A channel is a conduit for sending information from a publisher to all users subscribed to the channel. Whereas publishing to e-mail is identity-centered (the publisher delivers packages to recipients whose identities are known), publishing to channels is subject-centered, allowing both the publisher and the consumer to concentrate on the subject of the package rather than on the recipients for the package.

Creating Channels

The administrator must create a channel for each distinct topic or audience. For example, users of a particular application might want a channel for discussion and data exchange, while the programmers of that application might want another channel to discuss technical problems and future enhancements. Although the topic is the same application, the discussion about the topic will be different. Therefore, two separate channels would probably best serve the needs of the two groups of users.

A channel can be created within a SAS Metadata Repository or an LDAP Repository. The administrator uses SAS Management Console to create a channel object with the specified attributes in the SAS Metadata Repository. If LDAP is used as the metadata repository, the administrator uses the Integration Technologies Administrator application.

Creating Subscribers

The administrator must create a subscriber for each potential user of a channel. Subscribers must be defined before subscriptions to channels can be created.

Creating Subscriptions

The association of a subscriber to a channel is a subscription. A subscription enables the information that is published to a channel to be delivered to the interested (subscribed) subscribers.

Subscriptions can be created by either the administrator or the subscriber. The administrator can create subscriptions when a publishing environment is initially configured. Individual subscribers can create personal subscriptions after the publishing environment has been configured.

For information about configuring channels, subscribers, and subscriptions, Administering the Publishing Framework in the SAS Integration Technologies: Administrator's Guide. If you are using an LDAP directory server as your metadata repository, refer to Administering the Publishing Framework in the SAS Integration Technologies: Administrator's Guide (LDAP Version).