[ebxml-iic] minutes and more

[Jacques Durand <JDurand@fsw.fujitsu.com>]

Title: minutes and more

All:

1. Minutes attached (last call)

2. Next call this Monday, Oct 7th 10am PT.

SeeBeyond will host the Oct 7, 14, 21, 28 ebXML-IIC conference calls.
(Thanks to Pete !)
Dialing information is as follows:
US Toll-Free:   866-628-8003
International:  +1 630-424-4862
Passcode:       8500499#

General Agenda so far:
1. External initiatives and liaisons :
(OAG/NIST, ECOM, CEN/ISSS, UeB Architecture Impl. guide)
2. Deployment templates
3. test Case material and MS COnformance suite
4. Interoperability Test suite

Regards,

jacques

 

Minutes of IIC September 30, 2002
-------------------------------
 
Call info:
---------


Host: Fujitsu 
Toll free number: 1-877-801-2058 
International Number:1-712-257-6652 
Participant passcode: 309951 

Minute taker: Jacques Durand


Present:
--------

Mike Kass (NIST)
Jaques Durand (Fujitsu)
Jeff Turpin (cycloneCommerce)
Eric Van Lydegraf (Kinzan)
Monica Martin (DrakeCertivo)
Matthew MacKenzie (XMLG)
Hatem ElSebaaly (IPNetSolutions)


Agenda:
-------

Agenda: 

1. Deployment templates: 
- status on: template doc from Pete (currently posted on our site). 
- input from EAN (Thomas?)

2. External initiatives: 
- CEN/ISSS project, report on Brussel meeting (Steve?) 
- ECOM interop test suite available for review (Jacques) 
- role of IIC in all this 

3 test Case material and MS COnformance suite: 
- review of sample of test cases based on (finally final!) test material. 
- some aspects of test suite material (XML representation and processing, 
common subsequences of test steps, errors/test outcome, test case parameters (CPA/others)) 
- possible additional engineering help from NIST for a ref implementation (Mike) 
- discussion on conformance profiles (Jeff) 

4. Interoperability Test suite: 
- Comments on latest draft (0.4), aspects of Interop test cases, test harness. 
- content for basic interop profile(s). 


Minutes:
--------

1. MS Deployment templates / EAN guidelines:

- Pete: template is being reorganized by logical functionality, rather than "spec order".
(The user of template is indeed not the same as MS spec reader).
- The template will also separate in a better way, "technical" requirements (MSH options),
from "content" requirements (i.e. format or content of some message attributes, which
are beyond MS spec.)
- Pete will also assist EAN in mapping their guideline doc into the template, so 
as to obtain an "EAN" instance of the template. Federico Franciosi (EAN) should be 
contacted for this (according to Monica).
- Monica and Pete pointed that a couple of other groups may be interested in the
deployment template (e.g. XBRL).
- Pete will post an updated version, after review of current posted draft with 
reviewers feedback.

2. External initiatives:
 
- CEN/ISSS project: Steve (Sun) attended, noted strong relevance and interest of
the participants in IIC (see slides and his email.) About 12 companies
represented, mostly vendors and sys integration. CIDX present.
- Two working groups were formed: one to look at what is needed for ebMS
interop; one to look at a business oriented demo.  The first group was
technical related while the second group was more marketing/business.
- a key contact person is Alain Dechamp. 
- ECOM interop test suite available for review. Hatem will review.
- Monica: we should collaborate more with the JMT( OASIS and UN/CEFACT  ebXML
Joint Marketing Team). We should publicise our work better.
 

3. Test Case Material and MS Conformance Test Suite: (Edited by Michael Kass)

- Mike drafted 3 test case samples (#3, #72, #74) using latest scripting material
agreed upon. These need be reviewed this week, and approved (with or without modification)
informal review by email will do.
- The test material is inspired from O.O. design. E.g, there is a "Condition"
operation type, with two subtypes: ConformanceCondition, PreCondition, both automatically
generating specific error types when failing. (so we don't have to specify these
error types in each teest case.)
- A test Step may contain sevral operations (e.g. GetMessage, + conditions.)
- The script material differentiates between: 
(1) template manipulations (XPath based notation for XML material), and 
(2) message envelope manipulations (non XML material,e.g. MIME).
- An XML schema still need be defined for the test case mark-up.
- Reuse of similar test step sequences across Test Cases considered: 
would allow for re-using these both at test case definition in the specification, 
as well as at execution. 
- COmplex test conditions may require to be expressed in plain English text,
for first version, until formal script extended to handle them.
- UBL containers to be looked at, for reuse model.
- COnformance Levels: Jeff sent out (mail) a reduced set of 4 COnformance Levels.
Nobody looked into this yet. Jeff to summarize pros/cons of 3 vs 4 levels. 


4. Interoperability Test suite: 

- Latest draft to review (V0.4.), will be updated by Eric, new co-editor,
Steve will alternate on this also.
- the architecture (test harness): may be more abstract than what is defined
in the Test Framework document, e.g. we do not need
to describe HOW the Test Driver will initiate the test case. Each interop test case
will be inittiated by the "Initiator" action of the Test Service of one of the
two MSHs. It is sufficient to describe the Test Case as starting with the 
Initiator invocation: we don't need to describe how the Test Driver triggers it.

Review to concentrate on Section 3: 
- the detail of the test steps for each test case. An important 
aspect is that unlike conformance tests, no "sniffing" on the wire
is assumed here. The interop contract is at application level, using only
material that is visible in Test Service actions. That means, testing that
Acks sent by MSH1 are well understood by MSH2, can only be deduced by
observation of the effects of these acks (e.g. if they are not well understood,
then MSH2 will resend initial business message, and we'll observe that at app level.)
Any more detailed test on Ack well-formedness, or appropriate sending, is relevant to
conformance test suite, not interop.
- the notion of having two "basic interop profiles", concretized by a test suite for HTTP, 
and another test suite for SMTP. (no "option" inside a profile test suite.) 


Reminders:
---------

- Next teleconference planned for Monday, October 7th, 10am Pacific time.
SeeBeyond (Pete Wenzel) volunteered to host the calls during October.
US Toll-Free:   866-628-8003
International:  +1 630-424-4862
Passcode:       8500499#

(weekly until we wrap-up our specs.)
 

Jacques Durand
ebXML IIC chair