Implementing SOA: Total Architecture in Practice

Chapter 18. Adapters

In an ideal world, once you have selected the protocol for each interaction, each of the participants would simply use the selected protocol. You could then turn your attention to other aspects of the system design. Unfortunately, in the real world a lot of existing functionality is embodied in components that cannot directly employ the protocol you have selected. Such participants require intermediaries to map their existing interfaces into the chosen protocol, which is generally one of the protocols on which the enterprise has chosen to standardize. These intermediaries are commonly referred to as adapters (Figure 18-1). While the enterprise’s long-range goal may be for all participants to directly employ a standard protocol ...