Service providers

A service provider is a container or collection of related data, such as a project, a user database, or a module. Service providers support the grouping of similar resources, such as defects or tasks, that can be configured for integration.

A service provider in an OSLC provider application contains the resource data that can be linked to consumer application data through integration of the applications. To integrate a consumer application and a provider application, the consumer must discover or identify the service providers that are available in the provider application.

The OSLC Providers application supports the following ways of discovery of service providers:

• Catalog list
• Single service provider
• Provider registry

To use the catalog list or the single service provider for discovery, in the OSLC Providers application, you specify a URI in the Service Provider List URI field. The URI can link to a service provider catalog, a service provider listing, or an individual service provider.

To use the provider registry for discovery, in the OSLC Providers application, you select the Use Provider Registry check box. In the End Points application, a predefined HTTP endpoint that is named PROVIDERREGISTRY is used to identify the connection information to the provider registry.

The PROVIDERREGISTRY endpoint specifies a provider registry where OSLC provider applications can register service provider data. The endpoint requires some configuration before it can be used. The HTTP endpoint for the provider registry is distinct from the OAuth or HTTP endpoints that are used during the running of interactions between integrated applications.