IBM® Integration Bus enables information packaged as messages to flow between different business applications, ranging from large traditional systems through to unmanned devices such as sensors on pipelines.
IBM Integration Bus processes messages in two ways: message routing and message transformation.
Messages can be routed from sender to recipient based on the content of the message.
The message flows that you design control message routing. A message flow describes the operations to be performed on the incoming message, and the sequence in which they are carried out.
IBM supplies built-in nodes and samples for many common functions. If you require additional functions, you can write your own user-defined nodes; see User-defined extensions overview.
You create message flows in the IBM Integration Toolkit.
IBM Integration Bus integrates many different products; you can also benefit from additional features by using the appropriate product or system with the product. The functions and features that you add by using supplementary products does not have an impact on your applications, but grants more options in the integration layer, which represents the operations of IBM Integration Bus.
WebSphere® MQ is no longer a prerequisite for using IBM Integration Bus, and functions that are provided by WebSphere MQ are provided by installing WebSphere MQ as a supplementary product. For more information, see IBM Integration Bus features requiring supplementary products.
The work of routing and transforming messages takes place in an integration node. Within the integration node, you can define one or more integration servers, which are processes in which message flows run.
The mode in which your integration node is working can affect the number of integration servers and message flows that you can deploy, and the types of node that you can use. See Restrictions that apply in each operation mode.
You can install and create one or more integration nodes on one or more computers that are running a supported operating system. If you create multiple integration nodes, you can configure your environment to provide protection against failure, and you can separate work across different divisions in a business.
You administer the integration nodes by using product commands, or the IBM Integration API in your own applications.
After your system administrator has created your integration nodes, your application developers can create and modify message flows and message definitions by using the IBM Integration Toolkit.
Different perspectives in the IBM Integration Toolkit are used to develop message flows, message model schema files, and other related resources; see IBM Integration Toolkit.
You can use a repository to provide access control and version control of your development resources. A repository also allows multiple developers to work on the same resources in parallel; see Development repository.
Your applications can communicate with the integration node by using a range of protocols that includes WebSphere MQ, JMS 1.1 or 2.0, HTTP and HTTPS, web services (SOAP and REST), File, Enterprise Information Systems (including SAP and Siebel), and TCP/IP. For more information about connecting applications, see Nodes for connectivity.
When you have created and configured your message flows, message model schema files, and associated resources by using the Integration Development perspective of the IBM Integration Toolkit, you can deploy the executable data to one or more integration nodes; see Packaging and deploying.
When you deploy message flows and message model schema files, they are compiled and enveloped in a BAR file, and sent to the target integration nodes; see Packaging and deploying. The BAR file has configurable system properties. You can override properties such as queue and database names, without the need to change source files or redevelop the message flow. This configuration makes it easier to move definitions between systems.
The integration node opens the BAR file, removes the contents, makes a record of the information that it has received, and discards the envelope. It retains the information in its local storage area within the computer file system, so that it can restore the application resources and restart messages flows if and when required.