scope:

The ebXML Message Service(ebMS) defines the message enveloping and header document schema used to transfer ebXML messages over a communications protocol such as HTTP or SMTP and the behavior of software sending and receiving ebXML messages. The ebMS is defined as a set of layered extensions to the base Simple Object Access Protocol [SOAP] and SOAP Messages with Attachments [SOAPAttach] specifications. This document provides security and reliability features necessary to support international electronic business. These security and reliability features are not provided in the SOAP or SOAP with Attachments specifications. 287 The ebXML infrastructure is composed of several independent, but related, components. Specifications for the individual components are fashioned as stand-alone documents. The specifications are totally self-contained; nevertheless, design decisions within one document can and do impact the other documents. Considering this, the ebMS is a closely coordinated definition for an ebXML message service handler (MSH). The ebMS provides the message packaging, routing and transport facilities for the ebXML infrastructure. The ebMS is not defined as a physical component, but rather as an abstraction of a process. An implementation of this specification could be delivered as a wholly independent software application or an integrated component of some larger business process.