WS-ReliableMessaging

WS-ReliableMessaging describes a protocol that allows SOAP messages to be reliably delivered between distributed applications in the presence of software component, system, or network failures.

The original specification was written by BEA Systems, Microsoft, IBM, and Tibco and in March, 2003 and subsequently refined over the next two years.

The February, 2005 version was submitted to the OASIS Web Services Reliable Exchange (WS-RX) Technical Committee in June of that year.

Prior to WS-ReliableMessaging, OASIS produced a competing standard (WS-Reliability) that was supported by a coalition of vendors; namely Fujitsu, Hitachi, NEC, Oracle Corporation, Progress Software, and Sun Microsystems.

The important thing to keep in mind is that the WS-RM specification only deals with the contents and behavior of messages as they appear "on the wire".