Not true!
The fact that no more messages for a conversation are left in the
persistent store does not mean that the conversation is ended. The time to
complete a conversation may far exceed persistDuration. In addition to
network delay and MSH response time, it may involve long processing delays
by the application. Just consider the case where you order a custom-built
PC from a company with just-in-time inventory policy. It may have to place
orders with multiple subcontractors and wait for responses to all of them
before it replies to you.
The MSH can only conclude that a conversation is ended when it is told that
it is ended, preferably by the software/middleware above it.
Most useful conversations eventually end. Yes, there are some that go on
forever. An application may open a conversation and use it for a
continuing flow of individual interactions. In my experience that happens
when some of the needed identifiers are in payload where they are hidden
from the middleware. OBI is probably one such case. Applications
supporting ebXML messaging probably do not need infinite length
conversations. In any case if this is done right, the MSH need not care,
i.e. if conversation management is above the level of the MSH.
Regards,
Marty
*************************************************************************************
Martin W. Sachs
IBM T. J. Watson Research Center
P. O. B. 704
Yorktown Hts, NY 10598
914-784-7287; IBM tie line 863-7287
Notes address: Martin W Sachs/Watson/IBM
Internet address: mwsachs @ us.ibm.com
*************************************************************************************
David Fischer <david@drummondgroup.com> on 12/03/2001 09:30:08 PM
To: Ralph Berwanger <rberwanger@bTrade.com>,
ebxml-msg@lists.oasis-open.org
cc:
Subject: RE: [ebxml-msg] Re: Comments on the 1.09 about ConversationId
Ralph, Chris, I agree. What I was trying to point out is that (purely for
the
purposes of Message Order) the ConversationId need not be stored separately
in
persistent store from the messages pertaining to the ConversationId. If
there
are no messages in the persistent store pertaining to a conversation, then
there
is no need to store it any longer for the purposes of maintaining message
order.
You are of course correct, a ConversationId may be used again later. IMO,
a
Conversation may never actually end.
Regards,
David Fischer
Drummond Group.