The IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) specification defines the Sh interface as the method of communication between the Application Server (AS) function and the Home Subscriber Server (HSS), or between multiple IMS Application Servers. The AS uses the Sh interface in two basic ways:

• To query or update a user's data stored on the HSS
• To subscribe to and receive notifications when a user's data changes on the HSS

The user data available to an AS may be defined by a service running on the AS (repository data), or it may be a subset of the user's IMS profile data hosted on the HSS. The Sh interface specification, 3GPP TS 29.328, defines the IMS profile data that can be queried and updated through Sh. All user data accessible through the Sh interface is presented as an XML document with the schema defined in 3GPP TS 29.328.

The IMS Sh interface is implemented as a provider to the base Diameter protocol support in Converged Application Server. The provider transparently generates and responds to the Diameter command codes defined in the Sh application specification. A higher-level Profile Service API enables SIP Servlets to manage user profile data as an XML document using XML Document Object Model (DOM). Subscriptions and notifications for changed profile data are managed by implementing a profile listener interface in a SIP Servlet.

Converged Application Server includes a provider for the Diameter Sh interface. Providers to support additional interfaces defined in the IMS specification may be provided in future releases. Applications using the profile service API are able to use additional providers as they are made available.