Iona has released Artix 4.0, an extensible Enterprise Service Bus (ESB) that leverages distributed processing techniques to provide high availability and performance. Artix is also related to ObjectWeb's Celtix ESB, which integrates some of the features of Artix in an open source package.

Major new features in Artix 4.0, from the product page:

• Service Orchestration - Artix Orchestration supports all Artix bindings and transports and uses WS-Addressing to create complex process flows and composite services. BPEL orchestration is implemented at metadata-driven endpoints without the bottleneck caused by a centralized server. Incrementally add orchestration on only the endpoints where it is needed, when it is needed and dynamically implement changes in metadata without having to rewrite code.
• Standards-Based Messaging - Artix now includes full implementations of JMS and WS-ReliableMessaging. Either may be used to connect distributed endpoints, but neither is required so departments may continue to use existing messaging installations.
• Data Services - Artix SOA enables databases without an intermediary server to leverage existing data assets without having to write any code. The low barrier to entry enables departmental data sources to participate in large SOA projects.

Additional new features in Artix 4.0, again from the product page:

• Transaction enhancements - developers can specify policies for operational invocations across different middleware transactional systems including J2EE, CORBA/OTS and WS-AT
• Eclipse-based UI for z/OS - the UI tool for Artix for z/OS has been rebuilt as an Eclipse plug-in and is fully integrated with the core Artix Designer tool
• Artix Management Console - Eclipse-based tool manages Artix services from the Artix Designer or stand-alone to take full advantage of Artix container functionality
• Dynamic testing tool - uses WSDL contracts to allow users to test their services with extensive type support over all Artix bindings and transports
• JMX instrumentation - monitor and manage key runtime components in any Artix application, including the bus, services and ports
• Enhanced Artix container - change runtime logging levels dynamically, gather performance metrics of services running in the container, install as a Windows service, and deploy and remove services dynamically
• WS-Addressing support - supports the latest version of the specification for standards-based development
• FTP transport - full support for the File Transfer Protocol (FTP) to increase multi-protocol, multi-platform interoperability
• QoS features - high availability now has a duplicate master resolution strategy and simplified HA configuration; the Locator service includes a plug-in to remove the need to reference the Locator in client-side code

Artix 4.0 can be downloaded free of charge, with a 30-day license.

What are the principal features of Artix, which are not available in Celtix ?

Any idea ?

thx

What are the principal features of Artix, which are not available in Celtix?

Celtix is a lightweight subset of Artix, it is Java only and therefore missing the C, C++ .NET and Mainfraim integration capabilities. You can however still use the Eclipse SOA Tools Project (STP) as a design tool for both Artix and Celtix.

-John-

Hello John,

thx for your useful answer.

- C, C++ .NET
  * things, that are not missed by the moment for me ...
  
- Mainframe integration
  * maybe, that can be a criterion, because at is seems - the renaissance of the host is nonterminating :-)

The mentioned criterions of Atrix/Celtix sounds very good and so i think it's worthwhile, to spend the time to investigate this solutions too.

I haved already been working with ServiceMix, which has too a lightweight scheme. A very good work from the ServiceMix-Team with a great future - that's my opinion.

Now the guys from LogicBlaze has announced a new associated product (FUSE). My wish is, to examine too this enviroment and i have already received the download-links from LogicBlaze at last saturday, but the problem is, this links today are not accesible.

Could anybody here, already examine the features and possibilities of FUSE ?

thx

As you probably saw IONA have used ServiceMix as their JBI implementation amongst other things.
Artix compliments Celtix and therefore LogicBlaze, the latter two are fine for non-complex, point to point solutions but as things get more complex, i.e. move out of ordinary Java and XML then you really need to start looking at Artix to handle the nasty stuff. This is where their common origins pays off.

FUSE is, as far as I can see, the new SOA project. Their site appear to have problems for me too, obviously a scalability problem :-)

-John-

Its evertime good, to have various possibilities to solve different problems. I think all mentioned solutions have their destination and their price :-)


>FUSE is, as far as I can see, the new SOA project. Their site appear to have problems for me too, obviously a scalability problem :-)

Its ok, ... Rome wasn't build in a day either. A little bit more patience and everything is going to be alright ...

Roland

As you probably saw IONA have used ServiceMix as their JBI implementation amongst other things.Artix compliments Celtix and therefore LogicBlaze, the latter two are fine for non-complex, point to point solutions but as things get more complex, i.e. move out of ordinary Java and XML

I'm guessing what you mean by this is that Artix has great support for dealing with legacy stuff right? If so I completely agree.

Note that Celtix and ServiceMix both handle complex and non point-to-point solutions well - particularly as they both use Apache ActiveMQ for high performance messaging :)

then you really need to start looking at Artix to handle the nasty stuff. This is where their common origins pays off.FUSE is, as far as I can see, the new SOA project. Their site appear to have problems for me too, obviously a scalability problem :-)-John-

Yeah - we've had a few technical glitches lately, apologies.

FWIW you can get a good overview of FUSE from Brenda Michelson's blog post.

James
LogicBlaze
Fuse: the Open Source SOA runtime

Hi James, long time no drink together!

I'm guessing what you mean by this is that Artix has great support for dealing with legacy stuff right? If so I completely agree.

Generally yes but it's not just the legacy stuff, there are a several other areas where Aritx compliments ServiceMix, generally "yes" though.

I'd put Artix into the "Enterprise" camp, but this is of course where you find a lot more of the "legacy stuff". And of course I'm very familiar with ActiveMQ as you know. Celtix now embeds ActiveMQ as it's default implementation.

-John-
PS: Are you going to J1 and TSSS-E?

Hi James, long time no drink together!

I'm guessing what you mean by this is that Artix has great support for dealing with legacy stuff right? If so I completely agree.

Generally yes but it's not just the legacy stuff, there are a several other areas where Aritx compliments ServiceMix, generally "yes" though.I'd put Artix into the "Enterprise" camp, but this is of course where you find a lot more of the "legacy stuff". And of course I'm very familiar with ActiveMQ as you know. Celtix now embeds ActiveMQ as it's default implementation.

Yeah - quite a few folks are doing this now too such as WebSphere CE.

PS: Are you going to J1 and TSSS-E?

Yes, you? Though lets try not use TSS as an email client :)

James
LogicBlaze
Fuse: the Open Source SOA runtime

I haved already been working with ServiceMix, which has too a lightweight scheme. A very good work from the ServiceMix-Team with a great future - that's my opinion.

Thanks!

Now the guys from LogicBlaze has announced a new associated product (FUSE). My wish is, to examine too this enviroment and i have already received the download-links from LogicBlaze at last saturday, but the problem is, this links today are not accesible.Could anybody here, already examine the features and possibilities of FUSE ?thx

Apologies; we had a bit of a glitch over the weekend. You should receive an email with working download links very shortly.

James
LogicBlaze
Fuse: the Open Source SOA runtime

Apologies; we had a bit of a glitch over the weekend. You should receive an email with working download links very shortly.

No Problem, James. We are all in the same branch and trouble is our daily bread. We are from the old continent are sometimes very impatiently guys - sorry.

Thanks for your great commitment at Geromino, ServiceMix, ActiveMQ, Groovy,...

Nice to hear you in Barcelona

Roland

In my original Artix 4.0 post to the ServerSide, which Joseph so kindly enriched before posting :-) I wanted to provide a personal, "relatively independent" view on the product having used it recently. Generally I'm not one for reading sales and marketing material and tend to cut to the chase by downloading the product and playing with the code or talking to others that have used it. In this case I've done both...

In a nutshell, Artix takes the WSDL contract (which you define or generate from IDL) together with XML Schema definitions and generates "end points", i.e. code plug-ins. This code firstly provides a simple API and secondly allows the application (using the API) to expose itself as a service. The application can be C, C++, .NET, Java or even mainframe and the service can seamlessly use "classic" SOAP over HTTP or more interestingly something more efficient like binary/IIOP etc. over JMS/MQ/RV etc.

We've been using this a lot in the banking world recently to speed up SOA migration, I've recently used it with C24, as you would expect from me, with SWIFT, FpML and more recently TWIST and also come across solutions with technologies like Tangosol's Coherence, Mule and GigaSpaces. I read recently (here) that BEA use them too.

My £200s worth, where do I send my invoice?

-John-
CTO, C24
London, UK

Many people, working with the own Solutions of some ERP-Manufacturers, has experienced the existing problems, to handle the high frequently Message-Routing of Documents in an optimized way - maybe here can be helpful some powerful external Open Source or commercial JBI-Solution too.

I think, the JBI-Approach is a good way in this direction and maybe, in a short cycle are more powerfull Plugins for legacy-connections and other smaller/greater Business-Stuff available, ... which are useful in equal masure, for commercial and Open Source-Solutions as ServiceMix, Atrix, Celtix and other popular Stuff.

Roland