Technologies

• HTTP\1.1 – uses the POST request to send data to the partner
• SSL – Secure Socket Layer (HTTPS)
• MIME – Multipurpose Internet Email Extensions (MIME allows for the embedding of documents/files into standard internet emails)
• S/MIME – Secure MIME (secures data with authentication, message integrity, non-repudiation, and privacy features and is the primary means of transporting most Internet email)
• PKCS #7 / CMS – standards for securing a message through signing / encryption

The implementation requires characteristics of both client and server. The 'client' part pushes data to a trading partner. The 'server' part, required to be always-on, receives data. The receiving application then pushes an acknowledgement back to the sender (if required).

• AS2 provides an ‘envelope’ for the data, which is then sent over the Internet using the HTTP protocol.
• Data is transmitted using the HTTP POST request.
• Data transmission is over TCP/IP, with or without SSL (Secure Socket Layer), to a static IP address.
• Data can be transmitted secured and/or encrypted; the possible combinations are therefore:

• Unsecured data – not encrypted, not signed
• Signed data – not encrypted
• Encrypted data – not signed
• Signed and encrypted data

• Data security, through signing and/or encryption, is achieved using S/MIME (Secured Multi Purpose Internet Mail Extensions).

AS2 uses the MDN (Message Disposition Notification) for message receipt, this can be sent synchronously or asynchronously.