XML Enabled Networking
Encyclopedia
XML Enabled Networking provides an abstraction layer
that exists alongside the traditional Internet Protocol
(IP) network. This layer addresses the security, incompatibility and latency issues encumbering XML
messages, web services and service oriented architectures (SOAs).
technologies - often as Web services or service oriented architectures (SOAs) - as the standard for new application development and integration. Applications based on XML and Web services offer rapid interoperability and seamless service re-use by establishing a standard data format and a standard interface.
With faster development cycles, less development effort and improved agility, XML and Web services enable IT to deliver more solutions to the business at a substantially lower cost. However, using these technologies also creates some potential problems:
XML Enabled Networking attempts to address these issues by creating an abstraction layer that exists alongside the traditional Internet Protocol
(IP) network to provide security and access enforcement, accelerated XML message processing, mediation between standards and protocols, policy control and auditing. XML Enabled Networks have typically been sold as network appliances. Initially they required application-specific integrated circuits, but appliances that run on standards-based hardware and operating systems are now available.
XML Routers deliver robust access control and integration with identity authorities with acceleration and integration functionality. Enterprise class XML Routers include robust policy management, correlated event/message/policy logging for visibility and extensibility frameworks.
XML Accelerators optimize both message throughput and server performance for XML operations including schema validation, encryption/decryption, authentication, signing, data transformation and protocol mediation. Enterprise class XML Accelerators include robust policy management, correlated event/message/policy logging for visibility and extensibility frameworks.
SOAP
WS-Security
XML appliance
Abstraction layer
An abstraction layer is a way of hiding the implementation details of a particular set of functionality...
that exists alongside the traditional Internet Protocol
Internet Protocol
The Internet Protocol is the principal communications protocol used for relaying datagrams across an internetwork using the Internet Protocol Suite...
(IP) network. This layer addresses the security, incompatibility and latency issues encumbering 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....
messages, web services and service oriented architectures (SOAs).
History of XML Enabled Networking
Many organizations have adopted XMLXML
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....
technologies - often as Web services or service oriented architectures (SOAs) - as the standard for new application development and integration. Applications based on XML and Web services offer rapid interoperability and seamless service re-use by establishing a standard data format and a standard interface.
With faster development cycles, less development effort and improved agility, XML and Web services enable IT to deliver more solutions to the business at a substantially lower cost. However, using these technologies also creates some potential problems:
- Security concerns: XML messages are text-based, human readable, verbose, and self-describing. An XML message could include descriptions of identities and credentials used to authenticate services, signatures requiring verification etc. XML by itself does not provide an infrastructure for integrating with multiple identity/access control systems across the organization, ensuring trust and compliance for XML message processing, or protecting the organization from the threats that malicious individuals could introduce into the organization with XML.
- Incompatibilities: Many XML standards have emerged. XML messages use a variety of security standards, transport protocols, credential types and data structures. Web service developers need some way to mediate between these different standards and protocols, especially when they are integrating with business partners who may employ entirely different standards and protocols.
- Application latency: XML messages can consume significant processing resources from application servers, lowering performance for the XML-based service and for other applications that run on the same platform.
XML Enabled Networking attempts to address these issues by creating an abstraction layer that exists alongside the traditional Internet Protocol
Internet Protocol
The Internet Protocol is the principal communications protocol used for relaying datagrams across an internetwork using the Internet Protocol Suite...
(IP) network to provide security and access enforcement, accelerated XML message processing, mediation between standards and protocols, policy control and auditing. XML Enabled Networks have typically been sold as network appliances. Initially they required application-specific integrated circuits, but appliances that run on standards-based hardware and operating systems are now available.
Common Features of XML Enabled Networking
- It is powered by hardened network appliances, ready to incorporate into the network with minimal disruption
- XML Enabled Networking appliances have software to make the appliances easy to install, configure and manage
- They can validate XML messages for well-formedness as they enter or exit the appliance
- They can convert XML to any data format
- They have built-in storage capabilities to enable on-device logging for compliance and debugging purposes.
- They have built-in support for many XML standards such as XSLT, XPath, SOAP and WS-Security
- They are easily upgradeable
Classification of XML Enabled Networking
XML Security Gateways or XML Firewalls offer comprehensive XML security processing. XML Security Gateways include acceleration and integration functionality. Enterprise class XML Security Gateways include robust policy management, correlated event/message/policy logging for visibility and extensibility frameworks.XML Routers deliver robust access control and integration with identity authorities with acceleration and integration functionality. Enterprise class XML Routers include robust policy management, correlated event/message/policy logging for visibility and extensibility frameworks.
XML Accelerators optimize both message throughput and server performance for XML operations including schema validation, encryption/decryption, authentication, signing, data transformation and protocol mediation. Enterprise class XML Accelerators include robust policy management, correlated event/message/policy logging for visibility and extensibility frameworks.
XML Enabled Networking vendors
- Citrix SystemsCitrix SystemsCitrix Systems, Inc. is a multinational corporation founded in 1989, that provides server and desktop virtualization, networking, software-as-a-service , and cloud computing technologies, including Xen open source products....
- DataPowerDataPowerDataPower is a product division within IBM that produces XML appliances for processing XML messages as well as any-to-any legacy message transformation...
(IBM) - F5 NetworksF5 NetworksF5 Networks, Inc. is a networking appliances company. It is headquartered in Seattle, Washington and has development and marketing offices worldwide. It originally manufactured and sold some of the very first load balancing products...
- Forum Systems
- Intel SOA Products DivisionIntel SOA Products DivisionIntel SOA Products Division is a group within Intel which releases XML processing and security software for transforming XML messages. Their primary product line, SOA Expressway, is a family of software and hardware XML Gateways that are used in SOA architectures on-premise or in the cloud...
- Layer 7 Technologies
- Solace SystemsSolace systemsSolace Systems is a content networking company based in Kanata, Ontario, Canada that manufactures and sells middleware appliances. Middleware appliances are rack-mountable network devices that implement message-oriented middleware and content-based routing in purpose-built hardware...
- Apigee (formerly Sonoa Systems)
- Strangeloop NetworksStrangeloop NetworksStrangeloop Networks Inc is a company that develops front-end website optimization technology. The company's flagship product is the Strangeloop Site Optimizer, technology that automatically streamlines web page HTML code and resources, allowing pages to render faster at the user's browser level...
- Vordel
- Zeus Systems
See also
XMLXML
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....
SOAP
SOAP
SOAP, originally defined as Simple Object Access Protocol, is a protocol specification for exchanging structured information in the implementation of Web Services in computer networks...
WS-Security
WS-Security
WS-Security is a flexible and feature-rich extension to SOAP to apply security to web services. It is a member of the WS-* family of web service specifications and was published by OASIS....
XML appliance
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...