Introduction
Portbase offers various protocols for exchanging messages between your internal system and the Port Community System (PCS). This article explains how to send and retrieve messages via the AS2 protocol.
An overview of the other protocols can be found here
Before you start
In this article, we assume that:
- Your organisation already has an AS2 connection, or our colleagues from Integration Services have contacted you to set this up. No connection yet? Then first read this article about requesting a system interface.
- As a technical administrator, you are responsible for creating and managing system interfaces, and you have access to the System interfaces (EDIFACT/XML) application in the PCS. No access yet? Then see this article on how you can gain access to the application.
Managing connections
You manage your AS2 and sFTP connections via the PCS service System interfaces (EDIFACT/XML). You can find this in the Port Community System (PCS).
Preparing the connection
In the system interfaces portal, you will see an overview of existing connections. This is where you configure your connection or authorise your software supplier to manage it. Use the Details option (on the right) to view more details and settings for this connection.
Portbase URL and connection details for the new connection
In the first block, What do I need to connect to?, you will find Portbase’s details to set up the new connection in your AS2 client software. Using the Encryption certificate and Signing certificate options, you can download Portbase’s certificates. Portbase supports synchronous MDN only.
Add an AS2 profile
In the second block, add one or more AS2 profiles. An AS2 profile contains the connection details of your organisation’s AS2 server. A maximum of 1 profile per connection can be active.
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Select Add AS2 profile to add a profile to the connection.
- In the profile, enter the details to connect to your organisation.
- Select Add AS2 profile to save all settings.
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The added AS2 profile is now visible in the connection details, but it has not yet been activated.
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Select the three-dots menu in the profile to view the profile options. Then select Activate for outbound to activate the profile. You can see whether a profile is active in the Outbound active field. If the connection is active, it will show true; if it is inactive, false.
We support multiple profiles for a connection, but only one per connection can be active. When deleting an active profile, another profile is not automatically activated.
Add a certificate
On this screen, you add the certificates for signing and encrypting the AS2 messages. It is not mandatory to use different certificates for this. We support importing certificates in .pem format, and you can use both an individual certificate and a certificate chain.
Select Add certificate to open the Add certificate dialogue.
In the Add certificate dialogue, select the purpose of the certificate and choose which certificate you want to use for this purpose. For each purpose, you must confirm the certificate selection using the Add certificate button. You cannot configure both purposes (encryption and signing) in this dialogue at the same time.
Testing the connection
The connection has now been set up and is ready for testing. Check whether your AS2 client can connect to the Portbase AS2 server via the new connection, and contact Portbase to check the connection from Portbase to your AS2 server.
If you have any questions about your AS2 system interface with Portbase, please contact us via integration@portbase.com