AS3 (Applicability Statement 3) is a standard originally created to securely transfer structured data files like XML and EDI documents, but it can also be used to transmit virtually any file type. The messages are structured using the standard S/MIME format and are sent over FTP(S) connections.
Unlike AS2, AS3 is a client-server model and is best suited for businesses that work mostly with FTP applications and security. Also unlike AS2, AS3 is a push-pull protocol and does not require an ongoing connection.
GoAnywhere MFT contains AS2, AS3, and AS4 client software that provides users with server capabilities in a simple, secure, and scalable solution. GoAnywhere MFT works on nearly every platform including Windows, Linux, UNIX, VMware, and IBM i.
Benefits of AS3
- End-to-end encryption through SSL
- Transaction records and audits
- Delivery receipts and MDN
AS3 Features in GoAnywhere MFT
- File Attachments - GoAnywhere MFT is not limited to attaching just one file per AS3 message. You can attach multiple files to a message or use a variable to automatically attach files meeting your criteria.
- Compression - Improve transmission time by reducing the size of your messages.
- Digital Signatures - Ensure authenticity by digitally signing your messages. Most AS3 servers require signed incoming messages. Signed messages provide trading partners with confirmation of who sent the message.
- Message Encryption - Encrypt all the messages you send to a trading partner with their public key. Together with Digital Signatures and Message Integrity Checks, message encryption keeps your data safe.
- Message Integrity Check (MIC) - The MIC is a comparison of checksum values. A checksum is calculated when you send a message and your trading partner creates a checksum after they receive the message. The checksum is returned in the message receipt. If the values match, the message they received is the exact message you sent.
- Signed Receipts - GoAnywhere MFT receives automatic message receipts through synchronous connections. Manual receipts through asynchronous email and FTP are also available. Receipts can be digitally signed, completing the secure AS3 message cycle.
- Logging - Message logging in GoAnywhere MFT not only records standard AS3 "message traffic," but logs message date and time, who sent them, and what was sent.
AS3 Resources and Tasks
Configuring AS3 Resources (server connections) in GoAnywhere MFT saves time and provides additional security through separation of duties. A Resource Manager can configure an AS3 Resource for each trading partner. After a resource is defined, a Project Designer can create a task and just refer to the AS3 Resource without needing to know the confidential login credentials for a trading partner.
Create MDN: Create Message Disposition Notification (MDN) (receipts). This task in GoAnywhere supports the EDIINT header information defined in AS3 version 1.0. An AS3 MDN is a receipt document that:
- Contains the original message ID of an AS3 message.
- Contains status information about the original AS3 message.
- Can be unsigned or signed to provide acknowledgment that the intended AS3 message was received. A valid digital signature sent in a signed MDN shows that the MDN was sent by the AS3 Partner that possesses the relevant key pair.
Create Message: Create and send (POST) messages in GoAnywhere, which supports the EDIINT header information.
- The transmission protocol can be used for all file types.
- The Create Message task can compress, sign, and encrypt messages before sending them over an SSL tunnel.
- File attachments in the Create Message task can be single file, a source variable, and/or a File Set.
Process MDN Task: Process Message Disposition Notification (MDN) (receipts), signed or unsigned receipt documents that contains the original message ID of an AS3 message and status information about the original AS3 message. Signed MDNs can provide acknowledgment that the intended AS3 message was received. A valid digital signature sent in a signed MDN shows that the MDN was sent by the AS3 Partner that possesses the relevant key pair.
Process Message Task: Retrieve and decrypt messages received from AS3 Partners over FTP(S). Messages sent using AS3 are typically structured data files like XML and EDI documents, but the transmission protocol can be used for all file types. File attachments in the Process Message task can be single file, a source variable, and/or a File Set.
Standards Support for AS3 Client
The AS3 client in GoAnywhere MFT provides support for the following standards:
Encryption Algorithms
- AES-128
- AES-192
- AES-256
- RC2
- Triple DES (DESede)
- Cast5
- Idea
Authentication and Key Exchange Algorithms
- Diffie-Hellman
- DSA
- RSA
Signature Algorithms
- MDS
- SHA-1
- SHA-224
- SHA-256
- SHA-384
- SHA-512