Outbound

Operation Workflow

1. File Discovery Process: the process begins with a directory scan. The system then checks whether recursive scanning is enabled: if yes, it includes subdirectories; if no, it scans the root directory only. The resulting set is then passed through the extension filter, followed by the exclusion rules. After both steps are applied, the final file list is ready.

2. File Processing Pipeline:

• Pre-validation Checks

  • System emergency stop status

  • AS2 service availability

  • Channel configuration validity

  • Disk space sufficiency (>50MB for backups)

• File Access Control

  • File existence verification

  • Zero-byte file exclusion

  • File locking acquisition (prevents concurrent access)

• AS2 Transmission

  • Message construction with partner-specific settings

  • Configurable retry attempts (default: 3)

  • Inter-retry delays (configurable wait time)

  • MDN (Message Disposition Notification) validation

• Post-transmission Cleanup

  • Backup creation (if enabled)

  • Original file deletion

  • Log entry creation

Backup Strategy

• Creation: Files are backed up before deletion (if enabled)

• Location: Centralized backup directory with outbound task-specific subdirectories

• Naming: Timestamp-prefixed filenames prevent conflicts

• Verification: Backup success validated before original deletion

Inbound

Operation Workflow

1. AS2 Message Received: The pipeline begins when an inbound AS2 message is accepted by the system.

2. Emergency Stop Check: A guardrail verifies whether a global stop condition is active; if so, processing halts safely.

3. Disk Space Validation: The system confirms sufficient free space to handle the message and any intermediate artifacts before proceeding.

4. Message Entry Extraction: Relevant entries (payloads and metadata) are extracted from the message for downstream processing.

5. Rule-Based Routing: Configured rules determine the destination and handling path based on criteria such as partner, message type, or headers.

6. Logging & Notification: Record an auditable trail and emit operational notifications or alerts as needed.

7. MDN Response: Return a Message Disposition Notification to the sender, indicating success or detailing any errors.

Fallback Behavior

• Error Response: Returns "Unknown file type" if no fallback configured

• Fallback Storage: Saves to fallback directory with notification

• Administrative Alert: Email notification for unknown file types

Smart Editor

In Smart Mode, Bridge provides a guided interface for configuring AS2 file routing without the need to edit XML manually. All key parameters—such as monitored folders, MIME types, backup locations, and retention periods—can be defined through structured fields with built-in validation and safe defaults. This mode is recommended for most users, as it ensures correct configuration syntax and reduces the risk of errors.

Expert Mode

When Expert Mode is enabled the same configuration that the Smart Editor manages can be edited directly in configuration XML file "./conf/as2_prod.xml"

    
<schedule     
baseBackup    
="./outbound/prod/backup"    
    
>
    
    
<task     
backup    
="true"     
folder    
="./outbound/prod/xml"     
interval    
="5"     
mimeType    
="application/xml"     
retainDays    
="5"     
subject    
=""     
recursive    
="false"     
extension    
=""     
exclude    
=""    
    
></task>
    
    
</schedule>    

    
<rules fallback    
="./inbound/prod/unknown"    
>
<rule     
folder    
="./inbound/prod/xml"     
mimeType    
="application/xml"     
pattern    
=""     
subject    
=""     
path    
=""    
    
></rule>
</rules>