The OASIS ebXML Registry Technical Committee has voted to approve the latest versions of its OASIS/ebXML Registry Services Specification v2.5 and OASIS/ebXML Registry Information Model v2.5 as Committee Specifications. The ebXML Registry "provides a set of services that enable sharing of information between interested parties for the purpose of enabling business process integration between such parties based on the ebXML specifications. The shared information is maintained as objects in a repository and managed by the ebXML Registry Services defined in this document. Such information is used to facilitate ebXML-based Business to Business (B2B) partnerships and transactions. Submitted content may be XML schema and documents, process descriptions, ebXML Core Components, context descriptions, UML models, information about parties and even software components."

New enhancements and features in the Version 2.5 release include: "(1) Content based event subscription and notification; (2) content management services, supporting automatic semantic content validation, automatic content cataloging, and plug-in support for user-defined content management services; (3) a distributed registry based on a federated model. The Distributed Registry includes features for federated query support, linking of content and metadata across registry boundaries, replication of content and metadata among registries, and moving of content and metadata from one registry to another as needed. Access control and authorization is based on the XACML 1.0 standard, and provides for fine-grained, or custom access control and authorization."

Bibliographic Information

OASIS/ebXML Registry Services Specification v2.5. Committee Approved Specification. Produced by the OASIS/ebXML Registry Technical Committee. June 2003. 189 pages. Team Leader: Kathryn R. Breininger (Boeing). Editor: Sally Fuger (Automotive Industry Action Group). Technical Editors: Farrukh S. Najmi (Sun Microsystems) and Nikola Stojanovic (Metaspaces Consulting). TC Members include: Kathryn Breininger (Boeing), Joseph M. Chiusano (Booz Allen Hamilton), Suresh Damodaran (Sterling Commerce), Sally Fuger (Individual Member), Peter Kacandes (Adobe Systems Incorporated), Michael Kass (NIST), Paul Macias (LMI), Matthew MacKenzie (Individual Member), Monica Martin (Sun Microsystems), Farrukh Najmi (Sun Microsystems), Sanjay Patil (IONA), Nikola Stojanovic (Individual Member), and Uday Subarayan (Sun Microsystems). Contributors: John Bekisz (Software AG, Inc), Lisa Carnahan (NIST), Anne Fischer (Individual), Len Gallagher (NIST), Duane Nickull (XML Global), John Silva (Philips Medical), Sekhar Vajjhala (Sun Microsystems).

OASIS/ebXML Registry Information Model v2.5. Committee Approved Specification. Produced by the OASIS/ebXML Registry Technical Committee. June 2003. 94 pages. Team Leader, Editor, Technical Editors, TC Members, and Contributors as listed above for the OASIS/ebXML Registry Services Specification v2.5.

Commentary on the ebXML Registry Version 2.5 Committee Specifications

Kathryn Breininger (TC Chair, Boeing) supplied the following description of the ebXML Registry Services Specification v2.5 and the ebXML Registry Information Model Specification v2.5 documents approved as OASIS Committee Specifications:

"An ebXML Registry provides services for sharing information and provides publishing and discovery of that information. This allows organizations to locate business process information and other artifacts needed for electronic business. Key features and functions of an ebXML Registry include registration of any type of object, associations between any two objects, links to external content, life cycle management of objects, flexible query options, security functions, inter-registry cooperation, and event archiving for a complete audit trail."

"The OASIS ebXML Registry v2.5 specifications include several new enhancements and features. Content based event subscription and notification is one new feature in the v2.5 specifications. Another new feature, Content Management Services, includes automatic semantic content validation, automatic content cataloging, and plug-in support for user-defined content management services. Version 2.5 supports a distributed registry based on a federated model. This enhancement includes features for federated query support, linking of content and metadata across registry boundaries, replication of content and metadata among registries, and moving of content and metadata from one registry to another as needed. Access control and authorization is based on the XACML 1.0 standard, and provides for fine grained, or custom access control and authorization. There is now a provision for a pure HTTP interface to the registry that allows ebXML Registries to interoperate with other types of registries, as well as enhancements to query services."

Excerpts from the Version 2.5 Specifications

The OASIS/ebXML Registry Services Specification v2.5 document "defines the interface to the ebXML Registry Services as well as interaction protocols, message definitions and XML schema." The companion OASIS/ebXML Registry Information Model v2.5 document "provides information on the types of metadata that are stored in the Registry as well as the relationships among the various metadata classes."

Term definitions: [In the ebRS and ebRIM specifications] "the term repository item is used to refer to an object (e.g., an XML document or a DTD) that resides in a repository for storage and safekeeping. Each repository item is described by a RegistryObject instance. The RegistryObject catalogs the RepositoryItem with metadata. The term RegistryEntry is used to refer to an object that provides metadata about a repository item. The term ExtrinsicObject is used to refer to an object that provides metadata about a repository item."

"The ebXML Registry architecture consists of an ebXML Registry Service and ebXML Registry Clients. The ebXML Registry Service provides the methods for managing a repository. An ebXML Registry Client is an application used to access the Registry."

Registry Service: "The ebXML Registry Service is comprised of a robust set of interfaces designed to fundamentally manage the objects and inquiries associated with the ebXML Registry. The two primary interfaces for the Registry Service consist of: (1) A Lifecycle Management interface that provides a collection of methods for managing objects within the Registry; (2) A Query Management Interface that controls the discovery and retrieval of information from the Registry. A registry client program utilizes the services of the registry by invoking methods on one of the above interfaces defined by the Registry Service. This specification defines the interfaces exposed by the Registry Service as well as the interface for the Registry Client."

RIM: "The Registry Information Model provides a blueprint or high-level schema for the ebXML Registry. Its primary value is for implementers of ebXML Registries. It provides these implementers with information on the type of metadata that is stored in the registry as well as the relationships among metadata classes. The Registry information model (1) Defines what types of objects are stored in the Registry; (2) Defines how stored objects are organized in the Registry..."