IBM WebSphere DataPower SOA Appliances
Encyclopedia
IBM WebSphere DataPower SOA Appliances is a family of purpose-built, easy-to-deploy network devices (XML appliance
s) that simplify, help secure, and accelerate XML
and Web Service
s deployments while extending SOA
infrastructure. Originally these devices were created by DataPower Technology Inc.
, which was acquired by IBM in October 2005.
Now this family consists of 5 1U (1.75" thick) rack-mountable network devices:
All DataPower Appliances are built on IBM's X
Series 1U Chassis, which include hot swappable Power, Disks, and Fans.
DataPower Appliances contain many specialized hardware components, including ASIC-based IPS, Custom Encrypted RAID Drives, and Hardware Security Modules. Externally facing, all DataPower Appliances have 4 Ethernet ports and 1 Serial port.
DataPower Appliances operate a single digitally signed Firmware
containing an operating system and application stack. DataPower's firmware runs on a flash storage device. IBM refreshes and enhances the DataPower Firmware image every 10–20 weeks. DataPower firmware is a well performing and highly optimized platform to perform electronic messaging functions.
As a result, users cannot run 3rd party applications on DataPower as they would a traditional server and operating system. Instead of a traditional Filesystem, DataPower runs with a collection of isolated virtual File Systems called 'Application Domains'. As a result, DataPower can appear to its client connections be any type of network file system with any type of folders and links.
Another purpose of DataPower's firmware platform is security. The DataPower TCP and UDP network stack is expected to provide near-constant throughput under the most extreme and sophisticated DDoS and XSS
network attacks.
XML appliance
An XML appliance is a special purpose network device used to secure, manage and mediate XML traffic. They are most popularly implemented in Service Oriented Architectures to control XML based Web Services traffic, and increasingly in cloud oriented computing to help enterprises integrate on premise...
s) that simplify, help secure, and accelerate XML
XML
Extensible Markup Language is a set of rules for encoding documents in machine-readable form. It is defined in the XML 1.0 Specification produced by the W3C, and several other related specifications, all gratis open standards....
and Web Service
Web service
A Web service is a method of communication between two electronic devices over the web.The W3C defines a "Web service" as "a software system designed to support interoperable machine-to-machine interaction over a network". It has an interface described in a machine-processable format...
s deployments while extending SOA
Search oriented architecture
The use of search engine technology is the main integration component in an information system. In a traditional business environment the architectural layer usually occupied by a relational database management system is supplemented or replaced with a search engine or the indexing technology used...
infrastructure. Originally these devices were created by DataPower Technology Inc.
DataPower
DataPower is a product division within IBM that produces XML appliances for processing XML messages as well as any-to-any legacy message transformation...
, which was acquired by IBM in October 2005.
Now this family consists of 5 1U (1.75" thick) rack-mountable network devices:
- WebSphere DataPower Integration Appliance XI50
- WebSphere DataPower XML Security Gateway XS40
- WebSphere DataPower XML Accelerator XA35
- WebSphere DataPower XML Accelerator XA35
- WebSphere DataPower XML Accelerator XA35
All DataPower Appliances are built on IBM's X
IBM System x
The IBM System x computers form a sub-brand of International Business Machines System brand servers...
Series 1U Chassis, which include hot swappable Power, Disks, and Fans.
DataPower Appliances contain many specialized hardware components, including ASIC-based IPS, Custom Encrypted RAID Drives, and Hardware Security Modules. Externally facing, all DataPower Appliances have 4 Ethernet ports and 1 Serial port.
DataPower Appliances operate a single digitally signed Firmware
Firmware
In electronic systems and computing, firmware is a term often used to denote the fixed, usually rather small, programs and/or data structures that internally control various electronic devices...
containing an operating system and application stack. DataPower's firmware runs on a flash storage device. IBM refreshes and enhances the DataPower Firmware image every 10–20 weeks. DataPower firmware is a well performing and highly optimized platform to perform electronic messaging functions.
As a result, users cannot run 3rd party applications on DataPower as they would a traditional server and operating system. Instead of a traditional Filesystem, DataPower runs with a collection of isolated virtual File Systems called 'Application Domains'. As a result, DataPower can appear to its client connections be any type of network file system with any type of folders and links.
Another purpose of DataPower's firmware platform is security. The DataPower TCP and UDP network stack is expected to provide near-constant throughput under the most extreme and sophisticated DDoS and XSS
Cross-site scripting
Cross-site scripting is a type of computer security vulnerability typically found in Web applications that enables attackers to inject client-side script into Web pages viewed by other users. A cross-site scripting vulnerability may be used by attackers to bypass access controls such as the same...
network attacks.