Service Flow
UDDI+WSEL	Service Description	Service Publication (Direct UDDI) Service Directory (Static UDDI)	Endpoint Description
WSDL	Service Interface Service Implementation
SOAP	XML-Based Messaging
HTTP, FTP, email, MQ, IIOP	Network
Quality of ServiceManagement, Security	, Business Issues