This Network Update was distributed via the Exchange Network email alerts list on May 30, 2006.

Two new resources are now available to the Exchange Network community. First, the Network Operations Board (NOB) has released a document of particular interest to Node administrators on the use of Secure Authentication Keys (SAKs). SAKs are recommended as a more secure authentication mechanism for the Exchange Network. If widely used, they will enhance the security of machine-to-machine transactions on the Exchange Network. This document outlines their use, how they can be requested, and explains how they are more secure than current Exchange Network authentication. The use of SAKs is not mandatory but the NOB strongly recommends their adoption. For more details on SAKs and how to implement them, please see the document at http://www.exchangenetwork.net/node/dev_toolbox.

The NOB has also released an updated version (v2.0) of the Shared Schema Components. Shared Schema Components are reusable XML schema that organize related data elements common to multiple data flows. You can find more information on the Shared Schema Components and related documentation at http://www.exchangenetwork.net/dev_schema.