Release 10.1A: OpenEdge Getting Started:
Application and Integration Services

AppServer adapters overview

OpenEdge supports the following adapters that allow clients to access an AppServer application service using industry standard protocols:

AppServer Internet Adapter (AIA) — Allows a client to access the AppServer over the Internet, using HTTP or HTTPS. This allows clients to make the same calls to the AppServer application service through an Internet firewall that they can make using a direct TCP/IP connection. For more information, see Chapter 5, " AppServer Internet Adapter."
Note: The AIA also provides Internet access to the integration services provided by the OpenEdge Adapter for SonicMQ BrokerConnect for Progress 4GL applications. For more information on the OpenEdge Adapter for SonicMQ, see Chapter 7, " OpenEdge Messaging and ESB."
Web Services Adapter (WSA) — Allows a Web service client to access an AppServer application service (using SOAP) as an industry standard Web service hosted on a Java servlet engine (JSE) or JSE-enabled Web server. To accomplish this, you must also define a Web service interface for the application service using the Open Client Toolkit. For more information, see Chapter 6, " Web Services in OpenEdge—Architecture and Tools."
OpenEdge Adapter for Sonic ESB — Allows a Web service client to access an AppServer application service (using SOAP over HTTP or HTTPS) as an industry standard Web service hosted on the Sonic Enterprise Service Bus (Sonic ESB). Also, as an OpenEdge service hosted on the Sonic ESB, the AppServer application service can be accessed as part of workflow processes managed by the Sonic ESB, thus making it available to applications using a wide variety of standard protocols. To accomplish this, you must also define a Web service interface for the application service using the Open Client Toolkit. For more information, see Chapter 7, " OpenEdge Messaging and ESB."

While these adapters provide open access to an AppServer from various AppServer clients, each adapter, itself, accesses the AppServer directly using a TCP/IP connection with or without SSL tunneling, and with or without the help of a NameServer (accessed using UDP). For more information on OpenEdge support for SSL, see OpenEdge Getting Started: Core Business Services .