A web service uses Internet protocols to provide a service. It is an XML-based protocol transported over SOAP, or a service whose instances and data objects are addressable via URI.
Access Manager consists of several elements that comprise web services:
Web Service Framework: Manages all web services. The framework defines SOAP header blocks and processing rules that enable identity services to be invoked via SOAP requests and responses.
Web Service Provider: An entity that provides data via a web service. In Access Manager, web service providers host web service profiles, such as the Employee Profile, Credential Profile, and Personal Profile.
Web Service Consumer: An entity that uses a web service to access data. Web service consumers discover resources at the web service provider, then retrieve or update information about a user, or on behalf of a user. Resource discovery among trusted partners is necessary because a user might have many kinds of identities (employee, spouse, parent, member of a group), and several identity providers (employers or other commercial websites).
Discovery Service: The service assigned to an identity provider that enables a web service consumer to determine which web service provider provides the required resource.
LDAP Attribute Mapping: Access Manager’s solution for mapping Liberty attributes with established LDAP attributes.
This section describes the following topics:
For additional resources about Liberty Alliance specifications, see Liberty Alliance Specification.