The AS4.NET component can be configured as an intermediary MSH (i-MSH). This means that the component is not the final recipient of the message, and therefore has to forward the message to the next MSH.

The following section will explain how to configure an AS4.NET MSH as an i-MSH.

Required Agents for Intermediary MSH

To be able to act as an i-MSH, AS4.NET requires the following agents to be correctly configured:

  • Receive Agent
  • Forward Agent
  • Send Agent

The agents can be configured via the Frontend of the component:

Add a Receive Agent

  • In the sidebar, click on the Receive Agents menu

    • This will expand a sub-menu with Push and Pull Receive Agents.
    • An i-MSH configuration doesn't require a specific Receive configuration so you're free to choose which one, depending on your requirements. receive agent menu
    • Both Push and Pull Agents will show the same kind of view to add agents receive agent view

  • To add an Agent, click the "+" button

    • This will show a dialog to either create a new agent or clone from an existing agent: receive agent new
    • Afterwards, click on the OK button and the Save button (button with floppy disk icon) the agent is configured on the AS4.NET component.

Add Forward and Send Agent

The Forward and Send Agents are both Internal agents, so they can be found in the sub-menu Internal Agents in the Settings menu.

The same flow as described for the Receive Agent is applivcable for the Forward and Send Agent.

It also doesn't matter which kind of Send Agent you configure. AS4.NET supports MEP bridging which means that it is perfectly possible to receive AS4 Messages via pulling and forward them via a Push Send Agent or vice versa; receive pushed AS4 Messages and forward them via pulling.

When creating a new agent, the default Steps are automatically assigned to the Agent; only a Receiver is needed when creating an Agent.

Newly created agents will only be part of the AS4.NET component when the component is restarted.

Receiving Processing Mode for Forward Messages

When a AS4Message that needs to be forwarded is received on the Receive Agent side, the Receiving Processing Mode that is matched with this received message should state that the message should be forwarded.

The Receiving Processing Mode has a <MessageHandling/> tag which contains either a <Deliver/> or a <Forward/> element. This child element of the <MessageHandling/> tag will determine if the incoming message will either be Delivered or Forwarded.

The <Forward/> element requires one mandatory element: the identifier of the Sending Processing Mode that must be used to send the AS4 Message to the next MSH.

Following example shows the structure of this element:

<PMode>
    ...
    <MessageHandling>
        <Forward>
            <SendingPMode>my-forward-pmode</SendingPMode>
        </Forward>
    </MessageHandling>
</PMode>

Note: if the Sending Processing Mode used during the forwarding has compression, signing or encryption configured, the original message is altered and is therefore not exactly the same as the original message.

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