IBM BPM Standard 7.5.1 - Updating Web Services Timeout

I'm trying to be a good citizen, and avoid editing files other than 100Custom.xml.

To that end, I wished to override the default SOAP-based web services timeout from the default of -1 ( to  infinity and beyond ) to a more sensible value of, say, 120 seconds.

However, I was struggling with the stanza, in terms of where to put this: -

<--Timeout in seconds to wait when invoking WebService using SOAPConnector

  Use -1 to disable-->

<timeout>120</timeout>

in 100Custom.xml.

This Technote is useful, but suggests that one should ( quelle horreure ) edit 99Local.xml: -

The timeout property in the 99Local.xml configuration file for IBM Business Process Manager (BPM) Version 7.5.1 is not documented

This is what I initially tried: -

...

</server>

<webservices merge="mergeChildren">

<timeout>120</timeout>

</webservices>

</properties>

and: -

...

<webservices merge="mergeChildren">

<timeout>120</timeout>

</webservices>

</server>

</properties>

but neither worked for me - the timeout value resolutely stuck at -1, as evidenced in TeamWorksConfiguration.running.xml following a restart of my JVM.

This is where I'm editing 100Custom.xml as it's a standalone / single server environment: -

 Directory of C:\profiles\ProcCtr01\config\cells\BPM75Node01Cell\nodes\BPM75Node01\servers\server1\process-center\config

07/18/2013  10:56 AM    <DIR>          .

07/18/2013  10:56 AM    <DIR>          ..

07/18/2013  11:25 AM             1,692 100Custom.xml

11/18/2011  02:05 PM             3,307 console.xml

11/18/2011  02:05 PM             2,133 HTTPEventListener.properties

11/18/2011  02:11 PM             3,077 log4j.xml

11/18/2011  02:05 PM    <DIR>          system

               4 File(s)         10,209 bytes

               3 Dir(s)   4,372,209,664 bytes free

Thanks to some excellent teaming from the IBM BPM Practitioner community, I was recommended to use: -

…

</server>

<webservices>
<timeout merge="replace">120</timeout>
</webservices>

</properties>

… 

and, eventually: -

…

</server>

<webservices merge="mergeChildren">
<timeout merge="replace">120</timeout>
</webservices>

</properties>

… 

The recommendation to use merge="mergeChildren" was to avoid inadvertently replacing the entire <webservices> XML node with just the timeout override entry.

Which is VERY good advice.

Bottom line, following the restart, my web services will now timeout after 2 minutes rather than NEVER timing out, which is nice.

PS I was also recommended to review Configuration file overview and explanation for Lombardi Teamworks, WebSphere Lombardi Edition (WLE), and the IBM Business Process Manager (BPM) products which is again very good advice.