The WSA is a Java servlet running on a Web server or stand-alone Java Servlet Engine (JSE). Situated between the client and AppServer, this Java servlet understands how to communicate at run time with:

  • A Web service client using SOAP messages
  • An AppServer using the ABL interface to the application service

The WSA generates the WSDL file needed to design a client for your Web service. The WSA maintains the status of all OpenEdge Web services that have been deployed to its Web application context. It also manages the exchange of Web service SOAP requests and generates SOAP responses between Web service clients and AppServers at run time.

Each WSA instance can support multiple Web services. But, you can define multiple WSA server instances (Java servlets), each with different properties. For example, you might create separate WSA instances to deploy the same Web service using different SOAP message formats. For more information on WSA configuration and administration and on WSA deployment and Web service run-time support, see OpenEdge Application Server: Administration.

At any time in the cycle of Web service design and development, you can create and configure a WSA instance on which to deploy your Web service. When you do, think carefully about security requirements for the WSA instance and the Web services you plan to deploy to it.

Creating and configuring a WSA instance is a two-step process. You must configure the WSA servlet and the JSE that executes the WSA.You first use either OpenEdge Management and OpenEdge Explorer or the mergeprop utility to define and configure the WSA instance. While OpenEdge Management and OpenEdge Explorer supports most WSA configuration options, you must use the mergeprop utility to edit some WSA configuration properties in the local ubroker.properties file, particularly those that define WSA administration roles and their associated access permissions.

You can use OpenEdge Management and OpenEdge Explorer or the WSAMAN utility to temporarily change a selected set of WSA instance properties at run time (WSA Run-time Properties). This can be helpful for debugging or testing certain settings before making them permanent in your WSA configuration.

After configuring the WSA instance, you use the appropriate tools to define the WSA instance as a Java servlet to your JSE. After completing the creation and configuration of a WSA instance, you might have to restart the JSE to start up the WSA instance before deploying Web services to it.

For specific information on creating and configuring WSA instances, see OpenEdge Application Server: Administration. For information on using the mergeprop utility, see OpenEdge Getting Started: Installation and Configuration.