Chapter 1 Introduction

SOAP servlet

As part of the Web Services Toolkit functionality, the SOAP servlet Web application in EAServer provides you with a way to expose your EAServer components to your customers with minimal firewall constraints, platform dependencies, or complex development implementations involving Distributed Component Object Model (DCOM) or Common Object Request Broker Architecture (CORBA).

SOAP allows applications to communicate using existing Internet technologies (such as HTTP, URLs, SSL, and XML) and the HTTP or HTTPS port. While SOAP does not mandate which transfer protocol to use, it is the combination of SOAP and HTTP that allows you to invoke remote procedures, even through firewalls.

How the servlet works

The SOAP servlet runs within the Web Services Toolkit as a Web application in EAServer. When it receives a SOAP request message, the servlet:

1. Verifies a valid SOAP format
2. Parses the SOAP request
3. Constructs a call to the specified method

Then, the servlet:

1. Uses the output from the called method
2. Constructs a response message
3. Sends the message back to the client through the appropriate response mechanism

The transports currently supported are HTTP and HTTPS.

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