The pipeline configuration file

The configuration of a pipeline used to handle a Web service request is specified in an XML document, known as a pipeline configuration file.

Start of changeThe pipeline configuration file is stored in the z/OS® UNIX System Services hierarchical file system (HFS), and its name is specified in the CONFIGFILE attribute of a PIPELINE resource definition. Use a suitable XML editor or text editor to work with your pipeline configuration files. When you work with configuration files, ensure that the character set encoding is US EBCDIC (Code page 037).End of change

Start of changeWhen CICS® processes a Web service request, it uses a pipeline of one or more message handlers to handle the request. A pipeline is configured to provide aspects of the execution environment that apply to different categories of applications, such as support for Web Service Security, and Web Service transactions. Typically, a CICS region that has a large number of service provider or service requester applications will need several different pipeline configurations. However, where different applications have similar requirements, they can share the same pipeline configuration.End of change

There are two kinds of pipeline configuration: one describes the configuration of a service provider pipeline; the other describes a service requester pipeline. Each is defined by its own schema, and each has a different root element.
Pipeline Schema Root element
Service provider Provider.xsd <provider_pipeline>
Service requester Requester.xsd <requester_pipeline>
Although many of the XML elements used are common to both kinds of pipeline configuration, others are used only in one or the other, so you cannot use the same configuration file for both a provider and requester.
Restriction: Namespace-qualified element names are not supported in the pipeline configuration file.
The immediate sub-elements of the <provider_pipeline> and <requester_pipeline> elements are:

Associated with the pipeline configuration file is a PIPELINE resource. The attributes include CONFIGFILE, which specifies the name of the pipeline configuration file in HFS. When you install a PIPELINE definition, CICS reads the information that it needs in order to configure the pipeline from the file.

CICS supplies sample configuration files that you can use as a basis for developing your own. They are provided in library /usr/lpp/cicts/samples/pipelines.
File
Description
basicsoap11provider.xml
A pipeline definition for a service provider that uses the CICS-provided SOAP 1.1 handler, for use when the application has been deployed using the CICS Web services assistant.
basicsoap11requester.xml
A pipeline definition for a service requester that uses the CICS-provided SOAP 1.1 handler, for use when the application has been deployed using the CICS Web services assistant.
wsatprovider.xml
A pipeline definition that adds configuration information for Web Services transactions to basicsoap11provider.xml.
wsatrequester.xml
A pipeline definition that adds configuration information for Web Services transactions to basicsoap11requester.xml.

Example pipeline configuration file

This is a simple example of a configuration file for a service provider pipeline:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?> 
<provider_pipeline 
   xmlns="http://www.ibm.com/software/htp/cics/pipeline"
   xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"
   xsi:schemaLocation="http://www.ibm.com/software/htp/cics/pipeline/provider.xsd"> 
  <service> 
    <terminal_handler> 
      <cics_soap_1.1_handler/> 
    </terminal_handler> 
  </service> 
  <apphandler>DFHPITP</apphandler> 
</provider_pipeline>
The pipeline contains just one message handler, the CICS-supplied SOAP 1.1 message handler. The handler links to program DFHPITP.