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Devices Profile for Web Services (DPWS)

What is Devices Profile for Web Services?

Devices Profile for Web Services (DPWS) is a Web Services-based protocol that leverages the latest W3C and Oasis Web Service standards. The DPWS specification was first proposed in August, 2004. It uses the same XML technologies used to solve the problems of platform and language differences that were hindering the proliferation of distributed computing in the Web domain. Additionally, DPWS standardizes the task of finding, connecting to, and communicating with components on the network.

The DPWS specification shares a common goal with Universal Plug n' Play (UPnP), an industry initiative dating back to 2000 which sought to enable standardized connectivity among stand-alone Ethernet devices and PCs from many different vendors. However, UPnP has become dated since 2000 due to Web Services protocols used in its implementation. As standards like XML and SOAP matured, UPnP did not keep pace. To implement UPnP today requires knowledge of a variety of different and now-dated protocols and does not take advantage of modern W3C/Oasis-approved standardized protocols.

DPWS provides the foundation for connecting to Ethernet -based devices. Devices implemented using DPWS provide standard services to any application running on any platform and written in any language. Network location and communications are handled by DPWS platform technologies, allowing application developers to focus solely on application problems rather than low level communications, configuration and connectivity problems.

Though DPWS is a relatively new specification, Web Services technologies are becoming the predominant computing paradigm for the foreseeable future. Because DPWS is a Web Services implementation, it is 100% compatible with Web Services architecture. Combining the inherent benefits of Web Services with the latest developments in software development platforms and tools creates tremendous technological and business advantages for DPWS over the aging UPnP and other legacy technologies.

Plug & Play for Ethernet

DPWS delivers true plug-n-play functionality in an Ethernet device-connected environment. The vision is of disparate devices made by a variety of vendors communicating seamlessly over a network in which new devices are automatically discovered and made available to applications for use.

For example, DPWS-enabled networked peripherals such as printers or scanners can be detected and put into service by remote users as soon as they are added to the network. With DPWS, the same discovery and configuration process that PC users have embraced when adding a peripheral device locally via USB is now available over a network.

For this reason, many refer to DPWS as "USB for Ethernet." It provides an important and simple new extension of device functionality into the networked environment. What's more, the vast majority of today's existing IT professionals already possess Microsoft-based networking experience to allow them to quickly and easily implement and administer a DPWS solution on their networks.

Vista Support

In Vista, DPWS is supported natively as part of the PnP-X specification supported by the OS. PnP-X provides an installation experience for network-attached devices that is similar to physically attached devices — i.e., a USB-for-Ethernet-like experience. EI's DPWS continues to work in seamless partnership with Vista.