Creating a Trading Partner Reference

Identification Page

Field Description

Identity Name
Name of the identity used for your trading partner. Required.
Note: This parameter will be populated automatically if the existing identity is chosen.
Note: Do not enter spaces in this field.

AS2 Identifier

AS2 identifier of your trading partner. Required.

Note: This parameter will be populated automatically if the existing identity is chosen.

HTTP Communication Page

Field Description

Profile Name

 Name of the trading partner profile. Required.

HTTP Client Adapter

The name of the HTTP Client Adapter instance to use when sending outbound AS2 messages or asynchronous MDNs. Required.

End Point

HTTP address or URL to post AS2 messages to for this specific trading partner. For AS2, the end point must be the complete URL to send messages. Contact your trading partner for the value to use in this field. Required.

Note: The Sterling B2B Integrator AS2 Edition includes a configured URL that runs the EDIINTParse business process on the base port + 33.

User ID

User name for HTTP basic authentication, if required to log in to the trading partner system. Optional.

Password

Password that is associated with the User ID identified in the previous field for HTTP basic authentication, if required to log in to the trading partner system. Optional.

Response Timeout (seconds)

Number of seconds the HTTP client adapter waits for a response from the trading partner's server before the system times out. Valid value is number of seconds. Required.

Note: To avoid timing out, set both the Response Timeout and Socket Timeout fields to the same value and ensure that the value is greater than 180 seconds. This ensures the socket remains open for a reasonable amount of time, so it can receive responses.

Firewall Proxy

IP address, port number, login ID, and password of your proxy server if you need to use a proxy server to connect outbound to this trading partner. Separate values with a comma. If used, you must specify both the login ID and password. Optional.

Note: If you connect through a proxy server, but authentication is not required, the IP address and port number routes the outbound message through the specified proxy server.

Firewall Connect Count

Number of attempts that Sterling B2B Integrator can make to connect to the proxy server before timing out. Optional. The value of Firewall Connect count should be less than 50.

Note: If the proxy server is used heavily, set the Firewall Connect Count to a high number to reduce the number of time outs.

Socket Timeout (seconds)

Number of seconds that the socket connection can idle before timing out. Valid value is any positive number that is optimal for your system. Optional.

Note: To avoid timing out, set both the Response Timeout and Socket Timeout fields to the same value and ensure that the value is greater than 180 seconds.

SSL
Whether Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) should be active. SSL is a negotiation between the client and the server that establishes the method of encrypting and decrypting data transmissions. Optional. Valid values are:
  • None – SSL is not used (default).
  • Optional – SSL encryption.
  • Must – Uses this protocol configured for SSL encryption.

If you select Optional or Must, the asset protection key must enable SSL for the appropriate protocol.

Key Certificate Passphrase

 Type a passphrase to be used with this key certificate. Required only if a key certificate is being used for SSL client side authentication and if the SSL parameter is set to Optional or Must.

Cipher Strength
Strength of the algorithms used to encrypt data. Only accepts supported algorithms. Required. Valid values are:
  • ALL – Includes all cipher strengths (WEAK and STRONG)
  • WEAK – Required for international e-commerce if government regulations prohibit STRONG encryption from being exported.
  • STRONG – This is the default. Required if SSL option is anything other than None.
Note: If you are using an older or retired adapter, the 128-bit and 256-bit AES ciphers might not be available. For more information on the phases of the Retiring process, see Retiring and Removed Services and Adapters.

Key Certificate (System Store)

A combination of ASCII-encoded certificate and ASCII-encoded PKCS5 encrypted key. Select a key certificate. Optional.

Note: You must have already checked the certificate in to Sterling B2B Integrator for it to be displayed in this list. The Configure Certificates link enables you to open a common window displaying all certificates list that you may use. This window is used to select multiple certificates for the purpose of seamless transition from one certificate to the other when its validity expires and to select the policy for this certificate. The default policy is Closest non-future Go Live Date or the only certificate in the list.

Selection policy

This is a default policy which returns the certificate with the closest non-future Go Live Date. Default value is Closest non-future Go Live Date or the only certificate in the list.

Go Live Date

This is the date when the certificate becomes valid and is ready for use by Sterling B2B Integrator. You cannot specify a Go Live Date that precedes the Not Before Date in the digital certificate. Using this parameter results in less system down time for both you and your trading partner when your certificates expire. The default value is the Not Before Date.

Not After Date

This is the date beyond which the certificate is no longer valid. Using this parameter results in less system down time for both you and your trading partner when your certificates expire. You cannot specify a Not After Date that succeeds the termination date in the certificate. The default value is Not After Date.

CA Certificates

Certificate used to validate SSL server authentication of the trading partner. Required if you selected Must or Optional in the SSL field.

Note: The Configure Certificates link enables you to open a common window displaying all certificates list that you may use. This window is used to select multiple certificates for the purpose of seamless transition from one certificate to the other when its validity expires and to select the policy for this certificate. The default policy is Closest non-future Go Live Date or the only certificate in the list.

For information about checking in self-signed CA certificates, see Managing Digital Certificates in Sterling B2B Integrator AS2 Edition.

Selection policy

This is a default policy which returns the certificate with the closest non-future Go Live Date. Default value is Closest non-future Go Live Date or the only certificate in the list.

Go Live Date

This is the date when the certificate becomes valid and is ready for use by Sterling B2B Integrator. You cannot specify a Go Live Date that precedes the Not Before Date in the digital certificate. Using this parameter results in less system down time for both you and your trading partner when your certificates expire. The default value is the Not Before Date.

Not After Date

This is the date beyond which the certificate is no longer valid. Using this parameter results in less system down time for both you and your trading partner when your certificates expire. You cannot specify a Not After Date that succeeds the termination date in the certificate. The default value is Not After Date.

Notification and Retries Page

Field Description

Retry Interval (sec)

The interval (in seconds) after which messages will be requeued and an attempt will be made to resend them (after a send failure). Default is 300. Required.

Max Retries

The maximum number of retries that should be attempted after repeated send failures. Required. Default is 5.

Notify on Immediate Failures

Select this check box to be notified immediately after a send attempt fails. Default is selected (this functionality is turned on).

Notify on Final Failure

Select this check box to be notified after the maximum number of retries (Trading Partner Max Retries) have been exhausted. Default is selected (this functionality is turned on).

Store AS2 Messages in File System

Stores your AS2 messages in the directories you choose. Required.

AS2 messages are stored in the directories you choose or, by default are stored in:
  • <Path to Install_dir>/as2partner/<Organization Identity Name>/<Partner Identity Name>/Outbound
  • <Path to Install_dir>/as2partner/<Organization Identity Name>/<Partner Identity Name>/Inbound
  • <Path to Install_dir>/as2partner/<Organization Identity Name>/<Partner Identity Name>/error
Note:
When you are configuring a large number of AS2 partners or relationships using the AS2 wizard, we do not recommend that you choose the option to store messages for those partners or relationships in file system directories. Using file system directories with a large number of AS2 partners or relationships may cause Out Of Memory errors to occur due to the large number of schedules that are required. Instead, we recommend that you use the option to store messages in mailboxes since this avoids the need for additional schedules.

Store AS2 Messages in Mailbox

Store AS2 Messages in the mailbox. If you select this option, you are asked to select default or custom mailboxes.

Note: You must have a Mailbox Edition license to access the Mailbox feature.
AS2 messages are stored in the mailboxes you choose or, by default are stored in:
  • /AS2/<Organization Identity Name>/<Partner Identity Name>/Outbound
  • /AS2/<Organization Identity Name>/<Partner Identity Name>/Inbound
Invoke Business Processes Directly Invokes the configured business processes directly without sending the messages to a file system or mailbox.

Messages Page

Field Description

Payload Type
Payload is the document at the inner level of the message. The payload type describes the message format for transporting documents. Optional. Valid values are:
  • Plain Text – Payload is not signed and it is not encrypted.
  • Signed Detached – Payload is signed with a detached signature, according to the EDIINT specifications.
  • Encrypted – Payload is encrypted according to the EDIINT specifications.
  • Signed Detached Encrypted – Payload is signed with a detached signature and then encrypted, according to the EDIINT specifications. This is the default.

MIME Type

How to package the lowest level of payload content (the document at the inner level of a message) to be sent. MIME type helps to implement the EDIINT specification correctly, and provides some flexibility, because receiving programs might expect a specified MIME type and sub-type.

The MIME type value is used as the Content-type value in the header of the payload section of the message. Optional.

Valid values are:
  • Text – For XML or text
  • Application – For EDI, or any other type of data (this is the default)
  • Message
  • Image
  • Video
  • Audio

MIME Sub Type

How to package the lowest level of payload content (the document at the inner level of a message) to be sent.

The MIME sub type value combined with the MIME type value creates the Content-type values in the header of the payload section of the message. For example, Content-Type: Application/EDI-X12, where Application is a MIME type and EDI-X12 is the MIME sub type.

Optional. Valid values are:
  • EDI-X12 (this is the default)
  • EDIFACT
  • EDI-Consent
  • Octet-stream – For any type of data
  • XML
  • Plain

Compress Data
Level to compress the payload. Optional. Valid values are:
  • None
  • Low
  • Medium
  • High
  • Default (this is the default)

Exchange Certificate

Name of the trading partner encryption certificate. Use the trusted certificate that this specific trading partner sent to you. You must check in the trading partner certificate prior to setting up the trading profile. Optional.

Note: The Configure Certificates link enables you to open a common window displaying all certificates list that you may use. This window is used to select multiple certificates for the purpose of seamless transition from one certificate to the other when its validity expires and to select the policy for this certificate. The default policy is Closest non-future Go Live Date or the only certificate in the list.

Selection policy

This is a default policy which returns the certificate with the closest non-future Go Live Date. Default value is Closest non-future Go Live Date or the only certificate in the list.

Go Live Date

This is the date when the certificate becomes valid and is ready for use by Sterling B2B Integrator. Using this parameter results in less system down time for both you and your trading partner when your certificates expire. You cannot specify a Go Live Date that precedes the Not Before Date in the digital certificate. The default value is the Not Before Date.

Not After Date

This is the date beyond which the certificate is no longer valid. Using this parameter results in less system down time for both you and your trading partner when your certificates expire. You cannot specify a Not After Date that succeeds the termination date in the certificate. The default value is Not After Date.

Signing Certificate

Name of the signing certificate that your trading partner sent you. This certificate can be the same as the exchange certificate, if your trading partner uses the same certificate for both encryption and signing. Use the trusted certificate that this specific trading partner sent to you. You must check in the trading partner certificate prior to setting up the trading profile. Required.

Note: The Configure Certificates link enables you to open a common window displaying all certificates list that you may use. This window is used to select multiple certificates for the purpose of seamless transition from one certificate to the other when its validity expires and to select the policy for this certificate. The default policy is Closest non-future Go Live Date or the only certificate in the list.

Selection policy

This is a default policy which returns the certificate with the closest non-future Go Live Date. Default value is Closest non-future Go Live Date or the only certificate in the list.

Go Live Date

This is the date when the certificate becomes valid and is ready for use by Sterling B2B Integrator. Using this parameter results in less system down time for both you and your trading partner when your certificates expire. You cannot specify a Go Live Date that precedes the Not Before Date in the digital certificate. The default value is the Not Before Date.

Not After Date

This is the date beyond which the certificate is no longer valid. Using this parameter results in less system down time for both you and your trading partner when your certificates expire. You cannot specify a Not After Date that succeeds the termination date in the certificate. The default value is Not After Date.

Encryption Algorithm
If you selected a payload type requiring encryption, identifies the encryption algorithm to use.
  • Triple DES 168 CBC with PKCS5 padding
  • 56-bit DES CBC with PKCS5 padding (default)
  • 128-bit RC2 CBC with PKCS5 padding
  • 40-bit RC2 CBC with PKCS5 padding
  • 128-bit AES CBC with PKC5 padding
  • 256-bit AES CBC with PKC5 padding

Signing Algorithm

Algorithm to use to sign messages to the trading partner. Optional. Valid values are MD5 and SHA1 (Secure Hash Algorithm). The default is SHA1. This field is required if you select a payload type requiring a signature.

MDN Receipt

Whether you request Message Disposition Notifications (MDNs) for messages from your trading partner. Select the check box to view the MDN page. Clear the check box to disable viewing.

Receipt Page

Field Description

Receipt Signature Type

Type of signing algorithm requested on receipts. Valid values are None (default), MD5, and SHA1. Selection of a value other than None makes the EDIINT Message service request a signed Message Disposition Notification (MDN) when sending messages to the trading partner.

Receipt Timeout

Timeout value in seconds for receipt of expected MDNs. Required. Default is 300.

Wait for synchronous MDN process to complete before extracting data

When selected (and when the sender requests a synchronous MDN), defers the extraction of payload data to the file system or mailbox until the process for returning the MDN is complete. Optional. Default is not selected.

Note: This option prevents duplicate data that results if a trading partner terminates the connection before receiving a requested MDN and then resends the data. If such data is resent using a different message identifier, the duplicate data cannot be detected unless you have duplicate detection enabled in the translator.
Note: Deferred extraction (this parameter) must not be enabled if duplicate suppression is enabled in the EDIINT Pipeline service. Conversely, if deferred extraction (this parameter) is enabled, duplicate suppression must not be enabled in the EDIINT Pipeline service. These two features are mutually exclusive.
Note: We recommend that you do not select this option if you are performing asynchronous MDN delivery because the performance penalties can be substantial. Use this option only for synchronous MDN delivery.

Delivery Mode
Delivery mode for MDNs. Optional. Valid values are:
  • Synchronous – Requests a synchronous receipt. This the default mode.
  • Asynchronous HTTP – Request an asynchronous receipt over HTTP. If you select this option, you must put the complete URL identifying where the partner should send the receipt in the Receipt to Address field.
  • Asynchronous HTTPS – Request an asynchronous receipt over HTTPS. If you select this option, you must put the complete URL identifying where the partner should send the receipt in the Receipt to Address field.
  • Asynchronous SMTP – Request an asynchronous receipt over SMTP. If you select this option, you must put the complete URL identifying where the partner should send the receipt in the Receipt to Address field.

Receipt to Address

If you are using EDIINT AS2 requesting asynchronous MDNs, you must type the complete URL where you want your trading partner to send the MDN. This may be your usual AS2 URL. Optional.

Note: The Sterling B2B Integrator AS2 Edition includes a configured URL that runs the EDIINTParse business process on the base port + 33.

Setup additional Server Communication

Enables you to configure additional transport profiles for a trading partners that requests asynchronous MDNs over HTTP/HTTPS to a URL other than their standard AS2 message URL. Sterling B2B Integrator will not send receipts to URLs that have not been configured in the system. Select this option if your trading partner requests asynchronous HTTP/HTTPS receipts to a URL other than their primary AS2 URL. If you select this, repeat steps 5 through 7 again for each additional transport profile.

Collection Page

Field Description

Collection folder

Directory that contains outgoing (outbound) documents to your trading partners. Required. The default directory is Install_dir/as2partner/<Organization_Identity_Name>/Partner_Identity_Name/outbound.

Note:

If the trading partner set up that is being created is with the organization that was existing before upgrade, then the collection directory structures will follow old convention which is install_dir/as2partner/<Partner_Name>/outbound.

Extraction folder

Directory that contains incoming (inbound) documents from your trading partner. Required. The default directory is install_dir/as2partner/<Organization_Identity_Name>/<Partner_Identity_Name>/inbound.

Note: If the trading partner set up that is being created is with the organization that was existing before upgrade, then the extraction directory structures will follow old convention which is install_dir/as2partner/<Partner_Name>/inbound.

Error log folder

Directory to which errors are written for outgoing (outbound) documents that contain errors (for example, if the AS2 Edition cannot send a document because of an invalid IP address, the Sterling B2B Integrator AS2 Edition generates an error log and saves it in this folder). Required. The default directory is install_dir/as2partner/<Organization_Identity_Name>/<Partner_Identity_Name>/error.

Note: If the trading partner set up that is being created is with the organization that was existing before upgrade, then the error log directory structures will follow old convention which is install_dir/as2partner/<Partner_Name>/error.

Max files to Collect

The number of files that are picked up from the collection folder each time that the scheduled business process executes. Valid values range from 0 to 500. The default value is All. Optional.

Run service based on a timer every

Hours and minutes for which to run the File System adapter. The default time is five minutes. Required.

Use Message File Name to Save File

Attempts to use the filename specified for the document in the message received from the trading partner to save the file. If your trading partner sends multiple messages with the same included filenames, existing files with the same names (that is, files currently in the inbound directory) may be overwritten.

Include File Name in Message
Includes the name of the file in the message when building messages to send to a trading partner. Valid values are:
  • None – Does not provide a file name in the message. This is the default.
  • File Name Only – Provides only the file name in the message.
  • Full Path – Provides the full path to the file in the message.
Note: Monitor the document status by accessing the File Tracking page.

Mailbox Page

Field Description

Use Default Inbound/Outbound Mailboxes

Whether to use the default inbound and outbound mailboxes. The default mailboxes are: /AS2/<Organization Identity Name>/<Partner Identity Name>/Inbound and /AS2/<Organization Identity Name>/<Partner Identity Name>/Outbound

Select Existing Parent Mailbox

If desired, select a parent mailbox where the mailbox you are creating will be embedded. If you do not want to embed the mailbox, select the slash (/). Creates two mailboxes with the format Parent Mailbox/Inbound and Parent Mailbox/Outbound, where Parent Mailbox is the mailbox you selected.

Note: If a message has been received and there is a problem putting it in the inbound mailbox, the received message will be located in the dead letter mailbox.

Business Process Page

Field Description
Inbound Success Business Process The Success business process that is invoked upon successful completion of inbound AS2 core processing. Required.
Inbound Error Business Process The error business process that is invoked when there is an error in inbound AS2 core processing and AS2Inbound BP goes into on-fault. Optional.
Set Message File Name in Process Data Whether to extract the inbound message file name to Process Data. Optional. The default is not selected (that is, do not extract the inbound message file name).
Include File Name In Message Whether to include the file name in the message. Optional. The default is not selected (that is, do not include the file name in the message).