Re: XML versus SOAP/WSDL Performance

[Remco van de Meent <remco@vandemeent.net>]

Durham, David wrote:
> I don't think performance is the issue for configuration management.
> Where as XML is already being used for voluminous ecommerce
> transactions, I don't think the comparatively minuscule amount of
> device configuration data should raise anyone's eyebrows.
> Architecturally, it seems that the choice of sending either (for
> example):
> 
>     A. The entire XML configuration for every minor config update vs.
>     B. Delta updates to Named Instances of XML configuration data
> 
> Is, IMHO, a much better discussion to have rather how long it takes
> to parse a bunch of tagged data.

It's a separate discussion, I think, although very interesting. ;-)

Performance *is* an issue for frequent operations such as monitoring,
and as people still seem to think that monitoring and configuration
management operations should be combined in one single management
protocol, this list seems quite suited to discuss monitoring using XML
as well, I'd say.

So the question is whether the extra features of SOAP over HTTP over
TCP over IP make the protocol stack so bloated that the extra delay
incurred by SOAP versus 'an XML thing over something, specific to
management operations' in unacceptable for frequent operations.

Some simple  measurements I did this afternoon led me to the very
preliminary conclusion that, say, a simple Get operation using SOAP
(over ..) is not that much slower than the good old snmpget. Didn't try
complicated things (yet). Neither does it address the original question
of 'SOAP over ..' vs 'just XML'.


regards,
Remco.

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