More on SOAP intermediary model

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from 2007 SOAP12:

 

SOAP1.2:

 

- [1.5.2] SOAP intermediary : A SOAP 
intermediary is both a SOAP receiver and a SOAP sender and is targetable from 
within a SOAP message. It processes the SOAP header blocks targeted at it and 
acts to forward a SOAP message towards an ultimate SOAP 
receiver.

 

2.7.1 Relaying SOAP Header 
Blocks

The relaying of SOAP header blocks targeted at an 
intermediary SOAP node depends on whether the SOAP header blocks are processed 
or not by that node. A SOAP header block is said to be reinserted if the 
processing of that header block determines that the header block is to be 
reinserted in the forwarded message. The specification for a SOAP header block 
may call for the header block to be relayed in the forwarded message if the 
header block is targeted at a role played by the SOAP intermediary, but not 
otherwise processed by the intermediary. Such header blocks are said to be 
relayable.

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- from the above, it appears 
that an ebMS intermediary always "processes" (in the SOAP sense)  the ebMS 
headers used for routing. 

- The ebMS intermediary 
however does not "relay" these headers, since it has processed them. (the notion 
of  "relayable" seems to accommodate the case where an intermediary may 
decide to not process the header and defer to a subsequent node. This is not our 
case). 

- it also appears that both 
in SOAP12 or SOAP11 schema, there is no defaulting of actor / role to 
"next".

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Consequently:  I think 
Sander is right. An endpoint needs to add these whenever there are 
some expectations that the messages will go through an I-Cloud (works as well if 
not).

For SOAP11: @actor="http://schemas.xmlsoap.org/soap/actor/next"

For SOAP12: @role="http://www.w3.org/2003/05/soap-envelope/role/next"

Also :

Replace the previous NOTE 
text with:

"Re-insertion" of SOAP 
headers is understood here as an operation that preserves the integrity of 
signatures. In other words, as an ebMS intermediary - in transparent multihop 
mode - does not remove any header, a signature that is valid before forwarding 
MUST still be valid after forwarding.

re-insertion is a notion that 
is described in both SOAP 11 and 1.2.

 Jacques