Track 4 - Mail Gateway converts MIME/Multipart to SOAP w/Attachments

B2BPO's seamless interoperation with mail systems, a valueable feature providing an "ON-Demand" solution to the standard problem of insecure Web-mail, will appeal to anyone who needs to manage data destined for Publishing to the Outbound B2B Network under the familar auspices of their email system. There is no learning curve for a new UI, nor is there alot of complicated setup for software because B2BPO is a plugin to the native email. Unlike the Hushmail link above, and its numerous requirements for both software installation and for encryption key generation and key management, with B2BPO's EMail interface SSL is used for security. As a result, there is no software install required. There is no need to generate additional encryption keys for using the secure mail.

As the scenario below covering the Data Publisher side of the picture will show, the presence of the B2BPO system is completely encapsulated by the more familiar features of email; all that is required to utilize B2BPO's full capability for data internetworking is simply sending the email that you see below in Step 2A.

For Demo purposes, a java email client was chosen for ease of integration with existing B2BPO Demo code. Minor modifications to existing email UI allowed the definition and operation of 2 folder and filter objects in the mail system that together, supplied the basis for the gateway integration. The gateway allows the mail system to collect email messages whose attachements are actually shareable business data destined for publishing activity on standard B2BPO data Topics. A seamless interface transfers directly from the email clients internal folders to outbound SOAP messages carrying the former email attachments to the B2B Post Office where normal data distribution will occur on the Topic whose name happens to have been used as an email subject line at the start of the entire process.

Somewhat down the road, B2BPO production will implement analagous features over COM and dot-NET so that there will be seamless integration between Exchange and or Outlook and B2BPO.

Integrated Email and OutBound B2B Publishing is the new feature that relies on 4 components.

• New Outbound Message Folder for receiving inserts from an Inbox message Filter
• Inbox Message Filter for interception of all mail destined for the B2B Gateway
• MIME/ SOAP messaging Gatewayconverts email attachments to SOAP Attachments
• Protocol conversion of MIME Multipart attachments to SOAP Message with Attachments in the email gateway is made practical by B2BPO's Native Support for MIME Data Types.

Clik Image	Mail to SOAP Gateway forwards Mail on B2BPO Publishing Topics
	-1A- Define new Message Filter B2B outbound gateway inserter is the name of the message subject line filter, a surveyor of all email traffic responsible for intercepting any messages whose subject matches on one of the prearrainged B2B TopicName . This is an Admin type setup step where the Publishing Topic from the B2BPO system is supplied as the text value to search for in the email Subject. see B2B TopicName in the pictures text field. Intercepted messages get copied to the folder. see B2B outbnd Gateway Folder in the Outbox
	-1B- Define new Message Filter Filter definition setup, a standard email feature is completed. Now, with the email system setup in a simple way that allows it to act as a Front End to Publishing activities on a specific Topic in the B2BPO network, all that is required to invoke the B2B supply chain is for email users to send a mail message with the correct Text entry in the Subject. see step 2A below
	-2A- Filter is invoked by Message Subject line Filter definition on the Subject value of B2B TopicName matches this subject line. The message and its attachment will be the object of the filter's ACTION and will be injected into the Gateway's Protocol conversion.
	-2B- Message copied to B2B outbnd Gateway Folder Filter ACTION runs and the message above is copied to outbound Folder. Note that the insert to this folder creates another event that triggers the actual gateway.
	-2C- Message Attachments "tm1102a.txt" contains B2B Data From the original email message used to organize data that will be sent out to the Business Partners, only the message attachments will actually get handed off to the gateway.
	MIME/ SOAP messaging Gateway Outboundprocess completes handling of all attachments on any email item intercepted by the Subject Filter
	Normal B2BPO data distribution on Publishable Topic Resumes with re-injection of converted data attachments into uploading streams of files and data bound for the Post Office