Setting up Communication Channels

Creating a Channel

A channel forms the basis of communication in IBM webMethods B2B. It encompasses a variety of underlying protocols such as HTTP, AS2, and so on to facilitate document exchange. All transactions among partners therefore leverage the underlying transport and exchange capabilities of channels.

To add a channel

  1. In IBM webMethods B2B, go to Communication icon > Channels.

  2. Click Add Channel and select a channel type.

    • Inbound Channel
    • Outbound Channel

  3. Provide a name that identifies the channel.

  4. Select the channel type and type a description for the channel.

  5. Specify the connection details for the channel depending on the type. The following table lists the supported channel types and behavior:
    See Supported Channel Types and Details for the list of all supported channels.

  6. Enable the Partner-specific channel option to associate only a single partner per channel.
    IBM webMethods B2B recognizes the sender in the business document without reading the payload that is shared in the business document.
    If the receiver details are not available, then the enterprise is considered as the receiver.

    Note
    If the sender information is not available in the payload, and the document is submitted using partner-specific channel, then the sender information is retrieved using the channel-partner association.

    If the receiver information is not available in the payload, and the document is submitted using partner-specific channel, then the enterprise is considered as the receiver.

  7. Switch icon to disable the channel.
    A channel is enabled by default except for SFTP-IN-CLIENT. By default, SFTP-IN-CLIENT channel is disabled.

You cannot update channel properties without deactivating the channel.

Important
  • Disabling a channel disrupts the communication for all the partners associated with the channel.
  • When you have IBM webMethods B2B large document handling support enabled, you can view two endpoint URLs for the inbound channel. You must share the new URL for receiving large documents with your partners.

If you have to troubleshoot, see here

Custom Domain

IBM webMethods B2B provides support for customer-specific domains for branding purposes. This capability allows your tenant URLs to appear as ‘.mycompany.com’ instead of ‘.gateway.webmethods.io’. Contact IBM support if you have such a need.
Also, this requires additional steps to be configured for the paid tenants along with customer-certificates. Due to the nature of the functionality, you may notice some limitations, and certain use-cases may be impacted. For more information, see the documentation on IBM webMethods Integration.

Viewing Channels

Channels created in IBM webMethods B2B are listed in the Channels page.

To view channels

  1. In IBM webMethods B2B, go to Communication icon > Channels.

  2. Click the channel name you created to view its details.
    The following table lists the details of a channel:

    Field Description
    Name Name of the channel that you created.
    Type Type of channel.
    - Inbound. A method for receiving a document from a partner.
    - Outbound. A method for sending a document to a partner.
    Description Description you typed to indicate the purpose of the channel.
    Status Status of the channel. The possible statuses are:
    - Active
    - Inactive
    Actions Perform actions such as delete and edit.

Sharing Inbound Channel Endpoint Details

You can share the inbound channel endpoint details with your business partners to receive documents from them.

To share channel endpoint details

  1. In IBM webMethods B2B, go to Communication icon > Channels.

  2. On the Channels page, click a channel name to view its endpoint details.

  3. Share the endpoint details with your business partner along with the associated partner user credentials using an email.
    A partner can use any HTTP client to send a business document to the endpoint URL. The email must contain information about how the partner can use the endpoint URL to send documents:

    a. Select the HTTP POST method.

    b. Specify the HTTP request URL as the given endpoint URL.

    c. Set the authorization to basic and specify the username and password configured as the partner user credentials. For more information, see Adding a Partner User.

    d. Set content-type header as application/edi and the content of the document in the request body.

    e. Send or submit the request.

In case a partner wants to send a document, the following headers must be included:

Note
Ensure that the message-ID is unique, else the message is considered a duplicate and subsequently ignored.

Supported Channel Types and Details

The following table lists the supported channel types:

Channel Type Mode Behavior
Applicability Statement 2 IN Inbound Incoming messages are received using an AS2 connection and processed as soon as they are received.
Applicability Statement 2 OUT Outbound Outgoing messages are transmitted using an AS2 connection.
Applicability Statement 4 IN Inbound Incoming messages are received using an AS4 connection and processed as soon as they are received.
Applicability Statement 4 OUT Outbound Outgoing messages are transmitted using an AS4 connection.
CXML-IN Inbound Incoming messages are received using cXML connection.
CXML-OUT-CLIENT Outbound Outgoing messages are sent using cXML connection.
Hyper Text Transfer Protocol IN Inbound Incoming messages are received as HTTP Post on the IBM webMethods B2B HTTP server and processed as soon as they arrive.
Hyper Text Transfer Protocol OUT Outbound Outgoing messages are sent using an HTTP connection.
RNIF IN Inbound Incoming messages are received using an RNIF connection.
RNIF OUT Outbound Outgoing messages are sent using an RNIF connection.
SFTP-IN-CLIENT Inbound Incoming messages are received using an SFTP connection.
SFTP-OUT-CLIENT Outbound Outgoing messages are sent using an SFTP connection.

AS2 IN

AS2 IN channel details:

Options Description
Accept signed or signed-encrypted messages Select to receive inbound AS2 messages that are either signed or signed and encrypted.
If you select this option and the inbound messages are not signed or signed and encrypted, then an Insufficient message security error appears for those transactions in the Course of transaction section. This error also appears in the MDN if the sender requests one.
Disabled by default
Accept encrypted or signed-encrypted messages Select to receive inbound AS2 messages that are encrypted or signed and encrypted.
If you select this option and the inbound messages are not encrypted or signed and encrypted, then an Insufficient message security error appears for those transactions in the Course of transaction section. This error also appears in the MDN if the sender requests one.
Disabled by default
Note
If both Accept signed or signed-encrypted messages and Accept encrypted or signed-encrypted messages are enabled, the channel receives inbound messages that are both signed and encrypted.

You can configure the settings required to identify the Flat File inbound documents you receive though AS2-IN channel. The settings are listed as follows:

Field Description
Key Specify a valid key to identify the Flat File document type. For example, a filename
Value Specify the corresponding value for the Key that was defined. For example, sample.txt.
Note
Configure EDICustomDocument as Key and the custom document type as Value when you want IBM webMethods B2B to recognize the EDI document as the custom document type while receiving it through the corresponding AS2-IN channel.
For example, when you add a value for EDICustomDocument as X12 4010 850_Custom, IBM webMethods B2B recognizes the incoming document as X12 4010 850_Custom.

Mapping the AS2-IN Channel with a Partner

To associate a partner with an inbound channel, see Associating or Mapping Inbound Channels with a Partner.

AS2 OUT

AS2 OUT channel details:

Options Description
Connection Settings
Endpoint Endpoint URL used to send AS2 messages to partners. You can either use an HTTP or HTTPS URL depending on your need.
If you use HTTPS, ensure that the corresponding SSL certificate is configured in the sender’s profile.
The URL must have the protocol, hostname, port (optional) and the complete path.
For example, http://trader.com or https://trader.com
Username Username used to connect to the partner’s endpoint.
Password Password used to connect to the partner’s endpoint.
Message Settings
Enable message signing Enable to sign outbound documents with the sender’s private key.
If you enable signing, ensure that the sender has a corresponding certificate for the sign-verify usage. Disabled by default.
Signing algorithm The signing algorithm to use to sign the documents.
Select from the list of signing algorithms:
  • MD5
  • SHA-1
  • SHA-256
  • SHA-384
  • SHA-512
    • (Default)
Enable message encryption Enable to encrypt outbound documents using receiver’s public key.
If you enable encryption, ensure that the receiver has a corresponding certificate for the encrypt-decrypt usage. Disabled by default.
Encryption algorithm The encryption algorithm to use to encrypt the documents.
Select from the list of supported encryption algorithms:
  • TripleDES (Default)
  • RC2 40 (40 bits)
  • RC2 64 (64 bits)
  • RC2 128 (128 bits)
  • DES
  • AES 128
  • AES 192
  • AES 256
Enable Message Compression Enable to compress the outbound message. Disabled by default.
Acknowledgment Settings
Request MDN Enable to request the receiver to return an MDN. Enabled by default.
Request Signed MDN Enable to request the receiver to send a signed MDN. Disabled by default.
Request Asynchronous MDN Enable to request an asynchronous MDN. Disabled by default. If you disable the option, it means that you are requesting synchronous MDNs.
Asynchronous MDN URL Remote or native endpoint that accepts the asynchronous inbound MDNs.
You can use both HTTP and HTTPS URL to receive asynchronous MDNs.
To receive secured asynchronous MDNs, use an HTTPS URL.
If you turn on the Request Asynchronous MDN option, and do not specify an Asynchronous MDN URL, IBM webMethods B2B switches to sending synchronous MDNs.
For example, http://tenant-id.com/saas/webmethods-b2b/routes/channel/id
For example, http://tenant-id.com/saas/webmethods-b2b/routes/channel/id
For example, https://<username\>:<password\>@tenant-id.com/saas/webmethods-b2b/routes/channel/id
Other Settings
AS2 Version Version of AS2 protocol that is being used to send documents to partners. The available versions are:
  • 1.1
  • 1.2 (default)
Document delivery rate
Enable Allows you to limit the rate at which documents must be delivered to the endpoint. You must persist the document in the database so this option can be used to deliver documents in a regulated manner.
Maximum number of requests per minute Specify the maximum number of business documents that can be delivered to the outbound channel endpoint. You can tune this rate based on the performance of the partner systems that receive the business documents on this endpoint. The default value is 1 (minimum). The maximum value is 1000.

Mapping the AS2-OUT Channel with a Partner

To associate a partner with an outbound channel, see Associating or Mapping outbound Channels with a Partner.

AS4 IN

AS4 IN channel details:

Options Description
Validate user Validates the Partner users used to exchange documents on AS4 channel. The default value is true.

AS4 OUT

AS4 OUT channel details:

Options Description
Connection Settings
Defer to TPA Indicates whether to use the configurations from TPA.
If you select this option, then the configurations are selected from AS4-OUT channel. Enabled by default.
Endpoint Endpoint URL used to send AS4 messages to partners. You can either use an HTTP or HTTPS URL depending on your need.
If you use HTTPS, ensure that the corresponding SSL certificate is configured in the sender’s profile.
The URL must have the protocol, hostname, port (optional) and the complete path.
For example, http://trader.com or https://trader.com
Username Username used to connect to the partner’s endpoint.
Password Password used to connect to the partner’s endpoint.

Mapping the AS4-OUT Channel with a Partner

To associate a partner with an outbound channel, see Associating or Mapping outbound Channels with a Partner.

cXML-IN

cXML-IN channel details:

Options Description
Message
Validate the signed messages Enable to validate the signature in the inbound cXML messages using the partner’s certificate before processing the document.
Extract request payload Enable to extract the payload from the cXML message to submit and reprocess the document.
Response
Enable response signing Enable to sign the inbound cXML documents with the receiver’s private key.
Signing algorithm The signing algorithm to use to sign the documents.
Select from the list of signing algorithms:
  • SHA-1
  • SHA-224
  • SHA-256 (Default)
  • SHA-384
  • SHA-512
Add deployment mode Enable to select the deployment mode for receiving the cXML document from the sender.

Note
When the cXML payload type is asynchronous, and you enable the Add deployment mode, IBM webMethods B2B appends the selected deployment mode to the Content > Response of the transaction, and sends this default response to the sender.

When you set the Deployment mode of document to test and want the payload to be in the production environment, update the Deployment mode of document to production and ask the sender to resend the payload.
Deployment mode of document Select the message exchange environment for the cXML document. You can choose to have the cXML message exchange in test or production mode.
The valid values are:
  • test. To deploy the cXML document in the test environment.
  • production. To deploy the cXML document in the production environment.

Mapping the cXML-IN Channel with a Partner

To associate a partner with an inbound channel, see Associating or Mapping Inbound Channels with a Partner.

CXML-OUT

CXML OUT channel details:

Options Description
Connection
Endpoint Endpoint URL used to send cXML messages to partners. You can either use an HTTP or HTTPS URL depending on your need.
The URL must have the protocol, hostname, port (optional) and the complete path.
For example, http://trader.com or https://trader.com
Username Username used to connect to the partner’s endpoint.
Password Password used to connect to the partner’s endpoint.
Maximum timeout The length of the time (in milliseconds) for which you want the server to keep an idle connection open for delivering the cXML message. Value must be higher than zero seconds.
Message
Enable message signing Enable to sign outbound message with the sender’s private key. If you enable signing, ensure that the sender has a corresponding certificate for the sign-verify usage.
Enable attachment signing Enable to sign outbound attachment with the sender’s private key. If you enable signing, ensure that the sender has a corresponding certificate for the sign-verify usage.
Signing algorithm The signing algorithm to use to sign the documents.
Select from the list of signing algorithms:
  • SHA-1
  • SHA-224
  • SHA-256 (Default)
  • SHA-384
  • SHA-512
Response
Add deployment mode Enable to select the deployment mode for sending the cXML document to the receiver.

Note
When the cXML payload type is asynchronous, and you enable the Add deployment mode, IBM webMethods B2B appends the selected deployment mode to the Content > Response of the transaction.
Deployment mode of document Select the message exchange environment for the cXML document. You can choose to have the cXML message exchange in test or production mode.
The valid values are:
  • test. To deploy the cXML document in the test environment.
  • production. To deploy the cXML document in the production environment.

Mapping the cXML-OUT Channel with a Partner

To associate a partner with an outbound channel, see Associating or Mapping outbound Channels with a Partner.

HTTP IN

You can configure the settings required to identify the Flat File inbound documents you receive though an HTTP-IN channel. The settings are listed as follows:

Field Description
Key Specify a valid key to identify the Flat File document type. For example, a filename
Value Specify the corresponding value for the Key that was defined. For example, sample.txt.
Note
Configure EDICustomDocument as Key and the custom document type as Value when you want IBM webMethods B2B to recognize the EDI document as the custom document type while receiving it through the corresponding HTTP-IN channel.
For example, when you add a value for EDICustomDocument as X12 4010 850_Custom, IBM webMethods B2B recognizes the incoming document as X12 4010 850_Custom.

HTTP OUT

HTTP OUT channel details:

Options Description
Host Host name or IP address of the partner’s HTTP server on which the documents are sent. For example, trader.com
Port An active HTTP port defined on the partner’s HTTP server.
Location A location on the partner’s HTTP server to where the business documents are sent. For example, inbound\invoice - on the HTTP server, this location is a path to where documents are sent by IBM webMethods B2B.
Username Username used to connect to the partner’s HTTP server.
Password The password used to authenticate the user on the partner’s HTTP server.
Use SSL Enable to use a secured connection for exchanging documents with your partner’s HTTPS server.
Keep-alive timeout value Time period (in milliseconds) for which you want the server to keep an idle connection open in the client connection pool before closing it. Value must be higher than zero seconds.
The default value is 30000 milliseconds.
Connect timeout value Time (in milliseconds) period for which the server waits to connect to the remote server before timing out and therefore terminating the request.
The default is 30000 milliseconds.
Document delivery rate
Enable Allows you to limit the rate at which documents must be delivered to the endpoint. You must persist the document in the database so this option can be used to deliver documents in a regulated manner.
Maximum number of requests per minute Specify the maximum number of business documents that can be delivered to the outbound channel endpoint. You can tune this rate based on the performance of the partner systems that receive the business documents on this endpoint. The default value is 1 (minimum). The maximum value is 1000.

Mapping the HTTP-OUT Channel with a Partner

To associate a partner with an outbound channel, see Associating or Mapping outbound Channels with a Partner.

RNIF IN

An RNIF IN channel details:

Field Description Fields available for each version
Message
Defer to TPA Indicates whether to use the configurations from TPA.
If you select this option, then the configurations are selected from TPA for sending or processing an RNIF message.
Disabled by default.		 1.1 and 2.0
RNIF version Version of RNIF to use to send the documents to partners. The available versions are 1.1 and 2.0. 1.1 and 2.0
Encoding Encoding to use for MIME parts of synchronous response.
Select from the list of signing algorithms:
  • quoted-printable (Default)
  • 7bit
  • 8bit
  • binary
  • base64
  • uuencode
 1.1 and 2.0
Receive signed messages Indicates whether to receive signed inbound RNIF messages. If you select this option and the inbound messages are not signed, then an RNIF exception is sent to partners and the same appears for those transactions in the Course of transaction section. Enabled by default. 1.1 and 2.0
Synchronous response hash algorithm The algorithm used to generate the RosettaNet Message Digest for synchronous response.
Select from the list of algorithms:
  • SHA-1
  • SHA-256 (Default)
  • SHA-384
  • SHA-512
 2.0
Receive encrypted messages Indicates whether to receive encrypted inbound RNIF messages. If you select this option and the inbound messages are not encrypted, then an RNIF exception is sent to partners and the same appears for those transactions in the Course of transaction section. Enabled by default. 2.0
Receive encrypted message header Indicates whether to receive inbound RNIF message headers with encrypted header. If you select this option and the inbound messages are not encrypted, then an RNIF exception is sent to partners and the same appears for those transactions in the Course of transaction section.
Disabled by default.
Important
To ensure that you receive an encrypted message and message header, enable Receive encrypted messages and Receive encrypted message header.
 2.0
Synchronous response encryption algorithm The encryption algorithm to use to encrypt the documents for synchronous response. Select from the list of supported encryption algorithms:
  • TripleDES (Default)
  • RC2
  • DES
 2.0
RC2 encryption key length Length (in bits) of the RC2 encryption key. Valid values are 128, 64, and 40. Default is 128. 2.0
Send receipt acknowledgement Indicates whether to send an acknowledgment to partners upon receiving a document. Based on whether the incoming request header enforces a synchronous or asynchronous acknowledgment, IBM webMethods B2B sends the acknowledgment accordingly (synchronously or asynchronously). Disabled by default. 1.1 and 2.0
Usage code The RosettaNet message exchange environment. You can choose to have the RNIF message exchange in test or production mode. Valid values are Test or Production. 1.1 and 2.0
PIP information
Defer to TPA Indicates whether to use the configurations from TPA.
If you select this option, then the configurations are selected from TPA for sending or processing an RNIF message.
Disabled by default.		 1.1 and 2.0
Sender focal role The value used to validate the GlobalPartnerRoleClassificationCode tag describing fromRole in the service header. For valid values, see the fromService and fromRole details in the PIP specification corresponding to the executing PIP, activity, or action. 1.1 and 2.0
Receiver focal role The value used to validate the GlobalPartnerRoleClassificationCode tag describing toRole in the service header. For valid values, see the toService and toRole details in the PIP specification corresponding to the executing PIP, activity, or action. 1.1 and 2.0
Process code Code or name of the PIP, such as 3A4 (Request Purchase Order). 1.1 and 2.0
Process version Version of the PIP process, such as 1.1 or 1.4. 1.1 and 2.0
Transaction code Transaction associated with each RosettaNet PIP document. For example, Create Purchase Order.
Note
IBM webMethods B2B does not validate the value of Transaction code against the incoming message. IBM webMethods B2B uses this value to construct the response message.
 1.1 and 2.0
Response action code Response action associated with each RosettaNet PIP document. For example, Purchase Order Confirmation Action.
Important
This is required only when the response has to be one way and synchronous.
 1.1 and 2.0

Mapping the RNIF-IN Channel with a Partner

To associate a partner with an inbound channel, see Associating or Mapping Inbound Channels with a Partner.

RNIF OUT

An RNIF OUT channel details:

Field Description Fields available for each version
Connection
Endpoint Endpoint URL used to send RNIF messages to partners. You can either use an HTTP or HTTPS URL depending on your need. If you use HTTPS, ensure that the corresponding SSL certificate is configured in the sender’s partner profile. The URL must have the protocol, hostname, port (optional) and the complete path. For example, http://trader.com or https://trader.com 1.1 and 2.0
Username Username used to connect to the partner’s endpoint. 1.1 and 2.0
Password Password used to connect to the partner’s endpoint. 1.1 and 2.0
Message
Defer to TPA Whether to use the configurations from TPA.
If you select this option, then the configurations are selected from TPA for sending or processing an RNIF message.
Disabled by default.		 1.1 and 2.0
RNIF version Version of RNIF to use to send the documents to partners. The available versions are 1.1 and 2.0. 1.1 and 2.0
Encoding Encoding to use for MIME parts. Select from the list of signing algorithms:
  • quoted-printable (Default)
  • 7bit
  • 8bit
  • binary
  • base64
  • uuencode
 1.1 and 2.0
Enable message signing Whether to sign the outbound RNIF message using sender’s private key. Enabled by default. 1.1 and 2.0
Hash algorithm The algorithm used to generate the RosettaNet Message Digest.
Select from the list of algorithms:
  • SHA-1
  • SHA-256 (Default)
  • SHA-384
  • SHA-512
 1.1 and 2.0
Enable message encryption Whether to encrypt the outbound RNIF message using receiver’s public key. If you enable encryption, ensure that the receiver has a corresponding certificate for the encrypt-decrypt usage. Enabled by default. 2.0
Enable message header encryption Whether to encrypt the RNIF message header.
Important
You cannot encrypt the message header alone, without encrypting the message. To encrypt the message and message header, enable Enable message encryption and Enable message header encryption.
 2.0
Encryption algorithm The encryption algorithm to use to encrypt the documents. Select from the list of supported encryption algorithms:
  • TripleDES (Default)
  • RC2
  • DES
 2.0
RC2 encryption key length Length (in bits) of the RC2 encryption key. Valid values are 128, 64, and 40. Default is 128. 2.0
Enable message compression Whether to compress of outbound messages. Disabled by default. 2.0
Enable synchronous response Whether to transmit the response or receipt acknowledgment synchronously. Disabled by default. 2.0
Usage code The RosettaNet message exchange environment. You can choose to have the RNIF message exchange in test or production mode. Valid values are Test or Production. 1.1 and 2.0
Document delivery rate
Enable Allows you to limit the rate at which documents must be delivered to the endpoint. You must persist the document in the database, so this option can be used to deliver documents in a regulated manner. 1.1 and 2.0
Maximum number of requests per minute Specify the maximum number of business documents that can be delivered to the outbound channel endpoint. You can tune this rate based on the performance of the partner systems that receive the business documents on this endpoint. The default value is 1 (minimum). The maximum value is 1000. 1.1 and 2.0
Note
You can configure the retry related setting in the settings page of the corresponding partner profile. For more information, see Configuring Reliable Delivery Settings in a Partner Profile.

Mapping the RNIF-OUT Channel with a Partner

To associate a partner with an outbound channel, see Associating or Mapping outbound Channels with a Partner.

SFTP-IN-CLIENT

Important
The SFTP-IN-CLIENT channel is for inbound documents that are meant for typical B2B payloads which are not very large. IBM recommends that you use this channel type for documents lesser than or equal to 20971520 bytes (20 MB). If the document size is larger, then it may take longer to process and may time out in certain cases depending on the various network, client, or server settings of the trading partner. Also note that a maximum batch of 3 inbound business documents can be processed by one SFTP-IN-CLIENT channel. To configure maximum file size, see Configuring runtime options

An SFTP IN Client channel details:

Field Description
Connection
SFTP Client Version The internal SFTP client version to use to connect to the SFTP server.
Specify the following values for each client version you select:
  • SFTP V1. No additional configuration information is required.
  • SFTP V2. SFTP V2 is the default internal SFTP client because additional configuration properties such as Key Exchange Algorithms, Machine Access Code (MAC) algorithms, and ciphers that are not available in the Version 1 client.
    Specify the values for additional configurations:
    • Min Diffie-Hellman key size. The minimum Diffie-Hellman key size to use. The default minimum key size is 1024 bits.
    • Max Diffie-Hellman key size. The minimum Diffie-Hellman key size to use. The default maximum key size is 8192 bits.

      The Preferred MAC Algorithms list excludes hmac-sha256, hmac-sha256@ssh.com, hmac-sha512, hmac-sha512@ssh.com, hmac-ripemd160, hmac-ripemd160@openssh.com, hmac-ripemd160-etm@openssh.com as they are not supported by the latest Version 2 SFTP client.

Note
You cannot change the SFTP client version after you create the channel. If your existing workflows fail because of the SFTP version mismatch, you must create a new channel with the right SFTP version.
Hostname Host name or IP address of the partner’s SFTP server. For example, trader.com.
Port An active port on the partner’s SFTP server. For example, 3456. Default is 22.
If the port to which the connection is being established is either invalid or not open, it results in a bad gateway error.
Host public key option Public key used to establish a secure connection with the partner’s SFTP server. Select from the options listed below:
  • Auto retrieve. IBM webMethods B2B automatically retrieves the public key file.
    Note
    Ensure that the hostname and the port are active and accessible.
  • Upload. Upload the public key file.

Note
If the Host public key option for the SFTP server changes after configuring the SFTP channels, you must manually refresh (to pull the latest host public key from the SFTP server) the SFTP channels to avoid transactions from failing during runtime.
Username Username used to connect to the partner’s SFTP server.
Authentication type Type of authentication required to connect to partner’s SFTP server. Select from the types of authentications listed below:
  • Password
  • Public key
    • IBM webMethods B2B supports only OpenSSH format to generate the public and private key pair. There is no support for SSH2 format for both public and private key pair.
Password If you selected Password as the authentication type, provide the password to connect to the partner’s SFTP server.
Polling
Folder path The path to the folder that contains the files to be exchanged. For example: docs/por. IBM webMethods B2B polls this folder to fetch the files. It polls only the specified folder and not any other folder or sub folders.
In case that a post processing action fails for a file, the file continues to exist in this location and will be picked up during the next polling interval.
IBM webMethods B2B is designed for one-to-one mapping between SFTP-IN-CLIENT channel and SFTP server source folder. Therefore, while creating the SFTP-IN-CLIENT channel, you must create one SFTP-IN-CLIENT channel per SFTP server source folder. If you create multiple SFTP-IN-CLIENT channels for the same SFTP server source folder, then there is a chance that the same file may be processed multiple times by IBM webMethods B2B.
Note
If there are multiple files, then the order of fetching the files depends on the file system settings of the SFTP server. For example, IBM webMethods B2B may fetch the files added first to the folder or in an alphabetical order based on the SFTP server settings.
File name filter Filter criteria used to identify the specific files for polling. You can provide a comma separated list of filter criteria. For example, *.xml, *.txt, test_*b2b*123*.

Note
The File name filter field is not supported for SFTP V2 version of the client.
Type of document The channel’s document type used to process files. Select from the document types listed below:
  • EDI
  • XML
  • Flat File
  • Other
You can only create one channel per document type. Any document type in the Other category is treated as a flat file.
Allow complex schedule Polls the SFTP server based on complex intervals that you specify. By default, the value is false. Specify any combination of the settings listed below to indicate when and how often you want to poll the SFTP server:
  • Start date. Optional. If you do not configure the start date, the scheduler runs on the current date.
  • End date. Optional. If you do not configure the end date, the scheduler continues to run indefinitely.
  • Months. The default value is January.
  • Dates. The default value is 1.
  • Days. The default value is Sunday.
  • Hours. The default value is 0.
  • Minutes. The default value is 0.

Note
  • You cannot modify the status of the Allow complex schedule once the channel is created. But you can change the configuration when the status is set to true.
  • To modify the status of Allow complex schedule, deactivate the SFTP-IN-CLIENT channel, and recreate it.
  • When an invalid date is selected, for example, 31st February, the scheduler skips those dates.
  • You can select the polling frequency only in multiples of 5 minutes.

The examples below explains how to use the Allow complex schedule settings:
  • The scheduler runs on 28th day of every month at 10:30 a.m UTC for the year 2024.

    sftp_ex_1
  • The scheduler runs on every Monday in the months of January, February, and March at 2:30 p.m. UTC for an indefinite period of time.

    sftp_ex_2
  • The scheduler runs on every hour of every Tuesday of the month of July, 2024.

    sftp_ex_3
Frequency Frequency at which IBM webMethods B2B polls the partner’s SFTP server for new files. Specify a numeric value. Default value is 5.
Unit of frequency Unit of frequency specified in Frequency. Select from the units listed below:
  • Minutes
  • Hours
  • Days
Default value is Minutes. This makes the default polling frequency to be 5 minutes.
Post processing
Action Action to be taken by IBM webMethods B2B on the files after processing them. Select one of the following actions:
  • Move to folder
  • Delete
  • None
Default is Move to folder.
Folder path Path of the folder to which IBM webMethods B2B places the files after processing.
Important
Ensure that the folder you specified has sufficient permissions for IBM webMethods B2B to access and place the processed files.
In some cases, the SFTP server may not support overwriting or renaming a file. When a file with the same name is received, IBM webMethods B2B appends a timestamp to the file name and moves it to the folder path after processing. The format of the timestamp is YYYYMMDDhhmmssSSS.
Allow folder creation If the folder specified in the Folder path does not exist, enable this option to allow IBM webMethods B2B to create a new folder with the same folder name.
IBM webMethods B2B does not support creation of nested folders in SFTP server. For example, if docs/por is the existing folder path, then docs/por/processed is supported, whereas docs/por/processed/partners is not supported.
Note
If the specified folder is inaccessible or if you fail to enable the Allow folder creation option, then IBM webMethods B2B places the files at the default location. In this example, at docs/por/processed.

You can configure the settings required to identify the Flat File inbound documents you receive through the SFTP-IN channel. The settings are listed as follows:

Field Description
Key Specify a valid key to identify the Flat File document type. For example, a filename.
Value Specify the corresponding value for the Key that was defined. For example, sample.txt.
Note


  • You might notice a short delay while exchanging files from the source folder to the target folder.
    The delay can be mainly observed due to the following reasons:

    • There are a large number of small size files present in the SFTP server source folder to be processed.
    • Larger size files to process in the SFTP server source folder.
    • Server is under load or there are resource constraints. This delay may vary from 30 minutes to up to 2 hours or more from the time the files are picked up for processing.

  • Configure EDICustomDocument as Key and the custom document type as Value when you want IBM webMethods B2B to recognize the EDI document as the custom document type while receiving it through the corresponding SFTP-IN channel.
    For example, when you add a value for EDICustomDocument as X12 4010 850_Custom, IBM webMethods B2B recognizes the incoming document as X12 4010 850_Custom.

Mapping the SFTP-IN Channel with a Partner

An SFTP-IN channel connects with an external SFTP server to poll for inbound documents in a pre-configured location on the SFTP server. Therefore, you do not need to create a partner user and use its credentials to send documents to an SFTP-IN channel. Upon creating an SFTP-IN channel, you must provide the SFTP server credentials so that IBM webMethods B2B can poll the SFTP server location at regular intervals.

SFTP-OUT-CLIENT

As SFTP is an SSH-based protocol, TLS v1.3 is not supported for SFTP outbound communication.

Note
You cannot send a cXML document type through SFTP-out channel in webMethod.io B2B.

An SFTP OUT Client channel details:

Field Description
Connection
SFTP Client Version The internal SFTP client version to use to connect to the SFTP server.
Specify the following values for each client version you select:
  • SFTP V1. No additional configuration information is required.
  • SFTP V2. SFTP V2 is the default internal SFTP client because additional configuration properties such as Key Exchange Algorithms, Machine Access Code (MAC) algorithms, and ciphers that are not available in the Version 1 client.
    Specify the values for additional configurations:
    • Min Diffie-Hellman key size. The minimum Diffie-Hellman key size to use. The default minimum key size is 1024 bits.
    • Max Diffie-Hellman key size. The minimum Diffie-Hellman key size to use. The default maximum key size is 8192 bits.

      The Preferred MAC Algorithms list excludes hmac-sha256, hmac-sha256@ssh.com, hmac-sha512, hmac-sha512@ssh.com, hmac-ripemd160, hmac-ripemd160@openssh.com, hmac-ripemd160-etm@openssh.com as they are not supported by the latest Version 2 SFTP client.

Note
You cannot change the SFTP client version after you create the channel. If your existing workflows fail because of the SFTP version mismatch, you must create a new channel with the right SFTP version.
Hostname Host name or IP address of the partner’s SFTP server. For example, trader.com.
Port An active port on the partner’s SFTP server. For example, 3456. Default is 22.
If the port to which the connection is being established is either invalid or not open, it results in a bad gateway error.
Host public key option Public key used to establish a secure connection with the partner’s SFTP server. Select from the following options:
  • Auto retrieve. IBM webMethods B2B automatically retrieves the public key file.
    Note
    Ensure that the hostname and port are active and accessible.
  • Upload. You can upload the public key file.

Note
If the Host public key option for the SFTP server changes after you configure the SFTP channels, you must manually refresh (to pull the latest host public key from the SFTP server) the SFTP channels to avoid transactions from failing during runtime.
Username Username used to connect to the partner’s SFTP server.
Authentication type Type of authentication required to connect to partner’s SFTP server. Select from the following types of authentications:
  • Password
  • Public key
IBM webMethods B2B supports only OpenSSH format to generate the public and private key pair. There is no support for SSH2 format for both public and private key pair.
Password If you selected Password as the authentication type, provide the password to connect to the partner’s SFTP server.
Private key If you selected Public key as the authentication type, upload the private key file required to connect to the partner’s SFTP server.
Passphrase If you selected Public key as the authentication type, provide the passphrase used to protect the private key.
Password If you selected Password as the authentication type, provide the password to connect to the partner’s SFTP server.
Private key If you selected Public key as the authentication type, upload the private key file required to connect to the partner’s SFTP server.
Passphrase If you selected Public key as the authentication type, provide the passphrase used to protect the private key.
Destination details
Folder path The path of the folder into which IBM webMethods B2B places the files.
Allow folder creation If the folder specified in the Folder path does not exist, enable this option to allow IBM webMethods B2B to create a new folder with the same folder name.
IBM webMethods B2B does not support creation of nested folders in the SFTP server. For example, if docs/por is the existing folder path, then docs/por/processed is supported, whereas docs/por/processed/partners is not supported.
File name prefix Prefix to add to the file name. Default value is wmiob2b and it is optional to append the timestamp to the file name.
When you enable Append timestamp to the file name, IBM webMethods B2B constructs the file name by combining the prefix and timestamp. Therefore, the file name format is: prefix\_<current\_timestamp in YYYYMMDDhhmmssSSS format\>. For example, wmiob2b_20200623062905325.
Retain original file name Enable to retain the original file name when uploading the document to the SFTP server.
Append timestamp to the file name Enable to append timestamp to the file name when uploading the document to the SFTP server. The format of the timestamp is YYYYMMDDhhmmssSSS. It is enabled by default.
Important
When Append timestamp to the file name is disabled, then you must ensure to avoid creating files with duplicate names. A few cloud platforms permit overwriting the previously saved file with the new file. In such a scenario, you might inadvertently replace the existing files with the new files, resulting in the loss of data in the old file.
File extension Allows to upload the file to the SFTP server with a preferred file extension.
Note
You must ensure that you convert the file to the configured file extension before saving it, to avoid document corruption issues. For example, when you specify the extension as “.pdf” for a “.png” file, you must ensure that you convert the png format to pdf format, before saving it to the SFTP server.
Document delivery rate
Enable Allows you to limit the rate at which documents must be delivered to the endpoint. You must persist the document in the database, so this option can be used to deliver documents in a regulated manner.
Maximum number of requests per minute Specify the maximum number of business documents that can be delivered to the outbound channel endpoint. You can tune this rate based on the performance of the partner systems that receive the business documents on this endpoint. The default value is 1 (minimum). The maximum value is 1000.

Mapping the SFTP-OUT Channel with a Partner

To associate a partner with an outbound channel, see Associating or Mapping outbound Channels with a Partner.