A package contains a set of services and related files, such as specifications, document types, and DSPs. When you add a service, specification, document type, or DSP to the webMethods Integration Server, you must add it to a package. Use a package to group services and related files.

By placing related files in a package, you can easily manage all the services and files in the package as a unit. For example, you can make them all available, disable them, refresh them, or delete them with one action. Additionally, if you have more than one Integration Server installed, you can use package management features to copy some or all services and files in a package to another server.

You can group your services using any package structure you choose, though most organizations group services into packages by function or application. For example, you might put all purchasing-related services in a package called “PurchaseOrderMgt” and all time-reporting services into “TimeCards.”

Access to a package and its contents is controlled through Access Control Lists (ACLs). Using ACLs, you control who can display a package from the Integration Server Administrator and Designer, who can edit the contents of a package, and who can execute services contained in the package. For more information about protecting packages, see Controlling Access to Resources with ACLs.

You can associate a package with a specific port so that when you replicate the package, it continues to use a port with the same number on the new server. See About Ports for more information about associating a package with a port.