IBM Sterling B2B Integrator architecture

What is IBM Sterling B2B Integrator?

IBM Sterling B2B Integrator is a transaction engine that runs business processes, supports high-volume electronic message exchange, complex routing, translation, managed file transfer MFT and flexible integration with multiple internal systems and external business partners.

It Includes visual management tools for configuration of and visibility into work flows, system and trading partner activities, translation maps, and business process implementation.

Sterling B2B Integrator works with hundreds of emerging business protocols and communication standards.

IBM Sterling B2B Integrator Architecture:

Components of B2B Integrator:

ASI  Application Server Independent  (noapp) : Main application Application Server JVM responsible for:

• Service / Adapter execution : Hundreds of adaptors and services for FTP, SFTP, MQ, HTTP, SOAP, SAP, OFTP, Connect:Direct …
• Web applications (Dashboard, SFG, Ebics,Queue Watcher ..) running on Jetty HTTP container,
• Workflow orchestration environment.
• BPML engine,
• Scheduler,
• JDBC pools and Database Management,
• JGroups for cluster communication,
• JNDI registry,
• Mailbox system
• Security system …

OpsServer – Responsible for distribution of operational commands (shutdown, cache refresh, log display).

PS (Perimeter Server) – support for protocol tunneling. (usually on a separate box)

CLA2 (Command Line Adapter ) – Lightweight process for command line execution.

Active MQ for event services (being replaced recently).

External purge jvm : High Performance multi threaded Purge external process.

Adapter Containers : separate processes that runs on the same server as Noapp ASI server in separate JVMs. They are considered like an addition cluster node that only handle inbound communications. They can break up the system into isolated components to achieve HA. They directly interact with mailboxes (on DB or FS) and can handle the communication even when ASI is stopped.

REST API Server deployed on WebSphere Liberty.

Database Server: Stores the application configuration, audit and transactions data. Supports Oracle, IBM DB2 and MS SQL Server.

The different processes communicate using different protocols such as HTTP, RMI and some proprietary.