UPDATE: Microsoft Releases Tech Preview Of WSE 2.0, JLCA Update

The Redmond, Wash.-based software giant released a technology preview of the next version of its Web Services Enhancements (WSE) tool, which enables developers to use the latest Web services technologies with .Net, as well as an update to its Java Language Conversion Assistant (JLCA), which converts Java code to Visual C# .Net.

Web Services Enhancements (WSE) Version 2.0, available now for Visual Studio .Net developers for download at http://msdn.microsoft.com/webservices, offers numerous security advances that enable the creation of Web services that span company boundaries and trust domains, company executives said.

The contents are based on Web services specifications--including WS-Security, WS-Policy, WS-SecurityPolicy, WS-Trust, WS-Secure Conversation and WS-Addressing--developed by Microsoft and industry partners.

The release of the WSE 2.0 technical preview improves upon the security, routing and attachment capabilities offered by version 1.0, which was finalized last December.

For example, WSE 2.0 implements several new capabilities offered by emerging WS-Security and WS-Policy Web services security specifications, including WS-Trust and WS-Secure Conversation capabilities for issuing security tokens and managing trust relationships.

WSE also offers support for roles-based authorization that integrates into Windows security and a declarative programming model implemented in WS-Policy and WS-SecurityPolicy to automate security procedures, the company said. This would enable messages to be signed and encrypted based on a defined policy without the developer having to write separate code, Microsoft said.

WSE 2.0 also offers a messaging-based object model that supports both TCP and HTTP transports, as well as synchronous and asynchronous communications. The object model, contained in the WS-Addressing Web services specification, enables developers to create new types of SOAP-based applications that rely on peer-to-peer communications.

The key new feature of JLCA 2.0, which runs within Visual Studio .Net, is the ability to convert Java Server Pages (JSPs) and servlet applications to ASP.Net, according to Microsoft. The product is available for download at http://msdn.microsoft.com/vstudio/downloads/tools/jlca.

To support the use of JLCA 2.0, Microsoft also published a JSP-to-ASP.Net Migration Guide, which provides resources to help developers migrate to ASP.Net. The guide supports the documented migration with videos, white papers, sample code and additional resources.

More information on the JSP-to-ASP.Nry Migration Guide can be found at http://msdn.microsoft.com/asp.net/using/migrating/jspmig/default.aspx.