Introduction to SFG Custom

Customer Delivery Protocol

IBM Sterling File Gateway Advanced Topics
March 2020
Agenda

1. What are Custom Customer Delivery Protocols

2. Why use Custom Customer Delivery Protocols

3. Configure Custom CDP Business Process

4. Configure AFTExtensionsCustomer.xml

5. Configure AFTExtensionsCustomer.properties

6. How to deploy a Custom Customer Delivery Protocol

7. Recap

8. Examples

9. Useful Links
What are Custom Customer Delivery Protocols

• Custom Customer Delivery Protocols (CDP) extends the capabilities of

IBM Sterling File Gateway

• Allows you to customize a customer delivery based on User(s) or

Mailbox(es)

• Consists of:
• Business Process

• XML Configuration File

• Properties Configuration File

Why use Custom Customer Delivery Protocols

• Support Protocols not available with the Out-of-Box solution.

• Changes to the parameters available for an existing protocol:

• Predefined process may not have the services/adapters needed to accomplish a business needed

• Customizing parameters to suit the need for a certain protocol

• Specify more parameters or less parameters than what is provided by default protocol

• Make some parameters mandatory compared to optional or vice Versa.

• Helps in avoiding the customization of the default SFG BPs to achieve the business need.
• Client needs to support internal and external communication through separate Adapter Groups.

• Adding Pre-processing and Post-process business processes to support

• Dynamic File Name or Remote directories during delivery.

Business Process

• Check in Business Process prior to deploying configuration files.

• Business Process name must NOT CONTAIN any underscores in the name ‘_’.

• Must be unique and cannot change in the AFTExtensionsCustomer XML after

protocols are deployed.

• Receives Process Data elements matching the ‘varname’ attributes.

• Allow process to halt or set ProcessData elements to fail routing channel.

• /ProcessData/FG/TransportError: Error message in Activity step.

• /ProcessData/FG/ExtractabilityCount: Set to 0
Process Data at Execution
Element Description
The primary document contains the data as it will be delivered to the consumer, so that, if the
producer's document required PGP operations (such as decryption) or the consumer required
Primary Document
PGP processing, the contents of the primary document contains the results of performing those
PGP operations.
PrimaryDocumentId Document ID for the primary document
DestinationMessageName Name of the primary document
TransportBP Name of the business process that will be executed for the protocol
An internal identifier needed if the AFT Route Progress Event Reporting service is called. The
AFTRouteId
value of this element must not be changed by the extensibility business process.
An internal work flow identifier needed if the AFT Route Progress Event Reporting service is
AFTRouteWorkFlowId
called. The value of this element must not be changed by the extensibility business process.
ProducerName Name of the data producer
ConsumerName Name of the data consumer
Parameters added to
Any parameters you supply as part of your custom protocol are available in process data.
AFTExtensionsCustomer.xml
Configure AFTExtensionsCustomer.xml

• OPTION (0..n per file): Static and Dynamic lists to populate dropdowns

• AFTExtension (1..n per file): Root element for each custom protocol option.

• GROUP (1..n per AFTExtension): Form (Page of variables/configuration

options for custom protocol.

• VARDEF (1..n per GROUP): Single variable/configuration option for custom

protocol.

• SUBGROUP (1..n per VARDEF): Conditional Form, displayed conditional

based on value of parent VARDEF.
Options

• Static Lists – OPTION element has the attribute ‘name’ and child elements ELE for each value in
the dropdown.
• name: Name of option to be referenced in the options attribute of the VARDEF element.

• ELE/@value: value in process data element if option is selected.

• ELE/@displayname: Property name in AFTExtensionsCustomer.properties to find value in UI , dot separated.

• Class (Dynamic) Listers – OPTION element has the attributes ‘name’ and ‘class’.
• class: Java Classes that retrieve lists of configured objects in IBM B2B Integrator. Listers Include:
• com.sterlingcommerce.woodstock.ui.SSHRemoteProfileLister

• com.sterlingcommerce.woodstock.ui.ContractLister

• com.sterlingcommerce.woodstock.ui.BPLister

• com.sterlingcommerce.woodstock.ui.CACertLister
AFTExtension

• Each AFTExtension element represents a custom protocol.

• Attributes:
• name: Name of the custom protocol, hyphen separated. Must be unique and cannot change.
Naming convention is: <ClientPrefix>-<Protocol>-protocol
• Example: “coe-sftp-protocol"

• type: Configuration type, always set to "consumer-delivery-protocol“.

• label: Property name in AFTExtensionsCustomer.properties to find value in UI , dot

separated. Naming convention is: <ClientPrefix>.protocol.<Protocol>.label
• Example: “coe.protocol.sftp.label"

• bp: Name of the business process, following all restrictions list in ‘Business Process’ slide.
GROUP

• Each GROUP element represents a form/page of the protocol

configuration.

• Attributes:
• title: Property name in AFTExtensionsCustomer.properties to find value
in UI , dot separated. Naming Convention is:
<ClientPrefix>.<Protocol>.<Purpose>.title
• Example:"USB.push.chooseProtocol.title"

• Example:"gpcsftp.instance.group1.title"
VARDEF

• varname: ProcessData element (with path) passed • size: Unsure, only seen set as "30" (only USB)
into the BP.
• maxsize: Unsure, only seen set as "250" (only USB)
• type: Unsure, only seen set as "String“ (only USB)
• label: Name in AFTExtensionsCustomer.properties to
• htmlType="text“ find value in UI, dot separated. Naming Convention is:

• text: passes plain text value from textbox to

<ClientPrefix>.<Protocol>.<Purpose>.<Field>

ProcessData.
• required: sets variable as mandatory (label will be
• password: passes obscured value from textbox to bold with asterix.)
ProcessData. BP needs revealObscured(Xpath).
• options: value of the name attribute of a Options
• select - UI presents a list whose contents are derived
element.
from an "options" class.

• defaultVal: prepopulated value of variable, can be

• validator: Unsure, only seen set as "ALPHANUMERIC"
overwritten during partner configuration.
(only USB)
SUBGROUP

• Each SUBGROUP element represents a form/page of the protocol

configuration. SUBGROUPs only display if the VARDEF they are the child of
are set to the SUBGROUPs dependencyvalue.

• Attributes:
• title: Property name in AFTExtensionsCustomer.properties to find value in UI , dot
separated. Naming Convention is: <ClientPrefix>.<Protocol>.<Purpose>.title
• Example:"USB.push.chooseProtocol.title"

• Example:"gpcsftp.instance.group1.title”

• dependencyvalue: Value required in the VARDEF for this SUBGROUP to be displayed.

Configure AFTExtensionsCustomer.properties

• The AFTExtensionsCustomer.properties contains key/value pairs that tie the

attributes of the XML file to the display text in the SFG Dashboard.

• Attributes that require properties:

• OPTION/ELE/@displayname

• AFTExtension/@label

• AFTExtension/GROUP/@title

• AFTExtension/GROUP/VARDEF/@label

• AFTExtension/GROUP/VARDEF/SUBGROUP/@title

• AFTExtension/GROUP/VARDEF/SUBGROUP/VARDEF/@label
Labels and Locations
AFTExtension/@label

AFTExtension/GROUP/@title

OPTION/ELE/@displayname
AFTExtension/GROUP/VARDEF/@label
Comments

AFTExtensionsCustomer.xml
<!--
# Taking care to backup any files that may get displaced, save this
# file into the following two directories, restart SFG with setupfiles and deployer:
#
# <install-dir>/container/Applications/aft/WEB-INF/classes/resources/xml
# <install-dir>/container/Applications/myaft/WEB-INF/classes/resources/xml
-->

AFTExtensionsCustomer.properties
# Taking care to backup any files that may get displaced, save this
# file into the following two directories, restart SFG with setupfiles and deployer:
#
# <install-dir>/container/Applications/aft/WEB-INF/classes/resources/
# <install-dir>/container/Applications/myaft/WEB-INF/classes/resources/
How to Deploy Custom Customer Delivery Protocols
• Create / Check in Business Process for Custom Customer Delivery Protocol.
• Do not use underscore '_' character anywhere in the name.

• Deploy copy of AFTExtensionsCustomer.xml to

• <install_dir>/container/Applications/aft/WEB-INF/classes/resources/xml

• <install_dir>/container/Applications/myaft/WEB-INF/classes/resources/xml

• Deploy copy of AFTExtensionsCustomer.properties to:

• <install_dir>/container/Applications/aft/WEB-INF/classes/resources

• <install_dir>/container/Applications/myaft/WEB-INF/classes/resources

• Restart IBM Sterling File Gateway

• Run <install_dir>/bin/hardstop.sh.

• Run <install_dir>/bin/setupfiles.sh.

• Run <install_dir>/bin/deployer.sh.

• Run <install_dir>/bin/run.sh.
Recap

• Custom CDP provides you the opportunity to expand on the

OOB protocols to achieve your client’s requirements.

• Check in Business Process (with no underscores in the name)

prior to update configuration files.

• Do not change Business Process or AFTExtensions names.

Examples

• IBM SFG Installation Directory

• <install>/samples/aft/extensions _sample/README.txt.

• IBM Knowledge Center

• https://www.ibm.com/support/knowledgecenter/en/SS4TGX_2.2.0/com.ibm.hel
p.sfg_sys_admin.doc/SFGExCustomProtocols.html

• CoEnterprise Service Knowledge Center

• https://coenterprise1.sharepoint.com/ServicesKnowledgeCenter/
• Documents/Tech Reference Material/B2Bi_SFG/Examples/CustomDelivery
Further Reading

• https://www.ibm.com/support/knowledgecenter/en/SS4TGX_2.
2.0/com.ibm.help.sfg_sys_admin.doc/SFGAddCustomProtocols
.html

• https://www.ibm.com/support/pages/webcast-replay-how-
create-custom-protocol-ibm-sterling-connectdirect-ibm-sterling-
file-gateway