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User Guide
The information contained in this section applies to IBM WebSphere Commerce Version 7.0.0.9 and Feautre Pack 8. The documentation also applies to all subsequent releases and modifications until otherwise indicated in new editions.
Developing
The topics in the Developing section describe tasks performed by an application developer.
Presentation layer
WebSphere Commerce uses Java Server Pages (JSP) to implement the view layer of the Model-View-Controller (MVC) design pattern. The view layer is in charge of retrieving data from the database through the use of data beans and formatting it to meet the display requirements. The view layers determines whether the request is sent to a browser or streamed out as XML. JSP files present a clean separation between data content and presentation.
WebSphere Commerce integration with WebSphere Portal
You can integrate WebSphere Commerce, a Business Application Service with WebSphere Portal, an Interaction Service. The Interaction Service provides core portal services (WebSphere Portal) that aggregate applications and content and deliver them as role-based applications. The Enterprise Service Bus (ESB) pattern is used for communication, mediation, transformation and integration with external systems. Using an ESB to integrate the Web services exposed from WebSphere Commerce to the WebSphere Portal promotes a loosely coupled design where the ESB manages the interactions styles between the WebSphere Commerce services and the presentation layer. You do not need to alter your presentation layer to support the protocol and format used by the WebSphere Commerce services. Instead, you rely on the ESB to perform tasks such as message transformation and protocol mediation. Neither WebSphere Commerce nor WebSphere Portal needs to change in order to communicate with one another. The ESB is used to act as an interpreter between the two systems and will translate the messages into a format the receiving system understands.
Integrating WebSphere Commerce Extended Sites with WebSphere Portal
In a complex business environment, an enterprise needs to have multiple strategies to make its products available to customers. To ensure business success, an enterprise must present many faces to the market, and each face is perceived by customers as a unique site.
Synchronizing WebSphere Portal access control with WebSphere Commerce roles
It is covered how WebSphere Portal restricts user access by using Realm with Virtual Portal, and as well on how WebSphere Portal maintains resource level access control using role type assignment. This access right control now relates to the WebSphere Commerce roles and organization hierarchy.
Realm
A realm is a collection of users from one or more LDAP trees from one or more user registry that form a coherent user population within WebSphere Portal. A realm is then mapped to a Virtual Portal to allow the realm's user population to log in to the Virtual Portal. This functionality allows the portal administrator to define areas within WebSphere Portal that only a limited set of users can access.

Realm

A realm is a collection of users from one or more LDAP trees from one or more user registry that form a coherent user population within WebSphere Portal. A realm is then mapped to a Virtual Portal to allow the realm's user population to log in to the Virtual Portal. This functionality allows the portal administrator to define areas within WebSphere Portal that only a limited set of users can access.

Considering the following example:

A portal user, named orange, participates in Seller Organization A-1.
Seller Organization A-1 is part of Realm A.
Virtual Portal A is mapped to Realm A.
A unique portal URL A is configured to access Virtual Portal A.

Another portal user, named blue, is a member of the Default Organization.
Default Organization is mapped to the Default Portal.
The main URL is used for accessing the Default Portal.

A business user, named brown, is a member of Seller Organization B-1.
Seller Organization B-1 is part of Realm B.
Virtual Portal B is mapped to Realm B.
A unique portal URL B is configured to access Virtual Portal B.

Now consider the following:

User orange is only permitted to access Virtual Portal A using URL A, but not to Virtual Portal B.
User brown is only permitted to access Virtual Portal B using URL B, but not to Virtual Portal A.
User blue is only permitted to access the Default Portal, but not to Virtual Portal A nor Virtual Portal B.

Realm diagram