Chapter 12
Discovering the Service Broker
In This Chapter
Getting to know the service broker’s role
Mediating between consumers and providers
Defining the registry and repository
Brokering the deal
One of the most significant benefits of using a service oriented architecture is the capability of sharing existing business services in lots of different situations. (Keep in mind that a business service is a business process that has been codified according to company policies that govern the operations of the business.) So, now you may want to ask the following questions:
How do I go about finding the business services that are available so they can be used to create new composite applications?
After I find a business service, how do I know whether it’s the right one?
How do I keep the service itself current with changing business practices?
If you’re asking these three questions, you’re heading in the right direction. In this chapter, we focus on the service broker, which plays a central role in making SOA happen in a predictable manner. In essence, the broker is an intermediary that enforces runtime policies. It also is a significant control point for change management and performance monitoring.
Defining the Central Role of the Service Broker
Like everything else in a service oriented architecture, the service broker doesn’t work in isolation. After all, it is an intermediary.
So what does it mediate between, and how does it work? The broker sits between the provider who designed ...
