Communication Protocols In IBM Sterling Integrator

Overview of communications adapters in Sterling Integrator: Server adapters receive data from trading partner and bootstrap a BP or s... thumbnail 1 summary

Overview of communications adapters in Sterling Integrator:



  • Server adapters receive data from trading partner and bootstrap a BP or store it in mailbox. Partners can also retrieve data from SI.
  • Client adapters connect to trading partner systems and send / receive data.

Sterling Communication Protocols

Integration with various aspects of SI:

Integration with various aspects of SI


Server components for B2B in SI are FTP, SFTP, HTTP, WS – HTTP over SOAP

FTP Server Adapter in SI:

  • FTP Server is tightly integrated with the Application mailbox system. 
  • An FTP client can only access the mailbox that is assigned to its user account.
  • This adapter receives and processes requests from external trading partners that are submitted using the FTP protocol. This adapter is used with a Application Perimeter server.
  • Use this adapter to put files into a Application mailbox or get files from a Application mailbox. 
  • mailbox activities can trigger routing rules.

SFTP Server Adapter in SI:


  • Uses Mailbox subsystem as its repository (virtual roots)
  • Receives and processes requests from external trading partners that are submitted through the SFTP protocol or SCP protocol
  • Use this adapter to enable external SFTP clients or SCP clients to put files into a Application Mailbox or get files from a Application Mailbox.
  • Routing rules for items placed in Mailbox can be used to trigger a business process

CD Server Adapter:

  • This adapter receives and processes requests from remote Connect:Direct nodes.
  • Mediate requests originating from a business process and going to an external trading partner using a (non-application) Connect:Direct node or another Connect:Direct Server adapter.
  • Accept requests from a Connect:Direct node (or another Connect:Direct Server adapter) to copy to or from a mailbox or business process
  • Forward requests from one remote Connect:Direct node to another

HTTP Server Adapter:

  • Use this adapter to send documents to and receive documents from a trading partner using HTTP
  • Uses Perimeter services
  • Uses the same Jetty HTTP server engine as the GIS ASI console
  • Able to run both WARs and BPML applications
  • Runs application code inside the Application JVM for access to all Application resources
  • Handles SOAP requests as well