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Pattern Solutions

Use patterns to drive productivity in software design and development

This Web site contains patterns and assets that are already built and freely available for use as well as information about how to build your own custom patterns using IBM Rational Software Architect. Discover how patterns provide solutions to recurring problems while allowing experienced developers to work at higher levels of abstraction. By capturing design expertise and best practices as tool-enabled assets and artifacts, patterns can greatly facilitate the development of Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA) applications -- resulting in significant improvement in productivity.

Pattern repository

The following catalog of patterns is available through the developerWorks pattern repository, accessible using IBM® Rational® Software Architect or through the direct download links on this page. Click Education to get more information about accessing, importing, and applying patterns, and start customizing your own solutions today.

Note: The current repository of patterns is compatible with Rational Software Architect (RSx), Version 6.x only. Upon release of RSx 7, support will be formally updated. Beta customers for the 7.0 product, please refrain from using this repository at this time.

Pattern types

Patterns are classified according to the different phases of the solution design and development life cycle. The following catalog of patterns is available for free download. Check back often as new patterns are developed and presented here.

Patterns: Define architectural strategy

IBM Patterns for e-business is a collection of high-level business, architectural, and topological patterns that can help speed the process of developing e-business applications.

Patterns: Build, test, and deploy

Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA) patterns

SOA patterns are a set of pattern specifications and pattern implementations that can be used to facilitate the development of SOA middleware applications.

Best practices:

Pattern specifications:


Download free SOA patterns now.

DescriptionNameSizeDownload method(s)
SOA Catalog Legacy Design Model Asset
SOACatalogLegacyDesignModel.ras4KB HTTP
SOA Imp. and Opt. of Services Recipe Asset
SOAImplementationandOptimizationofServicesRecipe.ras194KB HTTP
SOA Inventory Enterprise IT Design Model Asset
SOAInventoryEnterpriseITDesignModel.ras31KB HTTP
SOA Inventory Service Design Model Asset
SOAInventoryServiceDesignModel.ras19KB HTTP
SOA Lookup Item Use Case Model Asset
SOALookupItemUseCaseModel.ras24KB HTTP

Information service patterns
Information service patterns that address challenges typically associated with information management -- such as providing an integrated and consistent view to heterogeneous data -- must also be addressed in a Service-Oriented Architecture. These patterns help architects make informed and consistent decisions. Selecting the most appropriate approach helps to significantly reduce development time and to meet highly demanding service-level agreements.

Enterprise patterns
The enterprise patterns asset is a RAS asset that contains well-known patterns such as Session Facade, Business Delegate, Message Facade, and Data Access Object. You can apply these patterns to your UML models and generate code to automate the implementation of Java 2 Platform, Enterprise Edition (J2EE) applications.


Download free enterprise patterns now.

DescriptionNameSizeDownload method(s)
Enterprise Patterns Asset
EnterprisePatterns.ras1756KB HTTP

WebSphere Platform Messaging patterns
The WebSphere Platform Messaging patterns asset is a RAS asset that extends the enterprise patterns asset to add support for the new messaging engine included in WebSphere® Application Server V6.0. It includes well-known mediation patterns, such as message logging, message transformation, as well as topology patterns to configure the service integration bus and message queues.


Download free WebSphere Platform Messaging patterns now.

DescriptionNameSizeDownload method(s)
WebSphere Platform Messaging Patterns Asset
WSPlatformMessagingPatterns.ras1756KB HTTP
WebSphere Response Template Pattern Asset
WSResponseTemplatePattern.ras2800KB HTTP

State-Oriented Portlet patterns
The State-Oriented Portlet patterns asset is a RAS asset that models portlet state transitions using UML state machines. It includes patterns that capture portlet view and portlet transition data. It supports popular portal features such as portlet modes and click-to-action. Using this asset, a complete portal application can be generated. Users can add their own business logic at architected locations. The best practices encoded by this pattern are harvested from IBM Software Services engagement experiences.


Download free State-Oriented Portlet patterns now.

DescriptionNameSizeDownload method(s)
State-Oriented Portlet Patterns RAS Asset
StateOrientedPortletPatterns.ras1756KB HTTP

TSA Failover Configuration patterns
The TSA Failover Configuration patterns asset is a RAS asset that helps you configure Tivoli® System Automation (TSA) to support high-availability enterprise solutions utilizing IBM HTTP Server, WebSphere Application Server, and DB2®. Using this pattern, you can generate TSA scripts that manage failover clusters. The best practices encoded by this pattern are harvested from the High Performance On Demand Solution Team experience in deploying high-availability solutions.


Download free Tivoli System Automation (TSA) Failover Configuration patterns now.

DescriptionNameSizeDownload method
TSA Failover Configuration Pattern Asset
FailoverConfigurationPatternImplementationforTSA.ras736KB HTTP

Security patterns
The security patterns asset is a RAS asset that extends the enterprise patterns asset. It enables you to incorporate security policies when you model your applications. The asset contains two EJB security configuration patterns and an application pattern. You can apply the security configuration patterns to update your EJB deployment descriptor with method level authorization and identity delegation policies. When you apply the application pattern to a class, it generates code which submits Common Base Events using the Common Event Infrastructure.


Download free security patterns now.

DescriptionNameSizeDownload method
Security Patterns Asset
SecurityPatterns.ras873KB HTTP

WebSphere Cluster Creation pattern
The WebSphere Cluster Creation pattern asset is a RAS asset that fits into the SOA_deployment category. It enables you to represent WebSphere cluster elements (including cells, clusters, nodes, J2EE applications) when you model your deployment configuration. The asset contains a cluster pattern and a transform to generate cluster deployment scripts in either JACL or Jython, for use with WebSphere Application Server 5.x or 6.x. This pattern greatly reduces the time and complexity of generating deployment scripts for use in managing WebSphere deployments.


Download free WebSphere Cluster Creation patterns now.

DescriptionNameSizeDownload method
WebSphere Cluster Creation Pattern Asset
WSClusterCreationPattern.ras1756KB HTTP
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