Quick AS2 Setup with Video Guides

ArcESB provides a simple interface for quickly establishing a secure AS2 connection with your trading partners. Implementing AS2 in ArcESB has three main components:

• Configuring a local AS2 profile
• Configuring an AS2 Connector for an external trading partner
• Sending and Receiving files over the configured connection

This article provides short video guides to help understand and visualize the process.

AS2 Configuration

The first two steps in implementing AS2 are configuring a local AS2 Profile and configuring an AS2 Connector for each trading partner.

The following short video shows a full AS2 connection configuration in real time:

Key takeaways from the video:

Configure a Local AS2 Profile:

Go to the Profile page to configure your AS2 profile. Here are the key fields to configure.

• Your AS2 Identifier - identifies you in an AS2 exchange
• Private Certificate - used for AS2 signing and decryption (a new self-signed certificate can be generated with the Create Certificate tool)
• Private Certificate Password - required to access the Private Certificate
• Public Domain - the domain where ArcESB is hosted
• Public Certificate - the public key certificate matching the Private Certificate

Share Your Profile

Send your partners the Public URL where they can view your Profile details.

Configure Trading Partner Profiles

Create an AS2 Connector for each partner and configure it with the partner's AS2 connection details.

• Set the partner's AS2 identifier as AS2 Identifier
• Set the partner's receiving URL as the Partner URL
• Set the partner's public key certificate as the Encryption Certificate

Some trading partners may have custom requirements for AS2 connection parameters, so be sure to communicate effectively with your partners. Additional settings for specific partners are configured within the Settings or Advanced tab of the AS2 Connector for that partner.

Send and Receive Files Over AS2

Once the AS2 connection is configured, it's time to send and receive files securely over AS2.

The following short video shows how ArcESB handles sending and receiving files, and includes a self-test to show the connection in action:

Key takeaways from the video:

Input Tab

The Input tab shows a list of files that are scheduled to be sent out over AS2.

• Files can be uploaded to the Input tab via the More dropdown, which also supports generating Test Files
• The Input tab corresponds to a Send folder on disk; placing files in that folder is the same as uploading to the Input tab
• Connecting a connector in the Flow means that files will automatically move into the next connector's Send folder

Automation Tab

The Automation tab determines whether files will be automatically sent out.

Output Tab

The Output tab shows a list of files that have been received over AS2.

• AS2 messages are routed to a specific AS2 Connector based on the AS2 Identifiers present in the message
• The Output tab corresponds to a Receive folder on disk; files can be found here as well as the Output tab
• Each row in the Output tab includes log files associated with the transmission
• Connecting a connector in the Flow means that files won't remain in the Receive folder and will be passed along to the next connector

Make sure to watch the video for a live demonstration sending and receiving.

Next Steps

If you haven't already downloaded ArcESB, you can get started with our free 30-day trial by downloading the application.

Make sure to check out the AS2 Connector documentation for more details on the various configuration settings available, as well as a conceptual overview of the AS2 protocol.

For help creating custom Flows consisting of more than a single AS2 Connector, take a look at our Creating Your First Flow