Web-services support the development of large scale applications from distributed collections of smaller distributed loosely coupled service providers. A main selling point of web-services is the use of self-describing and platform independent notations and protocols like XML and HTTP. We will look at the web-services architecture, the WSDL language for describing services interfaces, the SOAP protocol for exchanging XML messages across the internet, and THE UDDI system for managing registries of webservices.  

[DS] Chapter 19 (excluding section 19.7).

References

• SOAP: http://www.w3c.org/TR/soap

• WSDL: http://www.w3c.org/TR/wsdl

• UDDI: http://www.uddi.org

• Google webservices: http://www.google.com/apis/index.html 

• Amazon webservices: http://java.sun.com/developer/technicalArticles/WebServices/amazonws/

• http://webservices.xml.com/pub/a/ws/2002/02/12/webservicefaqs.html

• Sample webservices http://www.xmethods.com

1. Consider the WSDL description of Google's search services (http://api.google.com/GoogleSearch.wsdl). Read it in detail to find out exactly what operations are provided by this service. Elaborate on the parameters and results. What SOAP messages are exchanged? Where is the service located?
   • Alternatively study: http://soap.amazon.com/schemas2/AmazonWebServices.wsdl
2. Download and try-out the (eg. java-client application) provided by FraudLabs IP2Location service. Get the required license from the website or lecturer. Follow the readme file exactly for build instructions.
3. Expand on the code to create your own application that makes use of the IP2Location service