EDIINT - AS2 9

[edianalyst]

[COLOR=blue]Anyone here implemented or tested an AS2 solution? If so what software was used and with what trading partners?[/color]

 

[edianalyst]

Hi Soupkid and edisky,

Cleo does offer Lexicom by protocol, each key you buy will allow you unlimited TPs for that protocol, so you can purchase additional keys only when you need other protocols. Hope this helps.

 

[buddingediexpert]

hi edianalyst,

where have Cleo mentioned this? i opened up a discussion with them and they told us that they offer Lexicomm only based on TP and not on protocol. can you point me to some product document or offerings??

 

[edianalyst]

I don't have any documents that reflect that. We purchased TrustedLink and Lexicom together so I don't know if they've changed the pricing structure already or if it was some sort of a bundle.

 

[ErikaZapata]

Hello there, this is the first time I enter this forum. I just found it over the Internet and I think it's really fantastic. I was looking for AS2 information. I am from México City, i work in an EDI provider company (we sell Inovis and Cleo products). Yesterday we had a meeting with the mexican retail industry comitee, they are planning on migrating from traditional VAN to an internet based protocol, and since Walmart chose AS2, they think that would be a good idea. Actually they asked us, EDI providers, which the best option would be, and why. I really DON'T KNOW why AS2 is the best option so far, which the advantages are over HTTPS, for instance. Do you guys could help me about this? Maybe pointing me to the right documentation or case studies or something? I would really appreciate your help.

P.S. They also mentiones something about SecureShell. Do you guys know what this is about? Thank you.

 

[dhascup]

Hey, new to the forum here. Does anyone have opinions on Trailblazer? Our EDI software is ExtoL and they have notified me that most of the ExtoL partners are using Trailblazer.

 

[rbeltz]

To: dhascup

You can get a list of companies that are currently using Trailblazer, which they say is the only AS2 solution that has been certified by the Drummond Group on the IBM AS/400-iSeries, back in Aug. of 2001. We are using the AS/400 with TrustedLink/400 and are currently looking at several different AS2 solutions. You may get this company list and other materials by Emailing to Keith Hanna at:

khanna@trailblazersystems.com

Hope this helps.

 

[t2tone]

I use Trailblazer AS2 with several companies, including Meijer, Lowe’s, and GEIS network. I have signed up already with Wal-Mart for a testing date with the Trailblazer product. In fact, Trailblazer got me tested and set up in about a day and a half. Great product, great support, if you run EDI on an AS/400 their product is the way to go. I looked at other options but they required a PC and never ran with CLs and never had any translator integration completely on the AS/400. Let me know if you need any more info on them.

 

[dhascup]

Great. Thanks for the input!

 

[mikelm09]

unixgy:

I'm building AS2 software for UNIX using Korn/Awk. Doing devel work on Linux platform, but, components I'm using have been used on AIX, HP-UX and Solaris. Only component I haven't tested on other boxes is OpenSSL.

If you're interested in investigating let me know.

Also, ref another earlier thread on PGP encrypt for ftp to ICC.net, did some work for a company using PGP for EDI. Used NAI's commercial (quite expensive) PGP (version 2.6.2?). PGP and GPG have good batch support which make it fairly easy to code encryption in Bourne or Korn scripts or even Perl if that is your preference.

GPG has some features that may overcome the version differences (if any) that may be keeping you from using it with ICC.net.

Again - if this is still an issue for you, let me know and I'll go back over some of my research materials and pass you the info.

-=MD=-

 

[mikelm09]

unixgy:

BTW, you can contact me directly at
michaeldunne
at
msn.com

 

[newtoas2]

I am running I/P Net "transact" software on an NT Machine. We want to go to AS2 and can with this software but as some of your other attendees as well as ourselves state we are under the impression that a web server is necessary. I know that someone already answered this question but please bear with me and explain how AS2 can be implemented without the web server.
Thanks
newtoas2

 

[JayV]

You absolutely need a web server for AS2.

 

[edianalyst]

You don't need a web server for AS2, though you probably need everything else a web server needs such as a fixed ip and if you're behind a firewall, configuration of the firewall to allow access. The AS2 communications software has a listener that will listen on those ports for incoming mail. Hope this helps.

 

[JayV]

edianalyst,

Please explain. Are you basically describing building your own web server?

"AS2 requires a dedicated web server." - IPNET Solutions

"The cost of implementing AS2 is the cost of a Web
server." -UCC

 

[TechResearch]

JayV,

AS2 does requires a web server, the thing is that some AS2 products are coming with an embedded web server, or at least the capabilities of the web server that AS2 needs.

Some other products need you to have the web server (IIS, Apache) installed in order to configure the product.

I don't have those products listed, but it will be nice to have them to clarify this issue.

 

[ncquest]

Hi,

I'm new at this AS2 thing. We are a service bureau and can't decide what software to use. we are now in contact with Btrade! do someone knows the performance of this software solution?

thanks

 

[ls62]

Maybe I'm missing something... I don't think you need a 'web server' ... edinit doesn't required any type of web service (your not serving web pages)...you just need a dedicated web/internet connection and static ip address. Without a dedicated internet connection you can't receive/send edi data on demand. When moving to edinit you want to be able to send or receive data 'as needed'. In particular you normally have software that is listening all the time for data to come in on a certain port or ip address. When your trading partners want to send you data they will attempt to connect to you at a static ip address... if you don't have a dedicated connection it will fail. Remember, you are no longer using mailboxes (like with a van)... your system is the mailbox now and your TP have their own mailbox... there is no middle man.


What you do need is some type of firewall and router and maybe thats were all the confusion is coming in.

Lee

 

[TechResearch]

Here is my take on the issue (I may be missing some points):

For AS2 to work properly you need a PC that is connected to the internet 24 hours a day.

The PC needs to be listening a port for incoming HTTP/S traffic.
If SSL is supported, the software must be able to exchange certificates between each end point to establish the connection. (You ask the server to send you its certificate, and if the server asks for your certificate you send it as well)

As I see it, the listening capabilities for HTTP(usually port xx80) and HTTPS(usually port xx43) traffic, and SSL connection (exchange of certificates) are some features that almost every web server has and AS2 Servers must have.

Some vendors may implement their AS2 solution on top of the web servers, hence they say you need one. While some others embbed this features on their products (which could be roughly considered as an embedded web server, even though they do not serve web pages -HTTP and HTTPS are considered Web protocols-).

So, I think that the AS2 software delegates the transport issue to the "Web Server" and does everything else itself (MDN, Signing, Decrypting, etc)

 

[ebiz]

Sterling Commerce is offering a good product that would help you with your AS2 implementaion and other EAI or B2B stuff. Check Sterling's website:

http://www.sterlingcommerce.com

 

[JayV]

ebiz,

Don't you need an app server for that? $$$

Do you(Sterling) have any non-J2EE solutions?

Thanks