Merry Christmas and Happy New Year 2010!

Dear All,

This year I would like to simply wish you and your loved ones a very Merry Christmas and a prosperous Happy New Year 2010.

Sincerely Yours,

The Babelabout Team

 

I will be back the 4th of January 2010.

Babelabout, BabelAS2 and AS2Box.net

Following some recent e-mails we have received on our mailbox babelabout@gmail.com, it seems that we need to clarify the relation between Babelabout, BabelAS2 and AS2Box.net. Here is the draft of the new "About Us" page:

Babelabout is not yet a company/business. For the moment, it is just a project, started by an experienced integration specialist, who wants to provide fair and affordable platforms/solutions upon which to make e-business possible - for any person, from any company, in any industry, of any size, any where in the world.

Babelabout is currently developping three different services:

1. Babelabout (itself!) aims to be a complete on-line Integration Platform, delivering B2B integration, including "traditional" EDI. Even if it is still a project, we already have one happy customer/tester since April 2009; JAN LANGEDIJK Flower bulbs - http://www.langedijk.nl/ - is creating EDI invoices for two big customers (retailers) with Babelabout.
2. BabelAS2 is an open source VBScript implementation of the EDIINT AS2 (RFC 4130) standard transport protocol. The source code is currently hosted at Project Hosting on Google Code - please find more information at http://code.google.com/p/babelas2/.
3. AS2Box.net - http://www.as2box.net - is our NO SOFTWARE solution to manage AS2 connections. You can manage your AS2 transfers from your standard Windows Explorer without installing any software!

You can get much more information about these three different initiatives on our Babelabout's Blog - http://babelabout.blogspot.com/ - and, if you have any further questions/comments/remarks, do not hesitate to send us an e-mail at babelabout@gmail.com!

Demo's AS2Box Sends Messages to mendelson AS2 Test Server

You can instantly try AS2Box.net by sending any text file (.txt) to the mendelson AS2 test server following the instructions below:

1. Click on the start button, and select Programs > Accessories > Windows Exporer.
2. In the Folders list, select My Network Places.
3. In the right pane, double-click on Add Network Place.
4. In the Add Network Place Wizard window, click Next.
5. Select Choose another network location, and then click Next.
6. In the Internet or network address field, type http://demo.as2box.info/, and then click Next.
7. In the Connect to as2box.info dialog box, type demo in the User name field, and demo again in the Password field, and then click OK.
8. In the Type a name for this network place field, enter the name you want to use to identify this folder, e.g. Demo's AS2Box, and then click Next.
9. Click Finish.
10. If prompted, re-enter Demo's AS2Box account User name and Password to access the web folder, and then click OK.
11. Select the demo.as2box.info/outgoing sub-folder.
12. Copy the text file (.txt) you want to send to the demo.as2box.info/outgoing sub-folder.
13. Check that your file is well arrived on the mendelson AS2 test server by pointing your browser to http://as2.mendelson-e-c.com:8080/webas2 with user: guest and password: guest.

Could it be simpler?

Connect to your AS2Box.net Web Folder from your Windows Explorer

1. Click on the start button, and select Programs > Accessories > Windows Exporer.
2. In the Folders list, select My Network Places.
3. In the right pane, double-click on Add Network Place.
4. In the Add Network Place Wizard window, click Next.
5. Select Choose another network location, and then click Next.
6. In the Internet or network address field, type https://your_user_name.as2box.info/, where your_user_name is the user name for your AS2Box.net account, and then click Next.
7. Enter your AS2Box.net account User name and Password, and then click OK.
8. In the Type a name for this network place field, enter the name you want to use to identify this folder, e.g. My AS2Box.net, and then click Next.
9. Click Finish.
10. If prompted, enter your AS2Box.net account User name and Password to access the web folder, and then click OK.

Your AS2Box.net folder structure

Once connected to your AS2Box.net Web Folder, you will have access to the following folder structure:

/root [Read]
  /incoming [Read & Delete]
    /archive [Read]
  /outgoing [Write]
    /archive [Read]

The messages you receive from your trading partner will be written in both /incoming and /incoming/archive. You will be able to move the files from /incoming, but all the files will remain within /incoming/archive.

If you want to send a file to your trading partner, you just need to copy it to /outgoing, it will then be picked up, save within /outgoing/archive and send to your trading partner. The MDN will then appear in /outgoing/archive next to the copy of the sent file.

Could it be simpler?

AS2Box.net is almost ready

It was quite late yesterday night when I finished the 1st implementation of AS2Box.net. But, it's working. I still need to polish it a bit, and I would be able to create the 1st "real" account - the request I have received yesterday ;-)

I am also planning to setup a "demo" account, so you can immediately, try it, e.g. sending messages to the mendelson AS2 test server.

I got my 1st request on AS2Box.net

I am happy ;-) Ready to work hard tonight in order to finalize the AS2Box.net platform!

BabelAS2 version 0.03 has been released!

Yes! You can download BabelAS2 version 0.03 at

Google: http://babelas2.googlecode.com/files/BabelAS2.v0.03.zip

SourceForge: http://sourceforge.net/projects/babelas2/files/BabelAS2.v0.03.zip/download

This is the first "complete" version, you can send and receive any messages to/from any partners. I am a little bit disappointed by the length of the installation instructions for the IIS part, but if you are familiar with IIS, you should not find any "exotic" instructions ;-)

Do not forget to send feedback to babelabout@gmail.com, many thanks in advance!

I am almost ready...

Voilà, I have finished my first Wiki page Install, which gives a exhaustive step-by-step procedure for installing and configuring BabelAS2. This procedure is now also within the _Readme.txt file. It looks like everything is ready for the shipment of BabelAS2 version 0.03.

BabelAS2 version 0.03 will be the first "complete" version, it will include everything you need to send and receive any messages to/from any partners. No limitations, no license costs ;-)

The Wiki of Google Code is Great!

Finally, it might be quicker that expected... I really enjoy using the Wiki of Google Code as authoring tool for my _Readme.txt file. I really hope I will have finished tonight ;-)

I am still working on the "Readme.txt"

It's quite frustrating to realise that it's the _Readme.txt file that is the most time consuming to write! The Receive.asp is ready and running well on the BabelAS2 Test Server, but I have still not shipped it within BabelAS2 version 0.03 since I have not finished to detail all the steps needed to configure IIS. At the end, I am sure that I will have to describe 100+ steps :-(

AS2Box.net is looking for BETA testers...

I have been too optimistic, and now, I am depressed... Not a single hit on the sign up page :-/

The idea of AS2Box.net is to provide a WebDAV folder, simply accessible from the Windows Explorer, from which you can send and receive file with the AS2 transport protocol. You just need to:

1. Sign up at AS2Box.net by providing: (*)
   1. Your AS2 identifier, which you can freely choose
   2. The URL of your partner
   3. The AS2 identifier of your partner
   4. The certificate of your partner, containing his public key

(*) Before entering connection information form your trading partner, have a try with a test AS2 server, see http://www.as2box.net/help.html.

2. Then, you will receive an e-mail, which you can directly forward to your partner, containing:
   1. Your AS2 identifier (the one you have chosen)
   2. Your URL
   3. Your certificate, containing your public key
3. You will then be able to send files by simply copying them into the folder "http://as2box.net/<Your Account>/Outgoing", the file will be sent to your partner, renamed and moved to "http://as2box.net/<Your Account>/Outgoing/Archive", and the MDNs received will be there as well.
4. You receive files from your trading partner directly into "http://as2box.net/<Your Account>/Incoming", and the MDNs sent will be there as well.

Sign up at http://www.as2box.net/.

Many thanks in advance for your help ;-)

Babelabout has launched AS2Box.net

Babelabout has launched today the BETA version of AS2Box.net, a simple on-line solution for transfering files with AS2. Now, AS2 is simple ;-)

AS2 Restart "mechanism" implemented in a simple prototype!

As mentioned in my previous post below, the AS2 Restart should not be too complex since the specification http://www.ietf.org/id/draft-harding-as2-restart-00.txt is only 7 pages long ;-)

Indeed, the checkpoint/restart mechanism is not too difficult to implement. I have create a little VBScript prototype within my BabelAS2 open source project, you can find it at http://code.google.com/p/babelas2/source/detail?r=13.
Do not hesitate to send any questions/feedback/comments to babelabout@gmail.com.

For now, I still need to package my Receive.asp script within BabelAS2 version 0.03. I have to explain how to configure IIS :-/ But then, within BabelAS2 version 0.04, I should be able to deliver the probably first implementation of AS2 Restart as sepicifed within http://www.ietf.org/id/draft-harding-as2-restart-00.txt!

AS2 Restart, let's do it ;-)

When I read, on the 2009-11-12, the press release from the Drummond Group about AS2 restart, I did not pay much attention. AS2 Restart is a new draft specification started by a group of vendors (Axway, SEEBURGER, Inovis and Cleo Communications that addresses the needs to successfully exchange AS2 messages with very large payloads.

But, after having read the new post New AS2 Restart and the Fall of the Berlin Wall from Steve Keifer, I think I should have a closer look to it ;-)

The current draft specification for AS2 Restart (http://www.ietf.org/id/draft-harding-as2-restart-00.txt),which has been submitted to the IETF EDIINT (AS2) working group, is quite short, 7 pages, let's read it carefully...

BabelAS2 Test Server is available

I have just finished my "Receive.asp" script - see http://code.google.com/p/babelas2/source/browse/trunk/Receive/Receive.asp - I will package it within BabelAS2 version 0.03, but the configuration of IIS requires some explanations.

I have already installed and configured it on my server - let's name it the BabelAS2 Test Server see details at http://www.babelabout.com/babelas2.html.

It would be great if you could test it with your preferred AS2 client ;-) And, please send us an e-mail at babelabout@gmail.com if you have trouble sending data.

BabelAS2 version 0.02 is available for download

You can download BabelAS2 version 0.02, which is pre-configured to send messages to the mendelson AS2 test server at

Google: http://babelas2.googlecode.com/files/BabelAS2.v0.02.zip

SourceForge: http://sourceforge.net/projects/babelas2/files/BabelAS2.v0.02.zip/download

The issue #1 - Error occurs in line 135: "'Event.Util' could not be created." - has been fixed.

BabelAS2 works with mendelson AS2 test server

Yes, I knew mendelson opensource AS2 software for quite some time, but I have only discovered their on-line mendelson AS2 test server last Friday. Finally, a way to "independently" test my code, and guess what, it works! - after the correction of one small bug (see line #35).

Go to http://babelas2.googlecode.com/files/BabelAS2.v0.01.zip to download the version 0.01 of BabelAS2, which is pre-configured to send messages to the mendelson AS2 test server.

To monitor the data entries on the mendelson AS2 test server, just point your browser to http://as2.mendelson-e-c.com:8080/webas2 with user: guest and password: guest

Thanks to the mendelson team!

Open source project BabelAS2 on Google Code

I think it has all started with the frustration from the licensing cost of my first AS2 software ;-) Looking into my development archive, I have found some work back in October 2004 regarding the idea of making VBScript implementation of AS2, in order to show that it is NOT a complex thing!

The 1st working version of the script (according to my archive) is from February 2005! Until now, I have kept it for my personal use, but today I am in a good mood, and so have made it open source ;-) This has also been a good opportunity for me to discover Subversion, and I like it very much.

The BabelAS2 open-source project is currently available at http://code.google.com/p/babelas2/

I hope by showing that a 137 lines VBScript (with nice formatting) can actually send any message via AS2, it will convince you that I have reached my objective, i.e. it's not a complex matter, and that you should not buy an expensive product to do it! Please, fell free to comment ;-)

I am back!

I am back!