Re: Terminology

I'm confused. Don't the wsdl:service and wsdl:endpoint definitions refer to
a specific implementation? How can they be abstract?

Anne

----- Original Message -----
From: "David Booth" <dbooth@w3.org>
To: <www-ws-desc@w3.org>
Sent: Thursday, July 03, 2003 11:55 AM
Subject: Terminology


>
> I apologize for the lateness of this.  I tried to send it last week, but
> evidently it was lost when W2K crashed.
>
>                       ----
>
> At today's call, I took an action to propose definitions for terms related
> to the diagram[1].  My main concern is:
>
>          There should be an obvious naming correspondence between WSDL
syntax
>          and the real world or conceptual things that WSDL documents
describe.
>
> I think this is important to avoid seriously confusing our readers.  So
for
> our current syntax, I suggest the following terms for the corresponding
> "real world" things.  They are somewhat pedantic, but perhaps they'll
help.
>
> wsdl:interface
>          The (abstract) interface described by the <wsdl:interface>
element.
>          It is a collection of wsdl:operations.  The wsdl:interface
>          defines how a client can interact with a wsdl:service through an
>          agent that is accessed at a location identified by a
wsdl:endpoint.
>
> wsdl:service (a/k/a "Web service" or "service")
>          The (abstract) service described by the <wsdl:service> element.
>          It is accessed through a collection of endpoints, and (if we keep
>          the wsdl:@targetResource attribute) it may manipulate some other
>          resource that is identified by the wsdl:@targetResource.
>
> wsdl:endpoint
>          The (abstract) thing that is described by the <wsdl:endpoint>
element.
>          It provides a location for accessing a particular agent that is
>          accessible via particular protocols described by its associated
>          binding.  This agent is NOT assumed to be the same as the
> wsdl:service,
>          since there may be several agents at different wsdl:endpoints
>          corresponding to the same wsdl:service.  (The wsdl:service is
>          more abstract than the agent.)  However, interacting with such
>          an agent (through a wsdl:endpoint) implies that you are
interacing
>          with the associated wsdl:service.
>
> wsdl:operation
>          The (abstract) operation template described by the
<wsdl:operation>
>          element. It is a template for a single interaction with the
>          wsdl:service.
>
> wsdl:binding
>          The (abstract) association described by the <wsdl:binding>
element.
>          It associates an (abstract) interface with transport and
serialization
>          details.
>
> wsdl:targetResource
>          The (physical or conceptual) resource[2] identified by the
>          wsdl:@targetResource attribute.  Multiple wsdl:services that
>          refer to the same wsdl:targetResource are assumed to "manipulate"
>          the same resource, though what "manipulate" means is application-
>          defined.  The wsdl:targetResource is NOT assumed to be the same
>          entity as the wsdl:service, though in some cases it could be the
>          same entity.
>
> References
>
> 1. Diagram:
>
http://dev.w3.org/cvsweb/~checkout~/2002/ws/desc/wsdl12/wsdl12.html#servicer
esfig1
> 2. RFC2396 def of "resource": http://www.ietf.org/rfc/rfc2396.txt
>
>
> --
> David Booth
> W3C Fellow / Hewlett-Packard
> Telephone: +1.617.253.1273
>

Received on Saturday, 5 July 2003 16:52:50 UTC