We have just published the first version of our open source SMP server: Holodeck-SMP. It’s a stand alone SMP server with a modular design and a user friendly UI. With Holodeck SMP you can query both the Peppol SMP and OASIS SMP v2.0 (BPC) with the same single multiprotocol SMP server! Participant capabilities are managed using templates making it fast and easy to add a new participant and reducing the risk of errors. Service group templates also make it easy to update all customers if your supported services change: just update the template and all customers will be updated. A significant time and cost saving.
We’ve been working on a lot of things this past year and one of them was a big update of Holodeck B2B. This major update introduces a lot of internal changes, of which the following are most interesting to users:
You can now define the service type to be used in the P-Mode. This saves having to define the service type for every submitter.
We’ve upgraded to Java 11. And although Holodeck B2B was already very fast and resource-efficient, we’ve improved resource management even further.
Most importantly this release includes a new, extended API. We’ve added new interfaces for delivery of message units to the back-end. There is now also support for a-synchronous delivery of messages and for redelivery. This major update means that when updating Holodeck B2B you will also need to update all extensions and connectors that you use. If you’ve created your own extensions to Holodeck B2B, you will also have to update these.
You can find the full list of changes in the Changelog, also included in the download.
Holodeck B2B 5.0 is out and these are the changes we’d like to highlight.
User interfaces
Although Holodeck B2B is back end software, we thought that system admins would appreciate a quick and easy way to monitor the gateway without referring to the business system logs. That’s why we’ve added two user interfaces to Holodeck B2B. With these UI’s, gateway admins can monitor message status and check gateway configuration.
Command line UI: Overviews of P-Modes, Certificates, Message status and Message history are included. Run the tool without entering a parameter for a list of all available functions. Graphic UI: lets you quickly see how your gateway is configured in a graphical interface. You’ll find an overview of the UI functions available in the documentation.
We’d love to hear what you think of the new UI and if there is anything else you’d like to be able to monitor. Let us know through our contact form or our social media!
2-way Asynchronous messaging
You can now specify a 2-way Async message exchange in 1 single P-Mode for simpler gateway configuration. This increases the ways in which you can manage P-Modes.
Certificate Manager
We are continuously making Holodeck B2B more modular and flexible. This release, we’ve added a new separate Certificate Manager to Holodeck B2B. It manages trust validation of signing and encryption certificates, as well as more security configuration options. The default security manager supports OCSP validation. This is used in for example the Peppol network. You can now check the Peppol CA online to validate whether a certificate is still valid or has been revoked. In addition, the Certificate manager lets you implement your own certificate policies.
REST API
You can add a REST interface to your gateway for connecting with your back end system using our new REST extension.
And there’s more…
For a full overview of all changes, please consult the Changelog in the download.
The Holodeck B2B stack is growing! Today we’ve released the latest version of our AS4 gateway, as well as a new open source extension you can use to add AS2 messaging functionality to your gateway. Finally, we’ve also made the BDXR Common toolkit available – a set of libraries you can use to build SML/SMP clients.
Holodeck B2B 4.0
This latest release adds some important new features to an already highly configurable message service handler that still works out of the box.
More validation options:
Strict validation of ebMS headers.
Implement your own validations that will run during message processing by the gateway. Problems that are caught kan be reported directly back to the receiver. On ebMS level messages can also be rejected based on business rules.
More flexible configuration of retries. Interval times are individually configurable – for example, a very quick first retry and increasingly larger intervals for the following retries.
More message processing events. These allow automated monitoring of message processing and let you follow up on certain events by a technical management system or on the business application layer.
Improved logging. Operators can follow the message flow on various levels of detail.
Option to add AS2 functionality using the Holodeck B2B AS2 extension.
Introduction of a security module. You now have the option to use your own security module, which may be needed for specific security policies / business requirements.
Holodeck B2B AS2 is an extension for Holodeck B2B 4.0 and higher that lets you add AS2 messaging functionality to your existing AS4 gateway. Whether the gateway uses AS2 or AS4 can be configured in the P-Mode of the message exchange. Chasquis (the creators of Holodeck B2B) offer even more functionality in their PEPPOL gateway, that adds auto configuration using SMP – including automatic selection of the correct protocol to use per receiver (AS2 or AS4).
We have created this extension for businesses that need to make the transition from AS2 to AS4. Instead of having to switch from one gateway to another on a cut off date you can now plan your migration on your own terms. When the time comes for you to switch from AS2 to AS4, all you need to do is edit the P-Mode for the message exchange – no more than a few minutes work. The AS2 module includes the following features:
Signing (including SHA-256 and many others)
Encryption
Compression
Single attachment
Configuration based on Holodeck B2B P-Modes
Download the Holodeck B2B AS2 extension from the repository.
BDXR Common toolkit
A toolkit containing libraries for building SML / SMP clients, to retrieve messaging partners’ metadata from the SMP. This metadata is then used to configure the gateway. This setup is required by the PEPPOL messaging profile. This toolkit is aimed at developers who want to create their own client. It is not a ready to use SMP client. The download does include a sample client for you to base your work on. Like Holodeck B2B, it’s design is modular and it can easily be adapted to the needs of your business environment. Download the BDXR Common toolkit.
